Abstract
This article offers an analysis of the function that a number of musical automata play in the representation of character and situation in Jean Renoir's 1939 film La Règle du jeu . In addition to its attention to the history and workings of specific automata, the article contends that these are mechanical marvels which reveal a great deal about the deepest feelings and unacknowledged desires of certain characters. Although the automata are the products of a rational Enlightenment world view, there are energies in the film which could be considered the return of the repressed of the technology itself. The article makes the argument that automata and film are cognate kinds of machines and that the cinematic apparatus finds its technological likeness in the film's mechanical instruments. Both the film and its automata offer us a critique of the failure of reason to order the world of European civilization as it collapses on the eve of World War II.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
