While I was reading Jean Renoir’s My Life and My Films
I kept my notebook close by because there is so much beauty, wisdom and wit in Jean Renoir’s words that I often had to stop to write something down. His disarming way of sharing his life, inside and outside the film world is so charming that you don’t want the book to end. His creativity, his passion for his profession, for real filmmaking, for what’s natural, for expressing the common humanity in his characters can not leave you indifferent, whether you are a film lover or not or whether you’ve seen his movies or not. Something else that stays with me is his talent in making you part of his world, in letting you in on the secrets behind the scene and making it all seem so attainable… I think it’s because filmmaking was like a second nature to him. I can not recommend this book highly enough.
“Progress has robbed us of the sometimes clumsy hallmark of the craftsman who made a particular door. In the old days when I went through that doorway I would have a word to say to that craftsman […] Machine-work dulls men’s minds, whereas handicraft ennobles them. A craftsman’s products enrich life. Everything made by hand is like a message from its maker, it contains life.”
I wish you a wonderful weekend!
PS: You may have noticed that my blog has a brand new look. I’ve wanted to redesign my blog header for a long time and I think the new one is a much better reflection of my style and aesthetic: clean, crisp, classic. I hope you like it.
photo: by me
What a lovely read… and beautifully written Ada – you can see where your passion lies! I hope you have a lovely weekend :)x
You write with such inspiration and passion, it is ever so lovely to read your writing. This looks like an interesting book, and I love books that make you want to quote their wisdom!
x
I love that quote from the book and I love the fact that you take notes while reading. Someone once asked me while I was doing that if it wouldn’t be simpler to just photocopy the entire book, hahaha. I always have my notebook beside me while reading but lately I’ve found myself making little symbols on the paragraphs with a pencil. When I pick the book up again I like looking at what I marked.
Consider this book now on my reading list … that gets longer and longer!
Your header looks good and it’s very you but I’ve told you so already.
The notebook is always close by, especially when I’m reading film or fashion books. I rarely write down an entire paragraph: it may be a sentence, a phrase or simply a little detail and the page so that I know where I can look for the information I’m interested in. Plus, this helps me in properly crediting the source if I use any detail from a book in my writing.
I did notice the new look and I love it! Sounds like a lovely book. Yet another one to go on the list. Good thing I have a lot of down time this summer 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend, Ada! xoxo
Ada, you make me want to order this book right now – in fact that will be my task to track it down over the weekend. Thank you for sharing this! Also love your new blog re-design, it looks lovely!
xo Mary Jo
J’aime beaucoup ce post!!!Super!
Angela Donava
https://www.lookbooks.fr
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