La Grande illusion = Grand illusion

During World War I, three French soldiers are captured behind enemy lines following an ill-fated air mission. They are taken as prisonners to a castle fortress, commanded by Von Rauffenstein. Capitaine de Boeldieu and Von Rauffenstein take an immediate liking to each other as members of the same aristocratic caste, while Lt. Marechal, a working-class mechanic and Rosenthal, a prosperous Jewish banker only dream of escape. In this war film without battle scenes, Renoir touches upon the futility of war and also suggests that the true source of human conflict may be found in class division rather than nationality, as symbolised by the relationship between Boeldieu and Rauffenstein as well as the blooming romance between Marechal and a young German widow (in spite of their not speaking the same language). ‘La Grande Illusion’ is often described as the greatest film about war ever made. The title is an ironic reference to the illusion entertained by many that The Great War would be the last one. To quote film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, “the film doesn’t have quite the demonic, polyphonic, and emotionally contradictory brilliance of Renoir’s ‘The Rules of the Game’, made two years later, but it’s still one of the key humanist expressions to be found in movies: sad, funny, exalting, and glorious.” Also available on LD and VHS.

Credits: Director, Jean Renoir ; writers, Charles Spaak, Jean Renoir ; photography, Christian Matras ; music, Joseph Kosma ; editor, Marguerite Huguet.
Cast: Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim, Julien Carette, Dita Parlo, Jacques Becker, Marcel Dalio.