Grand Illusion

"A Great Drama of Human Emotions"

1937 1h 54m FR

🙌

7.9

BANGER

🔥

97%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

8.1

IMDB

★7.9TMDB · 806🍅97%Rotten Tomatoes★8.1IMDB · 40,437

DramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

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A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

“A Great Drama of Human Emotions”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jean Gabin
Lieutenant Maréchal
Dita Parlo
Elsa
Pierre Fresnay
Captain de Boëldieu
Erich von Stroheim
Captain von Rauffenstein
Julien Carette
Cartier, the Vaudeville Performer
Georges Péclet
Officer
Werner Florian
Sergeant Arthur
Jean Dasté
Teacher

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean Renoir
Writers: Charles Spaak, Jean Renoir
Languages: Russian, German, French, English
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

89 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Russian, German, French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jean Renoir, shot by Christian Matras. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Joseph Kosma. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marthe Huguet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean Gabin and Dita Parlo and Pierre Fresnay carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A Great Drama of Human Emotions".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0028950 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean Renoir directs. Christian Matras behind the camera. Joseph Kosma scores. Marthe Huguet cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in Russian, German, French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Russian, German, French, English.
3Directed by Jean Renoir, shot by Christian Matras. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Joseph Kosma. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Marthe Huguet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jean Gabin and Dita Parlo and Pierre Fresnay carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A Great Drama of Human Emotions".
8IMDB entry: tt0028950 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 17 themes, including "prisoner", "france", "countryside", "escape".
10Released under 19 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Christian Matras
Original score: Joseph Kosma
Editing: Marthe Huguet
Production design: Eugène Lourié
Costume design: René Decrais
Makeup / hair: Raffels
Sound: Joseph de Bretagne
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $172,885
Original language: FR
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Grand Illusion (1937)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 8.1/10 · 40,437 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 7 wins & 2 nominations total

Also by

Jean Renoir

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-20
★ 7/10
Very much more of a character-driven look at the experiences of French prisoners during the first world war. The inmates represent - much as did their army - soldiers from all aspects of life. The aristocratic Pierre Fresnay as "Boeldieu", Jean Gabin "Maréchal" and Marcel Dalio "Rosenthal" as the more down to earth captives - but all proud Frenchmen with their own determination to escape their imprisonment. The film features many of their valiant escape attempts; along with providing us with quite an interesting illustration of the toughness of their existence and the diversions they sought from the terminal ennui. "Boeldieu" forms an unlikely, respectful relationship with the Commandant - Erich von Stroheim; a fellow aristocrat who feels himself a failure for ending up as a glorified jailor rather than fighting gallantly on the battlefield. On a basic level, it is really quite routine; and the ending almost incidental: what makes this distinctive is the way the story interweaves the decline of a centuries old class system; the chivalric honour between opponents being a thing of the past. This is very much about "Egalité" and "Fraternité" in order to secure "Liberté" and is told in as sympathetic a fashion as it is possible given the gritty peril of their circumstances. Gabin and von Stroheim are particularly effective as is Joseph Kosma's score and the tightly focussed direction on just a few central characters really does give this a sense of purpose.

Production companies