The River

The River (1951) is Jean Renoir's first color film, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Shot entirely on location along the Ganges in Bengal, it adapts Rumer Godden's novel and is narrated by Harriet, a teenage girl in an English expatriate family.

Life by the water shifts when Captain John moves in next door — an American veteran who lost a leg in the war. Three young women are drawn to him at once: Harriet, her friend Valerie, and Melanie, who is half-Indian. First love, jealousy, grief and growing up all unfold beside a river that never changes. Patricia Walters, Adrienne Corri and Radha Burnier play the girls whose summer this will define.

Renoir filmed mood over plot here — festivals, markets, music and color that seems to glow. Claude Renoir, the director's nephew, was behind the camera, and a young Satyajit Ray worked on set before launching his own career. Slow and contemplative, it rewards anyone who treats cinema like painting. Stream The River (1951) online on iFILM.