No doubt, one of the best films from the 1930's

Rating: 8/10 (23 September 2019)

This being my first Renoir films, one of the first things that I noticed, was that La Grande Illusion doesn't look or feel like a film released in 1937. If I didn't know any better I would have said this was a late 40's or early 50's film. The acting and dialog feel very loose and real, very unlike anything i've seen from the 1930's.
The story overall is pretty good, and it develops at a nice steady pace. La Grande Illusion never feels tiring or too long. Overall i would say it's length is spot on.
The cinematography and different camera shots are great and one of the best I've seen from this era. Really surprised my to be honest.
As mentioned the dialog is great, and this works in part thanks to the amazing cast. All the different characters are well written and convincing, not to mention very likable. Also i love that correct languages are used for French, German and English characters, something that even today is not standard practice.
At the end of it all, I really enjoyed this film.
Looking forward to more from Renoir