25 Jan Grand Illusion
Grand Illusion, French movie by Jean Renoir
(1937) Grand Illusion is a French WWI film starring famous French actor Jean Gabin and co-written and directed by Jean Renoir, none other than the son of the impressionist painter. I read in Wikipedia that “It is regarded by critics and film historians as one of the masterpieces of French cinema and among the greatest films ever made.” I must admit that I haven’t watched enough French films to make such a determination.
In 1939 it was the first foreign language film in America to be nominated for an Academy Award for best picture. After it was shown at the 1937 Venice Film Festival Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels was mortified. The aristocratic German commandant was played by well-known Jewish actor Erich von Stroheim. I’m sure that Herr Goebbels didn’t like it that one of the officers is a wealthy French Jew who is shown in a very sympathetic light.
The movie was banned in Italy, Belgium and Germany, and it was thought that after the Nazis overthrew Paris that they destroyed every negative. Years later one was found, believe it or not in Russia.
My favorite parts were the escape from the escape-proof prison and the end of the movie. The Jewish aristocrat survived. I’ll bet Goebbels didn’t like that either.
Grand Illusion (The Criterion Collection) at amazon.com
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