Week 7: Grand Illusion (1937)

Posted on April 22, 2009 Updated on April 22, 2009

Before Viewing

 As you can probably tell by now, I enjoy watching foreign films. I love the different points of view and perspectives that I get introduced to when I watch films from different nations. I prefer them in their original languages, as subtitles don’t bother me at all. My favorites have been the Italians, but I’ve also seen some great French films. One of the most well-known early French directors is Jean Renior, son of the legendary Impressionist painter Auguste Renior. He’s been acclaimed as one of the best early French filmmakers, and his movies have been studied the world over. I’ve already seen ‘The Rules of the Game’, which is also one of his most acclaimed films. I’ll touch on that later.

I’m looking forward to ‘Grand Illusion’ because of its reputation and because it stars Erich von Stroheim.

My Thoughts After Viewing

First, the movie itself.

I enjoyed the film, especially when you consider that it’s the forefather of the ‘great escape’ genre. I liked the early sequences where the French soldiers were working on their tunnel underneath the German prison camp. There were some stock characters (the comic relief guy, the suave aristcrat guy, the homesick/lovesick guy, and so on), and they all played their roles effectively. Jean Gabin’s Lt. Maréchal was your typical gritty, rugged handsome hero, and he did fine (I liked the scenes with him in solitary). The movie set the mode for the escape formula, and it didn’t disappoint in that regard.

Having said that, I though the film actually slowed down a bit after Lt. Maréchal and Rosenthal escaped. While I didn’t mind the segment with Dita Parlo and the little girl, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the scenes in the prison camp. I get the meaning behind the scene, and it was effective in relation to the overall themes of loneliness and class struggle, but it just wasn’t as powerful as some of the other scenes.

When I say that, I was most impressed by the scenes involving the two aristocrats, played by von Stroheim and Pierre Fresnay. Their scenes were my favorites, because they represented an age that did end after World War I (I did a lot of research on World War I as a kid, and so I have an affinity for the time period. WWI was a war conceived and fought by gentlemen- too bad it was the masses that did the dying!). This exchange between the two was one of my favorites, because it proved to be true:

Capt. de Boeldieu: I think we can do nothing to stop the march of time.
Capt. von Rauffenstein: Believe me, I don’t know who is going to win this war the end, whatever it is will be the end of the Rauffensteins and the Boeldieus.

World War I led to the end of  many family dynasties, and the film deals with that reality. I also enjoy classic films on World War I (‘The Big Parade’, ‘Wings’, ‘Hell’s Angels’, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’), and this one is good from a historical standpoint.

My favorite part was the job done by Erich von Stroheim as the German officer von Raffenstein. Of course, his performance would launch at least a thousand future monacled German officers in film, and he does it well. He’s a gentleman who treats his enemy with honor because of a code that he knows is going by the wayside. Even though he’s the enemy, he’s a noble one. I’ve always been fascinated by von Stroheim as an actor and director. I loved him in ‘Sunset Boulevard’, and the stories I’ve read about him during the filming of ‘Greed’ only add to his legend (the thought of him imploring his actors to fight using the hatred and rage they felt for him as the director is wonderful). He didn’t disappoint.

Having said all that I have, I do have to say that I feel a little guilty because, well, the film didn’t overwhelm me. I think I expected more from such an acclaimed film (maybe it’s just Renoir- I felt the same exact way after seeing ‘The Rules of the Game’). I mean, I liked it… but maybe I thought I should have felt overwhelmed. I wasn’t underwhelmed. Maybe I was just… whelmed. I do plan to see this film and ‘Rules’ again, because they were good enough that they warrant another viewing. Maybe now that I know what I expect, I can watch them again with a different mindset.

The Final Say

 I would suggest you see it if you get a chance. It’s enjoyable, especially if you like ‘Great Escape’ films.