During the First World War, two French soldiers are captured and imprisoned in a German P.O.W. camp. Several escape attempts follow until they are sent to a seemingly impenetrable fortress which seems impossible to escape from.
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Title: La Grande Illusion (1937)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Jean Gabin | ... | Le lieutenant Maréchal | |
| Dita Parlo | ... | Elsa | |
| Pierre Fresnay | ... | Le captaine de Boeldieu | |
| Erich von Stroheim | ... | Le captaine von Rauffenstein (as Eric von Stroheim) | |
| Julien Carette | ... | Cartier - l'acteur (as Carette) | |
 |
Georges Péclet | ... | Le serrurier (as Peclet) |
|
|
Werner Florian | ... | Le sergent Arthur |
| Jean Dasté | ... | L'instituteur (as Daste) | |
|
|
Sylvain Itkine | ... | Le lieutenant Demolder (as Itkine) |
| Gaston Modot | ... | L'ingénieur (as Modot) | |
| Marcel Dalio | ... | Le lieutenant Rosenthal (as Dalio) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
During 1st WW, two French officers are captured. Captain De Boeldieu is an aristocrat while Lieutenant Marechal was a mechanic in civilian life. They meet other prisoners from various backgrounds, as Rosenthal, son of wealthy Jewish bankers. They are separated from Rosenthal before managing to escape. A few months later, they meet again in a fortress commanded by the aristocrat Van Rauffenstein. De Boeldieu strikes up a friendship with him but Marechal and Rosenthal still want to escape... Written by Yepok
Taglines:
Chosen by the 1958 Brussels Film Festival As One of the Six Best Films of All Time! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
FranceRelease Date:
12 September 1938 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Grand Illusion See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$50,793, 13 August 1999Gross USA:
$172,885, 2 December 2012Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (1937 release)Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Because shooting in Nazi Germany was out of the question, exteriors were done in the Alsace, the easternmost region of France, which retains a rather German character (and had been under German rule on and off, most recently from the late 19th century until World War I). See more »Goofs
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. See more »Quotes
Capt. von Rauffenstein: Drive fast to the sugar refinery. I shot down a French plane. If the crew are officers, invite them here for lunch.See more »
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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