Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

La Grande Illusion Blu-ray Movie Review

Class warfare.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 26, 2012

How many films that you’ve seen this year will be remembered in 2087? Probably very few, if we’re being honest with ourselves One of the benefits of time passing is that it has a way of separating the wheat from the chaff, so that even today’s acclaimed “masterpiece” can seem after a few years to be nothing more than a passing fad, as it were. A relative handful of films have truly stood the test of time and remain as meaningful and even important today as they were when they were originally released. Such a film is Jean Renoir’s immortal classic La Grande Illusion, a fascinating study of prisoners of war during World War I that ended up making some piquant commentary about what were at the time of the film’s release the simmering tensions that would soon erupt into World War II. It’s almost shocking to realize that an artist of Jean Renoir’s stature really faced a lot of withering, even blistering, critical response to many of his works at the time of their original release (and even afterward), including films like La Rêgle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game) which have since gone on to become acclaimed as among the greatest films ever made. But Renoir’s La Grande Illusion was met with uncharacteristic valentines from the press and the public in 1937, when the film first appeared, though the epochal conflicts engendered by World War II soon put the film’s reputation in jeopardy, as Germany and Italy banned it and once France was occupied and the Vichy collaborationist government came into power, the film was also withdrawn in its native country as well. In the meantime, the film was slightly edited and after World War II it appeared that the original negative had disappeared. Renoir spent the rest of his life trying to track the negative down, and he also spent years preparing a restored version which was released to great acclaim in 1958. By an almost unbelievable series of events, the negative was discovered in the 1970s, unfortunately too late to satisfy Renoir’s quest, but at least in time before any serious degradation of the elements had occurred (the story of the negative is covered in some detail in one of the supplements included on this Blu-ray). A photochemical restoration was done off of the negative in 1997, but those results, while superior to anything that had been seen in at least a couple of generations, proved to be less than ideal. With the advances in technology, especially as restoration has entered the digital age, Studio Canal and the Toulouse Cinematheque (where the negative resides) sponsored a sparkling new 4K scan and restoration, done by Bologna, Italy based Ritrovara Lab. The new restored version was screened theatrically recently and now home video enthusiasts can see the fruit of the restorative labors on this gorgeous new Blu-ray.

What got Renoir into a bit of trouble with La Grande Illusion was its almost chummy depiction of the relationship between some French prisoners of war and their German captors, as well as a brief Franco-German romance that occurs late in the film, two things that didn’t sit well with some French audiences especially (at least before the occupation and the “forced” collaborationist spirit that occupation sparked). But what some critics failed to realize is that the camaraderie in evidence in the film is really one of class, something that in Renoir’s postulation completely outweighs any passing concerns of nationality. It’s a fascinating thesis and one that gives La Grande Illusion its very unusual social edge.

The film involves the trials of two French aviators, Lieutenant Maréchal (Jean Gabin) and Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) who are captured by the Germans when they’re on a scouting expedition and their plane is downed. They’re then introduced to their captor, the aristocratic German Captain von Rauffenstein (Eric von Stroheim), who at once takes a shine to his “class” equivalent, de Boeldieu. The Frenchmen are also introduced to a gaggle of other French prisoners of war, and the class differences are made quite explicit. Maréchal’s patriotism leads to solitary confinement, and upon his eventual release he and de Boieldieu help the French “grunts” dig an escape tunnel that has been long under construction. In one of the most interesting aspects of this multi-lingual film, the tunnel is almost completed just before the prisoners are dispersed to various other camps, but the language barrier between Maréchal and a newly arrived British prisoner means that knowledge of the tunnel isn’t relayed effectively.

Ultimately the two Frenchman find themselves in a fortress like prison that’s part Alcatraz, part Dracula’s castle, and it is run by von Rauffenstein. Here they meet an ebullient Jewish banker named Rosenthal (Marcel Dalio). It turns out the prisoners have long been planning an escape and they want to enlist the aid of de Boeldieu and Maréchal. The plot to escape requires a certain sacrifice by one of the prisoners, which leads to the fascinating denouement where de Boeldieu and von Rauffenstein have to come to grips with the fact that the world is changing and the class structure of yesteryear is not going to last. It’s part of Renoir’s genius that the discussion here includes one character on the brink of death, but that character seems better prepared to make his transition than the other character who is going to live on to see a “new world order” emerge.

The film’s coda is perhaps unnecessary, the one relatively weak link in an otherwise solid narrative. Maréchal and Rosenthal make their way out of the prison and are taken in by a German lady, and Maréchal obviously has romantic feelings for her. This in its own way is a recapitulation of class overcoming nationality, with the middle class Maréchal and the German woman commiserating about the horrors of war, aware that they’re on different sides of the conflict but not letting it stand in the way of their feelings for each other.

La Grande Illusion takes a certain amount of patience, especially for modern day audiences raised on ADHD material that emphasizes brainless action and ersatz thrills. This is a contemplative film that ingratiates itself slowly but surely and actually only divulges some of its nuanced character beats on repeated viewings. Chances are in 2087, countless other films will have come and gone, long forgotten, but people will still be talking about La Grande Illusion.

La Grande Illusion Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

La Grande Illusion is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal and Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. I've seen La Grande Illusion theatrically several times and have owned the film in various home video formats and can state positively this new transfer is something of a revelation. As some wag averred, even the last photochemical restoration was more a "shades of gray" rendering than an actual "black and white" rendering, but that has been markedly improved here. Contrast is outstanding, blacks are lustrous and whites are bright and crisp. Gray scale is also very nicely modulated. The restored elements are virtually damage free (eagle eyed videophiles may spot a moment or two of damage, like the white line that runs down the far right side of the frame during the credits). The almost nauseau inducing telecine wobble in some of the earlier home video incarnations has been completely ameliorated. This is one of the stunning success stories not only of archival preservation (thank heavens that negative was saved, albeit purely by chance) and the brave new world of digital restoration and scanning. La Grande Illusion looks absolutely marvelous and, best of all, naturally filmic in this brilliant new presentation.

La Grande Illusion Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

La Grande Illusion has both its original (mostly) French language version and its (mostly) German dub available via lossless mono tracks delivered via DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mixes. I may come in for some drubbing here, so let me state this up front: the sound restoration done on La Grande Illusion is nothing short of miraculous. Previous theatrical prints and home video releases were marred by one of the tinniest, boxiest sounding soundtracks ever of a film of this vintage. The sound restoration team has worked wonders here, removing hiss without overly clipping the higher frequencies, and equalizing the midrange and low end to considerably beef up and normalize the sound. So, why not a higher score? For the simple reason that the stems themselves can only be "fixed" so much. There is such inherent shallowness to this soundtrack that only so much can be done for it, and though this is a marvelous new rendering of the soundtrack, it simply can't completely overcome the innate brittleness and boxy sound of the original recording. Take this all in perspective, though, because I reiterate the sound restoration here is nothing short of miraculous.

La Grande Illusion Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1937) (1080i; 4:08)


• Trailer (1958) (1080i; 5:36)


• Introduction by Ginette Vincendeau (1080i; 12:14) is a really interesting overview of both the film and Renoir's oeuvre. Vincendeau goes into some detail about Renoir's parentage and legacy, as well as his work in the 1930s, followed by his Hollywood career. The film's history is rather convoluted and Vincendeau reviews its background of having been banned and its reemergence after World War II.


• The Original Negative: A Remarkable Story (HD; 11:59) is must-see viewing for anyone interested in the sometimes unbelievable world of film preservation. The Toulouse Film Library hold the original negative for La Grande Illusion. After a brief overview of the film by the Library's Natacha Laurent, she then discusses the history of the Film Library itself, its founder Raymonde Borde, who through his personal efforts and a rather unlikely friendship with Victor Privato, who helmed a similar Film Library in Moscow (of all places). Rather incredibly, the negative of La Grande Illusion came from Moscow and has only resided in Toulouse since the 1970s. How the negative ended up in Moscow is a microcosmic recounting of several key moments in World War II. (In French with English subtitles.)


• Success and Controversy by Olivier Curchod (HD; 23:21). Curchod is a French film historian and Renoir specialist and he talks about what a singular achievement this was for Renoir as well as for French film. Curchod also talks about the various versions of the film and how it was banned during World War II, with Renoir himself spearheading attempts to restore the film for subsequent showings. Curchod also talks about the film's lasting legacy on filmmakers like Martin Scorsese. (In French with English subtitles.)


• John Truby Talks About La Grande Illusion (HD; 4:28). Truby, a script doctor, discusses the importance of the film's writing, and how the film is actually more about class than it is about nationalism.


• Restoring La Grande Illusion (HD; 3:24) features a series of side by side and before and after comparisons that reveal the truly astounding restoration this film has undergone.

La Grande Illusion Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

La Grande Illusion is one of those "must see" films for any serious lover of the medium. It's a more accessible "entertainment" (for want of a better term) than Renoir's La Rêgle du Jeu, though like that film it gives up its social commentary subtly, so the viewer must not be lulled into a false sense that nothing much is going on. The film is perhaps the most brilliant examination of class versus nationality in a time of war ever put on celluloid, and its stinging rebuke of a crumbling aristocracy can still be felt quite strongly to this day. This immensely impressive restoration is one of the most exciting stories of 2012 for any lover of classic film, and this Blu-ray offers it all up with glorious video and relatively excellent sound, along with a nice package of supplements. If you've never seen La Grande Illusion, you really must, and I don't make that comment lightly. If you have seen it, prepare to experience it like you never have before. Highly recommended.