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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Charles Spaak (scenario and dialogue) &
Jean Renoir (scenario and dialogue)
Release Date:
12 September 1938 (USA) more
Plot:
During 1st WW, two French officers are captured. Captain De Boeldieu is an aristocrat while Lieutenant Marechal was a mechanic in civilian life... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Woody Allen Calls Himself "A Failed Artist"
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 28 October 2002)
Woody To Talk About Favorite Films (None Are American)
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 7 September 2001)
User Comments:
So,I finally saw it and of course I thought it was one of the best films ever!!! more (86 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Jean Gabin | ... | Lt. Maréchal | |
| Dita Parlo | ... | Elsa (farm woman) | |
| Pierre Fresnay | ... | Capt. de Boeldieu | |
| Erich von Stroheim | ... | Capt. von Rauffenstein (as Eric von Stroheim) | |
| Julien Carette | ... | Cartier, l'acteur (as Carette) | |
| Georges Péclet | ... | Le serrurier (as Peclet) | |
| Werner Florian | ... | Sgt. Arthur | |
| Jean Dasté | ... | The teacher (as Daste) | |
| Sylvain Itkine | ... | Lt. Demolder (as Itkine) | |
| Gaston Modot | ... | The engineer (as Modot) | |
| Marcel Dalio | ... | Lt. Rosenthal (as Dalio) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Grand Illusion (USA)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
114 min | 94 min (1937 release) | Germany:107 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Finland:(Banned) (1942) | Finland:K-16 (1937) | Finland:K-8 (1959) | Malaysia:U | Norway:12 (1959) | Norway:16 (1937) | Germany:12 (f) (1948) | Portugal:M/6 | Australia:G | Germany:(Banned) (1937-1945) | Italy:(Banned) (1938-1945) | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | UK:U (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) (cut)
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The first foreign language film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture (French). more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: As the WWI German soldiers are celebrating a French fort's capture, the map on the wall of the officers club is clearly an inter-war (1919-1938) map of Germany. more
Quotes:
Lieutenant Rosenthal: Frontiers are an invention of men. Nature doesn't give a hoot. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Jean Renoir: Part One - From La Belle Époque to World War II (1993) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Frou-frou more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (86 total)
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| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb France section |
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I have tried to get this film for months on the criterion collection but it seems impossible here in Sweden(Maybe not impossible,you can order it on Amazon but that´s to expensive).So when I finally found it on video this is what I say about it:
This anti-war masterpiece film is really ONE OF THE GREATEST FILMS EVER.I almost liked it as much as seven samurai.It´s a about a group of French prisoners during the world war one.
The performances is simply some of the best I have seen(Jean Gabin Erich von Stroheim...).The cinematography is beautiful,great script but I guess i was most impressed by the direction by Jean Renoir.
I don´t think that I have been more touched by a film then this.It has such a deep humanity.A poetic film that should be seen by every one.Also remember that I have only seen this film once and it could be in my top 20 over the best films ever and when I watch it again it could be in top 3.
RATING: 5/5