Director
Jean Renoir
Leading Actors/Actresses
Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, and Marcel Dalio
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Erich von Stroheim and Dita Parlo
Genre
War
Language
French
Awards
The Grand Illusion was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1939, the first foreign language film to earn such a nomination.
Date of Release
The film was released in Europe in June 8, 1937; it was released in the United States on September 12, 1938.
Producer
Jean Renoir and Charles Spaak
Setting and Context
In Germany during World War I
Narrator and Point of View
La Grande Illusion is told from the third-person point of view of an unnamed narrator.
Tone and Mood
The film is violent, intense, tense, mysterious, frenetic, oppressive, and high-class.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Maréchal is the primary protagonist of the film; von Rauffenstein is the antagonist of the film.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the film revolves around Maréchal and de Boëldieu's attempts to escape from von Rauffenstein and his prisons.
Climax
When von Rauffenstein shoots and kills de Boëldieu during his attempt to escape.
Foreshadowing
de Boëldieu's death is foreshadowed when he initially meets von Rauffenstein, who talks about death.
Understatement
Because of his illness and injury, von Rauffenstein's capability and his ability to inflict violence are understated for the second half of the film.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Though the film is widely regarded as the best well-shot and well-lit, it was not innovative in its filming, lighting, and camera techniques.
Allusions
There are a number of allusions to the history of World War I, the geography, culture, and history of Germany, Switzerland, and France, other popular culture (particularly films), Christianity, and Greek and Roman mythology.
Paradox
von Rauffenstein injured and treated de Boëldieu horribly, yet still expects de Boëldieu to have positive feelings and loyalty towards him.
Parallelism
N/A
