The Grand Illusion
1937
I have been on such a French kick lately. I just finished Nana and am starting Les Miserables, I went out to a French restaurant (goat cheese!!!), and I watched this. The restaurant led to one of those oh-that-was-so-good-let's-leave-oh-my-god-I-forgot-my-wallet-let's-make-a-run-for-it-or-ask-the-lady-next-to-us-for-money-yay-I-found-a-twenty-in-my-purse-and-we-have-a-groupon-but-not-enough-for-a-tip situations. i am still enjoying my phase, though.
Anyway, this was a pretty decent film. This was one of the first prison break movies (we 1001ers know that before this there was A Nous la Liberte or I Am a Fugitive From the Chain Gang). This film is about two Frenchmen who struggle to break free from a German prison camp. This was a pretty risky move considering Hitler was in his prime at the time. In fact, this film was banned during World War II (it didn't help that a Jew was in the film). It is very artsy; but what do you expect from a Jean Renoir film. Check it out!
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Woody Allen's favorite movie.
First foreign language film to be nominated for Best Picture.
Trailer:
Worth every penny. My favorite Renoir. Even Stroheim is good. A lot to think about too.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
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