Jean Renoir Screenings

Sun., July 18, 2 p.m., $8 after museum admission of $16, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-684-7585, philamuseum.org.

by Eric Henney

[ old wave ]

In conjunction with "Late Renoir," currently running at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a three-part film series features the work of Pierre-Auguste's kid, Jean — you know, the subject of some of the exhibition's paintings. Not to mention that guy Orson Welles called the greatest director of all time. The PMA kicks things off this week with La Régie du Jeu (The Rules of the Game). Set in a countryside chateau, Renoir's vicious satire follows the frivolities of French aristocrats as they destroy themselves and each other. Later, the PMA will screen La Grande Illusion (July 25) and The Southerner (Aug. 15). Admittedly, there are palpable discrepancies between the dad and son's works, so the films will be assessed on their own terms. However, because of the uniquely intimate influence Papa Renoir's late art had on his son, they will also serve as a tool for appraising the complicated legacy of the period "Late Renoir" covers. Art students from select area schools get in free, which is very nice. But does it really matter when you're getting the chance to see Renoir in all his glory rather than neutered on your lame TV screen?