Thoroughly enjoyable, memorable characters and scenes, an early classic in humanist/prison escape films

Rating: 10/10 (3 June 2004)

I can't deny that Jean Renoir has a genuine eye for human connectedness and moves his camera with a practical naturalness. The performances by the principal actors as well (Jean Gabin as the working-class Marechal, Pierre Fresnay as the eloquent Boieldieu, Marcel Dalio as the subtle and happy Rosenthal, and Erich von Stroheim as the un-mistakenly stiffest and suavest of movie prison wardens Captain von Rauffenstein) are on the money every step of the way. Perhaps my one problem (and it's not a big one) with The Grand Illusion is that despite it being made at a time when cinema, in particular sound cinema, was just starting out, there could've been better targets hit by Renoir. He hits on a mark with these prisoners as well as with the guards- these are regular people, caught up and made to feel like they're in the schoolyard with ruthless heads and rebellious minions. As a satire, for some reason, it works a lot better for me than a drama- at least at first.
For example, when Marechal is in solitary in the first prison, this is a masterpiece of a scene in and of itself, and for some reason I wanted more moments like this. While this could be attributable to the fact that Renoir didn't film everything he had intended with his script (lack of budget one can assume), there are some expectations that weren't up to what could've been met. This may be variable from viewer to viewer, which is why this shouldn't deter those interested in seeing this - this is one of those POW films that's inspired others (i.e. Great Escape), but has a sort of spirit that's all it's own. On the other hand in what comes out when one takes more of a look- which Renoir allows through how watchable (in terms of just being able to not turn off the film once it starts) the drama does become integrated with the critical view of the characters and changing situation. It's almost TOO complex, if that's possible.
One of the fantastic joys of Grand Illusion is how much there is life and energy in his scenes depicting the prisons of world war one. Like in a Fellini drama (which it may very well have inspired for the later Italian), there's a lot pf love for how cinema is made itself to get too depressed with the story & characters. And like in a neo-realist film, the dialog between the people is quite realistic and interesting. Some of the supporting characters/actions may seem odd to some new viewers, although one has to take into context the period. With an awesome cameraman (Christian Matras), finite music score by Joseph Kosma, and an escape scene that's almost as thrilling as what Darabont cooked up in Shawshank, Grand Illusion is deservedly so the first film released by the Criterion collection (DVDs), and is a suave, nice note in film history. AND, it definitely becomes better upon repeat viewings, as these characters become more familiar, as if we're in there in the prisons with these amicable, existential beings.