Offers sombre introspection but didn't win me over or draw me in particularly well

Rating: Null/10 (23 June 2012)

This film was recently released on DVD and this was the trigger for me to finally get around to seeing the film I frequently heard referred to as a classic. I came to it not knowing what to expect from it – although of course I had some awareness of what others had said of it. Early on I was surprised by the fact that it jumps to the POW prison very quickly and that it doesn't have much in the way of action; I was also quite surprised by how much light humor there was in it – although this was perhaps more to do with the characters rather than the film itself. Indeed so surprised was I that I began to quite enjoy the film and be taken by the characters, the world of the escape attempts and the odd, chivalrous tension between the opposing officers.
This turned out to be an error because soon the film starts to bring out the real anti-war message and the focus becomes on the pointlessness and emptiness of war, with the supposed rules and standards of behavior being little more than a paper thin construct of no real meaning. While many viewers find this engaging, I'm afraid that I did not – and trust me when I say that I wish I could, since it is always good to agree with the majority when it comes to "classic" cinema, for fear of being labelled an idiot due to a differing opinion. While I was quite held by the mix of realism, humanity, drama and pointlessness, there are several point where the focus on the latter becomes too tight. I should have seen it coming when we only hear about the many escape attempts (rather than see them) but it is not long before the emptiness of it all is pushed forward without anything else to provide framing for it to exist within.
Don't get wrong, there is still much to enjoy with what the film does, but it did seem rather obvious the more it went on. I loved the contradictions within the attitudes of the German soldiers at the end, but mainly because this was smartly done and not pushed in my face as much as some of the other aspects of the second half. The actors give into it as well, even if they are mostly still good. Gabin is a good lead while I thought Stroheim and Fresnay worked well off each other throughout. The direction is good although the tone and pacing seems a little off scene-to-scene and also as a whole.
This is still an interesting film as it provides a sombre view of war with a sense of the hollowness and meaninglessness of the artificial rules and structures established by man, but it is not quite the amazing film that most viewers will come to it expecting. Perhaps a historical appreciation of the film's place in cinema is what I'm missing, but for me it just seemed to be rather obvious in what it did and it did this will rapidly dropping any allusions towards being entertaining that the first half of the film suggested. It is an engaging film even with this, but it is best approached by blocking out the claims of classic and high praise that everyone seems to have for it – then expectations will be more measured.