It's a French Masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (22 July 2003)

Grand Illusion is considered a masterpiece for several reasons. Renoir did microcosmic studies through cinema and Grand Illusion is a metaphor for the changing of the old European aristocracy to the growth of the new ruling classes of the workers and upper middle class. The POW camp is a microcosm of European society- containing French, Russian and Englishmen, professors, actors, bankers, Christians, Jews, etc. Two men fight on opposite sides (German and French captains), but are ideologically and physically identical. The irony comes when the German commander must kill this man for whom he feels the most connection with simply because of the rules of war. Renoir uses music as motif throughout the film and brilliant word play- using the irony of language barriers. He also is consistent with visual imagery- cold, hard and dead vs soft, warm and vital.