The Great Illusion was a book from 1909 by British journalist Norman Angell that argued that war was a futile effort because of the common economic interests of all the European nations. This argument presupposes that man thinks rationally when deciding to go to war with one another. Often, man acts against their own self-interests when declaring war, and the outcome rarely sees the warring nation come out ahead.
In 1937, this book inspired Jean Renoir, a French filmmaker, to author, alongside Charles Spaak, the film Le Grande Illusion (The Grand Illusion), a take on the stupidity of war from the perspective of officers during World War I. It was also a response to the very real threat of a second world war as Nazi aggression was ramping up. The film was well received, becoming the first foreign film ever nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
It wasn’t long afterwards, though, that World War II officially came to France, and a film like Grand Illusion was seen as anti-war. Germany decided the film was to be destroyed, and for many years, it was considered lost. Then in 1958, prints were discovered, and a restoration was put underway, releasing in the early 1960s. Jean Renoir was still very much alive at the time and gave interviews expressing his gratitude that his masterpiece had not been lost to the ravages of war.
Stranger still, though, was the discovery of the original negative, which had been shipped back to Berlin to be stored in the Reichsfilmarchiv vaults. These vaults ended up being in the Russian zone after the war, and the films, this one included, were shipped off to Moscow after the war, ending up in what would become the Gosfilmofond Film Archive. Sometime during the 1960s, this original negative was returned, along with many others, to France but remained unidentified for over 30 years, with no one expecting that it had survived the war. During those 30+ years, it sat in Toulouse Cinémathèque until it was rediscovered in the early 1990s. This version would serve as the basis for a DVD release by Criterion, a version that is long out of print. It has since seen an HD rerelease, but that, too, is out of print. Finding a copy of this film to watch nowadays has gotten difficult, making it one of the more challenging Best Picture nominees to view. The effort is well worth it, though, even if you have to settle for an Asian bootleg.
Grand Illusion is a meditation on the collapse of the old order of civilized Europe. We see a German officer reminiscing about a woman named Fifi who worked in a bar in Paris, only to have a French officer, a prisoner of the Germans, state that he, too, knows Fifi. This same German officer shares a drink with one of his French prisoners, Capt. de Boëldieu (Pierre Fresnay), and laments that this war has put them on opposite sides. He was once a proud soldier of Germany, but his injuries have relegated him to being a prison guard. It’s a mentality best understood by the upper class, who, despite being on opposite sides of a man-made border, share the same code of behavior.
There are echoes of later films throughout Grand Illusion, a tribute to how influential this film was to later filmmakers. The most obvious one is The Great Escape, but I also saw traces of Casablanca, the singing of the Marseilles specifically, and even a bit of Stalag 17. Details around the first escape attempt, where the men tunnel under their bunks and cart out the excess dirt in their pants, were directly lifted in The Great Escape. Imitation, as they say, is the finest form of flattery.
Perhaps the most telling is the relationship between Captain de Boëldieu and his captor, Von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim). These two share a mutual respect even as they understand each other’s roles during this time of the war. This comes to a shocking conclusion when de Boëldieu serves as a distraction to allow his two compatriots, Rosenthal (Marcel Dalio) and Maréchal (Jean Gabin), to escape. He is spotted by von Rauffenstein, who is forced to shoot him. This results in de Boëldieu being hit in the stomach (von Rauffenstein tearfully confesses he was aiming for his legs but failed). “For a commoner, dying in a war is a tragedy. But for you and me—it’s a good way out.” He could have also been saying, “In another life, you and I could have been friends.” The war has drastically changed these men, taking the upper class down a notch from what used to be considered above such matters as fighting in war.
Boëldieu’s sacrifice enables Rosenthal and Maréchal to escape. They spend some time in the home of a young French widow who has given her husband and family to the war efforts. She tearfully points to a large dining table and proclaims that it has gotten too big. Eventually, they have to leave this behind, too, though Maréchal develops feelings for the woman and promises, should he survive the war, he will return to her. But for the boundaries man has set that divide the countries, he would not be able to return to her. But as they are fleeing through the heavy snow, a German patrol sees them and briefly opens fire. This is halted though by a single command: Stop firing, they are in Switzerland now.
Maréchal: “You’re sure that’s Switzerland?”
Rosenthal: “Positive.”
Maréchal: “It all looks the same.”
Rosenthal: “You can’t see borders— They’re man-made. Nature couldn’t care less.”
Indeed, as we see these two trudging through the snow, where they are and where the Germans are looks identical. A man-made border that means nothing to anything but man is all that stands between these two groups, yet it is enough to keep them from each other.
This is perhaps the finest example of an anti-war film. It’s definitely up there with All Quiet on the Western Front. This powerful film showed the foolishness of man against man and how we are all pawns in a silly war launched by other men. Von Rauffenstein treats his prisoners well, especially Boëldieu whom he greatly respects and is shocked that they would try and escape after they gave him their word not to. It’s a sort of gentleman’s game that they are playing based on mutual respect and a desire to be free. Jean Renoir has created a masterpiece and it is a travesty that this film is not more readily available.
Academy Award Nomination:
Outstanding Production: Frank Rollmer and Albert Pinkovitch
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Release Date: June 8, 1937
Running Time: 114 Minutes
Not Rated
Starring: Jean Gabin, Dita Parlo, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim, Julien Carette, Georges Péclet, and Marel Dalio
Directed By: Jean Renoir
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