A powerful film about the futility of war and the ever-present hope of peace

Rating: 10/10 (26 January 1999)

I saw this film to day for the first time in a class i'm taking now, and i was amazed at how strong renoir's visual language remains since he filmed it in 1937. The film does a wonderful job of introducing us to its main characters: Marechal, de Boeldieu, von Rauffenstein, and Rosenthal. The cast is well-chosen and they work together splendidly as an ensemble. There are many powerful scenes in the film--so many that it's pointless to begin listing them. Suffice it to say, this is a great film about the futility of war, racism, classism, and all other things that separate any human being from another. A wonderful film.