La Chienne

La Chienne
Film poster
Directed by	Jean Renoir
Produced by	Pierre Braunberger Roger Richebé Charles David (production manager)
Written by	Jean Renoir
Based on	The novel by Georges de La Fouchardière and the play by André Mouëzy-Éon
Starring	Michel Simon Janie Marèse Georges Flamant Roger Gaillard[]
Cinematography	Theodor Sparkuhl
Edited by	Marguerite Renoir
Production company	Les Etablissement Braunberger-Richebé
Distributed by	Gaumont
Release date	November 19, 1931
Running time	96 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

La Chienne (The Bitch) is a 1931 French film by director Jean Renoir. It is the second sound film by the director and the twelfth film of his career. The literal English translation of the film's title is "The Bitch", although the movie was never released under this title. It is often referred to in English as Isn't Life a Bitch? The film was remade by Fritz Lang in the United States as Scarlet Street (1945).

La Chienne was released by The Criterion Collection on both Blu-ray and DVD, newly restored in 4K, on June 14, 2016.

Maurice (Michel Simon) is a married cashier who meets Lulu (Janie Marèse), a streetwalker. Their chance meeting results in Maurice falling in love with Lulu. She, however, is in love with her boyfriend-pimp, Dédé (Georges Flamant). Together, Dédé and Lulu plot ways to get Maurice to give cash to Lulu, mostly at the urging of Dédé.

In the film Michel Simon falls in love with Janie Marèse, and he did off-screen as well, while Marèse fell for Georges Flamant, who plays the pimp. Renoir and producer Pierre Braunberger had encouraged the relationship between Flamant and Marèse in order to get the fullest conviction into their performances (La Chienne was Flamant's first acting experience). After the film had been completed Flamant, who could barely drive, took Marèse for a drive, crashed the car and she was killed. At the funeral Michel Simon fainted and had to be supported as he walked past the grave. He threatened Renoir with a gun, saying that the death of Marèse was all his fault. "Kill me if you like", responded Renoir, "but I have made the film".

On October 23, 2003, La Chienne was released on DVD in France by Opening Distribution, along with Renoir's On purge bébé (1931), Tire-au-flanc (1928), and Catherine (1924), as part of a box set. The film was later released together with Renoir's Partie de campagne (A Day in the Country) by M6 Vidéo on both Blu-ray and DVD in France on November 10, 2015.