LA GRANDE ILLUSION -- background

The film was directed by Jean Renoir (1894-1979) second son of Pierre August Renoir, the famous painter. Jean Renoir grew up in Paris and Cagnes-sur-mer, a lovely small town near Nice on the Côte d’Azur. He attended boarding schools in France and university in Aix-en- Provence.

Renoir did his military service beginning in 1913 in the cavalry, but during the war served in the Alpine infantry where he was twice wounded and then in the French air force as a reconnaissance pilot.

After the war, though interested in many of the arts, Renoir turned to film. During a lifetime career beginning in the silent and ending in Hollywood, Renoir made 47 films. Several of these are classics: The Grand Illusion, The Rules of the Game, The Beast. The River. He wrote several novels and many essays of film criticism. He received many awards in France, Europe, and the U.S.

The Grand Illusion was made in 1936-7 and released in 1937, just after the fall of the Popular Front government in France. It was banned almost immediately in Germany and later in Italy. In France it was tremendous hit, viewed by perhaps 12 million patrons. However, in 1940 the French Army had it banned “for the duration” because of what they regarded as its anti-war message.

The film stars six outstanding actors of the time:

Pierre Fresnay as de Boldieu, was an outstanding classical and stage actor.

Jean Gabin as Marechal, was perhaps the greatest of the French male film actors of the 20th century, leagues better for range, characterization, and sheer magnetism than some later pretenders. (e.g. name beginning with D)

Erich von Stroheim as von Rauffenstein. Incomparable. Like Orson Welles, he transformed and elevated every film he directed or acted in.

Julien Carrette as Cartier. Carrette was a famous vaudevillian.

Marcel Dalio as Rosenthal. Dalio was a journeyman actor in many, many films. Did you notice him in Casablanca?

Dita Parlo as Elsa. “The Grand Illusion” was probably the high point of her difficult career In film.

R. Bunselmeyer. April 2018.