{"id":10009,"date":"2010-01-05T12:01:27","date_gmt":"2010-01-05T19:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10009"},"modified":"2021-10-25T10:06:16","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T17:06:16","slug":"grand-illusion-grande-illusion-la-1937","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10009","title":{"rendered":"Grand Illusion \/ Grande Illusion, La (1937)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Frontiers are an invention of men; nature doesn&#8217;t give a hoot.&#8221;<\/strong> <\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Poster-218x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"218\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-58874\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Poster-218x300.png 218w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Poster-743x1024.png 743w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Poster-93x128.png 93w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Poster-768x1059.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Poster-196x270.png 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Poster.png 805w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 218px) 100vw, 218px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nDuring World War One, an aristocratic French captain (Pierre Fresnay) bonds with his German captor (Eric von Stroheim) while secretly making plans with his fellow POWs (including Jean Gabin and Marcel Darlio) to escape.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Class Relations<\/li>\n<li>Erich von Stroheim Films<\/li>\n<li>Escape<\/li>\n<li>French Films<\/li>\n<li>Jean Gabin Films<\/li>\n<li>Jean Renoir Films<\/li>\n<li>Prisoners of War<\/li>\n<li>World War One<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary argues that this classic wartime drama by Jean Renoir is a &#8220;heartfelt cry for an end to wars, which are casually undertaken at the expense of the natural bond among all men.&#8221; Indeed, Renoir&#8217;s tale of the &#8220;respectful relationship&#8221; between two &#8220;cultured and aristocratic&#8221; career soldiers who &#8220;believe war can be carried out in a chivalrous manner&#8221; is somewhat heartbreaking in its naivete, given that war is &#8220;simply too cruel&#8221; for such a noble sentiment; despite being &#8220;treated well&#8221; by their captors, the prisoners know they must escape, and they risk their lives repeatedly to do so. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Escape2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Escape2-1024x622.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"389\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58884\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Escape2-1024x622.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Escape2-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Escape2-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Escape2-768x466.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Escape2-1536x933.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Escape2-445x270.png 445w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Escape2.png 1685w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A number of memorable, powerful sequences are sprinkled throughout the film &#8212; including, as noted by Peary, the scene in which a soldier &#8220;dresses up like a female for a variety show, [and] all the men silently stare at him, thinking about the women the war has taken from them&#8221;: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Girl.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Girl-1024x624.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Girl-1024x624.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Girl-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Girl-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Girl-768x468.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Girl-1536x936.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Girl-443x270.png 443w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Girl.png 1669w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and the moment when &#8220;Russian prisoners receive textbooks and cookbooks instead of the expected food from their insensitive empress&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Books.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Books-1024x626.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"391\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Books-1024x626.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Books-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Books-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Books-768x470.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Books-1536x939.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Books-442x270.png 442w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Books.png 1663w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The final &#8220;act&#8221; of the film &#8212; once Gabin and Dalio have escaped and found refuge in the home of a German farm woman (Dito Parlo) &#8212; takes on a decidedly different tone from what&#8217;s come before; Renoir seems determined to show an idealized alternative to war, in which a French soldier and a German woman can fall in love &#8220;despite not knowing each other&#8217;s languages&#8221;. I have mixed feelings about this sudden shift in narrative and mood, but it&#8217;s lovely to see Parlo (so memorable in Jean Vigo&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8960\"><em>L&#8217;Atalante<\/em><\/a>) in another significant role. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Gabin-Parlo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Gabin-Parlo-1024x636.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"398\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Gabin-Parlo-1024x636.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Gabin-Parlo-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Gabin-Parlo-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Gabin-Parlo-768x477.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Gabin-Parlo-1536x954.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Gabin-Parlo-435x270.png 435w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Gabin-Parlo.png 1657w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A powerful portrait of humanity in the midst of war<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Still-1024x637.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"398\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Still-1024x637.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Still-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Still-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Still-768x478.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Still-1536x956.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Still-434x270.png 434w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Grand-Illusion-Still.png 1653w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an enduring classic. Nominated as one of the best movies of the year in Peary&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/AlternateOscars.html\"><em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0028950\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/05\/13\/movies\/renoirs-vision-for-a-united-europe-in-grand-illusion.html\">NY Times Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/cgi-bin\/article.cgi?f=\/e\/a\/1999\/12\/03\/WEEKEND9121.dtl\">SF Gate Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/great-movie-grand-illusion-1937\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/grand-illusion\/review\/125008\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/76799\/grand-illusion#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/la-grande-illusion\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Frontiers are an invention of men; nature doesn&#8217;t give a hoot.&#8221; Synopsis: During World War One, an aristocratic French captain (Pierre Fresnay) bonds with his German captor (Eric von Stroheim) while secretly making plans with his fellow POWs (including Jean Gabin and Marcel Darlio) to escape. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Class Relations Erich von Stroheim Films Escape French Films Jean Gabin Films Jean Renoir Films Prisoners of War World War One Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: Peary argues that this&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10009\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10009"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77718,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10009\/revisions\/77718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}