Movielogr

Rating: 8.5 stars

Tags

WWI anti-war prison camp prison break class

All movies seen on 06/19/2012

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Grand Illusion (1937)

Directed by Jean Renoir

Drama | War

Most recently watched by sleestakk

Overview

A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

Rated NR | Length 114 minutes

Actors

Jean Gabin | Pierre Fresnay | Erich von Stroheim | Marcel Dalio | Dita Parlo | Julien Carette | Gaston Modot | Georges Péclet | Werner Florian | Jean Dasté | Sylvain Itkine | Jacques Becker | Habib Benglia | Pierre Blondy | Albert Brouett | Roger Forster | Georges Fronval | Karl Heil | Carl Koch | Little Peters | Claude Sainval | Michel Salina | Claude Vernier

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Viewing Notes

One of the great anti-war movies, and one I’d never seen before. When I came across the Criterion DVD at my library, I decided it was time to rectify that.

Not only is La Grande Illusion a great anti-war film, but it also takes a big chunk out of class distinction by highlighting the humanity in everyone, showing that there really are no distinctions between landed gentry and commoners, Germans and French, etc.

It’s easy to see the influence of this film on The Great Escape as well.

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