10/11/09 - La grande illusion (The Grand Illusion)

La grande illusion (The Grand Illusion) (1937, 114 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028950/

I continued my mid-term preparation by selecting La grande illusion. It's selected #1 by the Criterion Collection which must count for something in how good it is. I was excited to see how this film really was as it was really old (1937) and how it stood up to a viewing in 2009.

The film mainly follows a French aviator Capt. de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) as he goes from prisoner of war camp to prisoner of war camp during World War I. At first, we are introduced to the German aviator who shot him down, Capt. von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim). We learn that, being aristocrats, de Boeldieu and von Rauffenstein actually have mutual acquaintances. As de Boeldieu moves from camp to camp he gains friends in Lt. Maréchal (Jean Gabin) and Lt. Rosenthal (Marcel Dalio) as fellow prisoners. In the end, de Boeldieu sacrifices himself for the safety of these two friends.

The acting here is mostly good. Having not seen many films from 1939 (except stuff like The Wizard of Oz) it's hard to see know exactly how it compares to the times. And to isolate me even further from this knowledge, the film is French. Overall, the acting seems second fiddle to allowing director Jean Renoir to make his various points about officers, class, and war. Here is where the film truly shines as all of these points are timeless. Conversations between de Boeldieu and von Rauffenstein about the frivolity of war and where they - as aristocrats - will stand after the war are extremely well done. The ending, too, is great as it showcases how the various characters come to terms with the long term effects of the war.

I would also like to point out one particularly great scene. When the group is being transported from one camp to another they are attempting to inform the new camp members about the escape tunnel they had just completed. Instead, they encounter a language barrier and the new members are unable to gain access to this vital information. The whole bumbling exchange is filmed in a great manner making this small scene very nerve-wracking.

Another great scene is the ending. As the surviving duo of Lt. Maréchal and Lt. Rosenthal escape into Switzerland we learn that the guards cannot fire on them as they are in the neutral territory. With snow surrounding the landscape, the two men survive because of an invisible national border in a war. I feel that this is another in a great many scenes on the absurdness of war in this film.

Overall, I gave this film a 7/10. It stands up quite will in its presentation of points and in that regard and I cannot claim that the film is not in elite company. However, it's somewhat aged and the acting is not great throughout. Is it worthy of the praise that it gets? Yes, without a doubt, as this praise is no doubt coming for how well the film makes it's point. Is it a 10/10 as a total film? Not in my book. Perhaps this rating is a little harsh, but overall, watching this movie was somewhat boring at times and the snail-pacing did not help matters.