Search - Grand Illusion - Criterion Collection on DVD

Amazing

Jonathan Schaper | London, Ontario Canada | 05/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Orson Welles, who was not known for his modesty, said that if a cabinet containing every film ever made caught fire and he only had time to run in and rescue one film, it would be the Grand Illusion (not Citizen Kane, etc). Most people watching this film today might wonder why it warrants such high praise. I say this because many of the themes in this film have been dealt with memorably in other films (the first time I saw the Grand Illusion, for example, I couldn't help thinking that I preferred Stalag 17). As a result, the film appears to be less original than it actually was. Modern audiences are also not used to the movie's themes being dealt with so subtly (no bodies are graphically blown up to show the horrors of war, no lower class characters are unjustly executed, etc). Thus it will not attract as much widespread popular praise as such overblown garbage as Saving Private Ryan (which is a complete and utter failure as an anti-war movie after its opening 10 minute gorefest ends). In contrast, this film has a subtle depth which elevates its effectiveness and will keep the viewer thinking long after it ends.There are many illusions dealt with in the film. The interaction between the upper class prisoners and the prison camp's commandant (excellently performed by Erich Von Stronheim) illustrates the illusion of civility that exists (or should I say existed) during war (people pretending to be civilized while trying to wipe each other out). It illustrates the illusion of nationalism (except for the war, the officers are kindred spirits). The illusion of class is also well portrayed with the commandant arbitrarily showing less favour to some prisoners because of their last name and for no other reason. Viewers with knowledge of history will also note the irony in its theme of the decline of nobility and the ascendency of democracy given that this film occurs during a war in which lowly soldiers were ruthlessly sacrificed by their "noble" leaders in greater numbers than in any other war.One thing which makes this film different from most others about war or class is that it portrays the noble officers as worthwhile and positive people, but it treats all of its characters with equal respect. This, of course, further illustrates the illusory nature of class.For a thought-provoking movie, it is also quite entertaining, filled with humour, suspense and great performances. While I would not go as far as Welles in his praise of The Grand Illusion, it is still very highly recommended."

One of the greatest anti-war classics ever made

ilian73 | Los Angeles, CA USA | 05/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Grand Illusion, together with The Rules of the Game is Jean Renoir's best known film. But unlike The Rules of the Game, which was universally maligned by both critics and the moviegoing public and banned by the French government for bad taste, The Grand Illusion was universally praised to become the instant classic. Well, this tale of two movies has perhaps most to do with the tones of the movies and Renoir's humanistic tendency to approach everything with understanding and fairness, as far as that is possible, even with things that he is actually lampooning (as in The Rules of the Game.) In case of The Rules of the Game, maybe the moviegoers could not reconcile the frivolity of life - as offensive as that was - and profound sympathy that was shown to them. But in The Grand Illusion, the noble themes and situations are more acceptible.Renoir's films are rarely if ever about just one thing, and The Grand Illusion is no exception. First of all, what is the "grand"(more accurately, great or maybe even gross) illusion that the title refers to? It obviously refers to the illusion that the war will be over soon as it is often expressed in the movie. It is also the illusion that war is noble or honorable, or that war brings divided classes together. It also refers to the illusions of the German officer Rauffenstein of the old and new order. But it probably also refers to the illusion that the audience experiences at the end of the movie. At the superficial level, some moviegoers may feel that Marechal and Rosenthal escape successfully to France and that after war Marechal would Elsie. Although other moviegoers would find such prospect too optimistic, they would feel that the audience could choose either way - Marechal will return to Else or he will not. But any kind of optimistic sense felt at the end of the movie is the "grand" illusion. The fact is that Marechal and Rosenthal probably will return to France, and possibly be killed in later battles (though Rosenthal reappears in the Rules of the Game, it seems to be more of in-joke than the same character); in any case, the reunion of Else and Marechal is illusion. Although it seems that the national boundaries have been overcome by two characters, it turns out to be illlusion not because there is any truth to the boundary, which is man-made, but because of the social condition that is shaped by these boundaries. The bond between Marechal and Else, and between Marechal and Rosenthal are genuine but fragile liek von Rauffenstein's geranium. There are several times when they overcome nationality and religion toward common bond of humanity, but in the end, boundaries and social conditions impose order again. So at the end, when they make final sprint toward the Swiss border, Marechal and Rosenthal exchange words of farewell as if they are going their separate ways. In the movie, as noted, there are all kinds of man-made boundaries that separate men from others - class, nationality, language, (German, French, English, and Russian are prominently spoken in various scenes), ethnicity (there is even African officer in POW camp, and he's not there accidently), religion(which is quite prominent in one particular scene). After all, this film is the granddaddy of POW and escape genre, and the boundary manifests in physical forms of barbed wires, walls, and national borders. The main characters try to break out from the imposed boundary just as much from prison walls. But for Renoir, the boundary that separates men more than anything else is that of class - which separates common men from aristocrats. We see all sorts of social group that can be categorized - a student of Pindar, vegetarian, engineer, and various people who are occupied with different kinds of concerns. The movie often concerns itself with what these people will do if they get out of prison or if war is over. One of the most remarkable myth about the war is that it unites all social groups in one patriotic solidarity. The division among men is paradoxically most apparent in the closeness of two main characters. In fact, von Rauffenstein and de Boieldieu are so much in tune with each other that they almost appear to have been friends even though they meet for the first time in the movie. They have common acquaintances, place they have been to, but what brings them together in the end is their class. Although Renoir is sympathetic to these aristocratic characters, he does not grieve with them about the end of the old order, which the WWI brought about. Theirs is the class that must die out (aristoracy in Europe still lingered through the thirties to the WWII, which was to be the coup de grace, especially in Germany and France.), the new beginning starts in the last third of the film with Marechal, Rosenthal, and Else. Renoir's universe of complex orders and characters are well served by his film technique that utilizes depth of field and adroit tracking shot for The Grand Illusion is one of the best examples of democratic aspects that realist school is striving to achieve. I am not one to feel nostalgic about aristocracy, and certainly not Renoir (who supported the Popular Front), but Renoir tells the most elegiac story about passing of an age - from the age of aristocracy to the modern age. The Grand Illusion was made in 1937, when with Sudenten crisis and all that, there was distinct certainty that a major war was brewing in Europe. In this sense, The Grand Illusion was a plea for bond of brotherhood and higher understanding. Yet Renoir was also a realist. More and more one thinks about the movie, there is a greater sense of tragedy. This DVD was delayed for several years to acquire the best possible prints and beatifully restore them. It is a testament to Criterion's commitment to the art of cinema - well worth long wait.... Most highly recommended."