The Grand Illusion

A french masterpiece of film by Jean Renoir. The films story takes place in World War One, where french soldiers are captured by the Germans. The film follows De Boldieu, Marechal, and Rosenthal as they try to escape from numerous German camps and prisons, before eventually escaping and taking refuge in a cottage.

I liked the fact that this was a war movie but had little violence, and it was nice to see the light hearted and witty humour that has been lost over the years. That being said, I do think that the film was a little long, and the story could either have been trimmed down, or ended at different points throughout the film.

The acting is great by all of the actors, I liked the relationship between Stroheim and De Boldieu, and how Marechal felt distant from the people so close to him because they had a higher social standing. It was nice to see some real issues. The scenery, being filmed in Europe, is really beautiful, and this beauty compliments the fact that the characters in the film are trying to find beauty in their situation and their lives, against the odds.

A nice film, but I did lose interest a couple of times.