Reflections on La Grand Illusion

Rating: Null/10 (10 March 2002)

Many insightful comments concerning this enduring cinematic gem have preceded mine, and, if only for that reason, I shall keep my comments brief. While I am not, and never have been, a marxist, the deepest impression that this film made, on me, was that values shared by class, which, at least before the First World War transcend those of nationality, were profound and significant. This is exemplified by the tete-a-tete between Rauffenstein, one of the few Junkers who survived the carnage of 1914-15, and Boiledieu, the Royalist for whom the Petainsist slogan "honneur, travail, patrie," would probably have been more evocative than the Republican credo of "liberte, egalite, fraternite." Incidentally, I have pondered, for many years, over the seamless transition between French and English during that conversation between these two men, and I have yet to understand what Renoir meant by this except perhaps to underscore the importance of their shared values. (Hello, Josh.)