If the theme of 'The Golden Coach' (Le Carrosse d'or) could be summed up in one phrase, it would be that uttered by Anna Magnani as she reflects on her life and situation: "Where is truth? Where does the theatre end and life begin?" This is the question that Jean Renoir wished to explore when he directed 'The Golden Coach,' a sumptuous film loosely based on Le Carrosse du Saint Sacrement, a comedic play by Prosper Mérimée. The movie is ostensibly about the love triangle that forms around Camilla (Magnani), the star actress of a comedia dell'arte troupe in a small Peruvian town in the early 19th century. But at its core, it's a method for Renoir to examine the relationship between acting and real life, about performances that we give both on and off the stage.
