Fresh
It's among the most understated anti-war films ever made, effortlessly humanistic but far too subtle to indulge in preaching.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
Grand Illusion
A Great Drama of Human Emotions
1937 · 1h 54m · Not Rated
Drama, History, War
Directed by
Jean Renoir
Overview
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.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
97%
Tomatometer
Fresh
A model of simplicity and grace, with emotional effects that move you when you least expect it, the kind of great film that only a master can pull off.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Fresh
Funny, heart-wrenching, nail-biting, caustic and profound, touting the futility of armed combat while turning imprisonment and escape into a microcosm for society's aspirations and contradictions.
Stephen Garrett, Time Out New York
Fresh
It's still one of the key humanist expressions to be found in movies: sad, funny, exalting, and glorious.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Fresh
It's an excellent film, with Renoir's usual looping line and deft shifts of tone, though today the balance of critical opinion has shifted in favor of the greater darkness and filigree of The Rules of the Game.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
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