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The Grand Illusion / La Grande Illusion (1937) [The Criterion Collection]

Posted By: Helladot
The Grand Illusion / La Grande Illusion (1937) [The Criterion Collection]

The Grand Illusion (1937)
DVDRip | AVI | 576 x 432 | XviD @ part 1 - 1673 Kbps; part 2 - 1200 Kbps | 113 min | 1,43 Gb
Audio: French MP3 @ 128 Kbps + English Commentary track | Subtitles (idx/sub): English, French
Genre: Drama, War

One of the very first prison escape movies, Grand Illusion is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Jean Renoir’s antiwar masterpiece stars Jean Gabin and Pierre Fresnay as French soldiers held in a World War I German prison camp, and Erich von Stroheim as the unforgettable Captain von Rauffenstein.


Every time I watch this I find something else I hadn't thought of before, every viewing is an augmented experience. Things I hadn't spotted at 11, 19, 22 etc I spotted last night, mostly inconsequential but still adding to the picture 36 years after my first time. That to me is the difference between great films and Great films, one of the reasons why this ostensibly simple movie is one of the all time Greats.

And it is simple (the simplest things are usually the best) - boring to some people who sadly will never understand its logic and magic - an absorbing prisoner of war tale that is also a prisoner of class tale. It defines that class loyalties are more meaningful than patriotism even if not always practical, and that to those who consider themselves to have breeding it's far more important to have "blood" than capital. Boldieu and Rauffenstein embody this, they both knew their chivalric world order was being gradually diminished - the next war will and was led by people without breeding, types like Marechal and Rosenthal who fought on. The most significant borders are not between countries, races, religions, sexes or ages but those between the classes. Renoir was at his most inspired with Illusion, with so many memorable images and set-pieces, an engrossing storyline even when down to trying to say blue eyes in German or being posh by gossipping in English, and fantastic acting by all concerned. Everything has already been covered and better in previous posts, but I would add I don't understand why Regle du jeu is the Renoir film that gets the kudos today - unless by being deliberately more obscure it appeals to influential Artheads.

The French film I love the most.
IMDB Reviewer
[Enlargeable]
The Grand Illusion / La Grande Illusion (1937) [The Criterion Collection]
The Grand Illusion / La Grande Illusion (1937) [The Criterion Collection]

Includes:
- Audio Commentary by film historian Peter Cowie
- An introduction by Jean Renoir (in English, 4:29)
- Film's overview (English, in PDF)
My Blog - Enjoy!