La Grande Illusion (1937)
D: Jean Renoir
Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim
I planned to make my first review one of the films I've seen dozens of times - an Annie Hall or a Dr. Strangelove - but I watched a new movie today and enjoyed it so much that I'll review it now. It was, as the title of the post suggests, Grand Illusion, a French film made shortly before the outbreak of World War II. It's a character study of three generals in WWI, a German from an old family, a Frenchman from an old family, and a Frenchman from a young family who meet in a German POW camp. If you don't know what I mean when I say "old" and "new" families, read Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
The first, the German Rauffenstein, played brilliantly by the legendary Erich von Stroheim, is the guy with the monocle in the poster above (by the way, don't forget an image in your review if you can help it). He is unsure of the Germans' ability to win the war, as he only fights in the war because he has been a non-political military man for his whole life and seeks a virtually non-political post in a relatively merciful POW camp. His sole flower becomes one of the most powerful images and symbols in my movie knowledge and makes the movie almost poetic.
Bœldieu, the Frenchman from the old family played by Pierre Fresnay, is poetic as well, accepting, unlike his German counterpart, the change of generation and the gradual upheaval of the 19th-century class system. His frequent attempts to escape, even though he is being treated well, surge patriotism and courage in the viewer. Renoir, the director (and son of Auguste), was dubbed "Public Cinematic Enemy Number One" by the Nazis, and the Nazis attempted to burn all negatives of the film. Thanks to a German film buff, the original negative survived.
Maréchal, the young Frenchman played by Jean Gabin, is the character that drives the action. While not as deep a character as the other two, he is the representative character of the lower classes. This film is unique in its way of treating class differences, for it favors no class. It does not favor change nor resist it. There is a poignant scene with Maréchal and Bœldieu in which one says, "We've lived together for eighteen months and we still use vous."
See the movie. You might not like it as much as me, but you will like it. My only problems were the fact that I don't know French well enough to catch the nuances in the characters and the fact that TCM showed it in pan-and-scan.
I feel kind of lax since my first review is pure positive, but here it is:
A+
Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim
I planned to make my first review one of the films I've seen dozens of times - an Annie Hall or a Dr. Strangelove - but I watched a new movie today and enjoyed it so much that I'll review it now. It was, as the title of the post suggests, Grand Illusion, a French film made shortly before the outbreak of World War II. It's a character study of three generals in WWI, a German from an old family, a Frenchman from an old family, and a Frenchman from a young family who meet in a German POW camp. If you don't know what I mean when I say "old" and "new" families, read Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
The first, the German Rauffenstein, played brilliantly by the legendary Erich von Stroheim, is the guy with the monocle in the poster above (by the way, don't forget an image in your review if you can help it). He is unsure of the Germans' ability to win the war, as he only fights in the war because he has been a non-political military man for his whole life and seeks a virtually non-political post in a relatively merciful POW camp. His sole flower becomes one of the most powerful images and symbols in my movie knowledge and makes the movie almost poetic.
Bœldieu, the Frenchman from the old family played by Pierre Fresnay, is poetic as well, accepting, unlike his German counterpart, the change of generation and the gradual upheaval of the 19th-century class system. His frequent attempts to escape, even though he is being treated well, surge patriotism and courage in the viewer. Renoir, the director (and son of Auguste), was dubbed "Public Cinematic Enemy Number One" by the Nazis, and the Nazis attempted to burn all negatives of the film. Thanks to a German film buff, the original negative survived.
Maréchal, the young Frenchman played by Jean Gabin, is the character that drives the action. While not as deep a character as the other two, he is the representative character of the lower classes. This film is unique in its way of treating class differences, for it favors no class. It does not favor change nor resist it. There is a poignant scene with Maréchal and Bœldieu in which one says, "We've lived together for eighteen months and we still use vous."
See the movie. You might not like it as much as me, but you will like it. My only problems were the fact that I don't know French well enough to catch the nuances in the characters and the fact that TCM showed it in pan-and-scan.
I feel kind of lax since my first review is pure positive, but here it is:
A+
posted by KMil at 9:17 PM
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