The Grand Illusion was directed and co-written by Jean Renoir, is widely regarded as one of the finest films to have ever been made. Renoir first envisioned the film to be an action picture, with shots of dog fights, airfields, and planes to boot. Though the film did not have any of those shots, it still retained its thematic richness and Renoir's distinctive style.
In picking the title for his film, Renoir drew upon the title and contents of a book published prior to World War I entitled The Great Illusion, which argued that war was futile. Renoir was impressed with the book and crafted his film based on many of the book's themes. Renoir also drew upon the book Kavalier Scharnhost, borrowing heavily from the book's themes and story.
Renoir was considered by many to be the one of the first auteur directors, or a director with a distinctive style who had full control of the creation and production of the film. Renoir certainly had full control over the creation and production of The Grand Illusion. In the film, he tells the story (and explores themes) that were important to him. A veteran of World War I himself (one of the actors in the film wore Renoir's actual uniform from World War I), Renoir was no fan of war. And he was dismayed to see what was happening in Nazi Germany during the time was being created and released. That's why Renoir explores themes of war, nationalism, racism, prejudice (Renoir saw what was happening to the Jews in Nazi Germany and was upset by what he saw), class, and the destructive effects of war. Unsurprisingly, that's why Joseph Goebbels and the Nazis ordered prints of the film to be destroyed—they didn't like its content and were scared of it.
Despite Renoir's auteur style, he often enlisted the help of his cast and crew to better craft his film. Producer Albert Pinkovitch, for instance, who was a Jewish man, helped to flesh out the Rosenthal character. The film and its script changed so much as a result of collaboration that Renoir struggled to find an ending for his film. But an ending eventually came to him.
French actor Jean Gabin also provided input into the film and his character. Gabin, in fact, was the only reason that the film ended up being made. Financiers would not give their money to the film unless Renoir enlisted the help of a true star. And Gabin, who was the biggest star in France at the time, agreed to star in the film.
