The River

The River (French: Le Fleuve) is a 1951 Technicolor drama romance film directed by Jean Renoir and produced by Kenneth McEldowney. The cast includes Esmond Knight, Nora Swinburne and Arthur Shields. A fairly faithful dramatization of the 1946 novel of the same name by Rumer Godden, the film's narrative follows a teenage girl's coming of age and first love, with the eponymous river serving as both the backdrop and a central metaphor. The film was shot in Calcutta, India, where Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, who was then only a student of cinema, was able to meet Renoir for guidance.