Grand Illusion (1937)
A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.
- Jean Renoir
- Robert Rips
- Jacques Becker
- Jean Renoir
- Charles Spaak
Rating: 7.8/10 by 679 users
Alternative Title:
A Grande Ilusão - BR
Grand Illusion - US
Die große Illusion - AT
La grande illusione - IT
Вeликая иллюзия - RU
Marea iluzie - RO
La gran ilusión - AR
De groote illusie - BE
Великата илюзия - BG
La gran ilusión - CL
La gran ilusión - CO
Velká iluze - XC
Veľká ilúzia - XC
Die große Illusion - DE
Den store illusion - DK
La gran ilusión - ES
Suuri illusioni - FI
Η μεγάλη χίμαιρα - GR
Velika iluzija - HR
A nagy ábránd - HU
La gran ilusión - MX
De grote illusie - NL
Den store illusjon - NO
La gran ilusión - PA
Towarzysze broni - PL
A Grande Ilusão - PT
Velika opsena - RS
Den stora illusionen - SE
Velika iluzija - SI
Вeликая иллюзия - SU
La gran ilusión - UY
La gran ilusión - VE
Velika iluzija - YU
La grande illusion - US
Η Μεγάλη Ψευδαίσθηση - GR
위대한 환상 - KR
The Grand Illusion - US
Les Aventures du lieutenant Maréchal - FR
L’évasion de Pinsard - FR
Country:
France
Language:
Pусский
Deutsch
Français
English
Runtime: 01 hour 54 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $172,885
Plot Keyword: prisoner, france, countryside, escape, germany, world war i, prisoner of war, brotherhood, camp, aristocrat, fraternity, war injury, escaped prisoner, prison camp, trying to escape, escape plan, humanism
Very much more of a character-driven look at the experiences of French prisoners during the first world war. The inmates represent - much as did their army - soldiers from all aspects of life. The aristocratic Pierre Fresnay as "Boeldieu", Jean Gabin "Maréchal" and Marcel Dalio "Rosenthal" as the more down to earth captives - but all proud Frenchmen with their own determination to escape their imprisonment. The film features many of their valiant escape attempts; along with providing us with quite an interesting illustration of the toughness of their existence and the diversions they sought from the terminal ennui. "Boeldieu" forms an unlikely, respectful relationship with the Commandant - Erich von Stroheim; a fellow aristocrat who feels himself a failure for ending up as a glorified jailor rather than fighting gallantly on the battlefield. On a basic level, it is really quite routine; and the ending almost incidental: what makes this distinctive is the way the story interweaves the decline of a centuries old class system; the chivalric honour between opponents being a thing of the past. This is very much about "Egalité" and "Fraternité" in order to secure "Liberté" and is told in as sympathetic a fashion as it is possible given the gritty peril of their circumstances. Gabin and von Stroheim are particularly effective as is Joseph Kosma's score and the tightly focussed direction on just a few central characters really does give this a sense of purpose.
