Jean Renoir never made any secret that Picnic on the Grass (Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe) was inspired by the impressionist paintings of his father Auguste Renoir, and also of Edouard Manet and Claude Monet. The near-surrealistic plotline concerns priggish US presidential candidate Paul Meurisse, who carries on a sterile, clinical courtship with Ingrid Nordine. Proposing that he and Nordine have an image-boosting “picnic on the grass”, the scientifically-oriented Meurisse is distracted by the visceral charms of country girl Catherine Rouvel. Previously a strong advocate of “artificial sex”, Meurisse changes his mind after dallying with the lusty Rouvel. Almost childlike in its approach to the material at hand, Picnic on the Grass is one of Renoir’s most playful efforts. ➔  by Hal Erickson, Rovi