Rating: 
Summary: Number 1 DVD transfer for the Number 1 movie !
Review: Grand Illusion is sometimes considered as one of the greatest movies ever shot. It was Orson Welles' favorite. Even though many consider that "Rules of the Game" is more important and brillant. The two movies are very different, both incredible. Grand Illusion is easier to catch immediatly while Rules let you think endlessly. In regard of the DVD : BUY IT EYES CLOSED ! The picture is incredible, looks like it was shot yesterday because coming from the original re-found negative film. It has not even one small spot or crack. It is PURE. And it is the original 114 minutes version, not the well-known 105 minutes. The DVD is full of bonus, the best being the filmed introduction by Jean Renoir, and also the audio archive of Von Stroheim. I cannot express how much I love Renoir and this movie and I hope that Rules of the Game will come up in DVD soon in Zone 1 (it exists in France in Zone 2 with a beautiful master, but has no english subtitles). Then the world can contemplate this masterpiece again and again. Buy Grand Illusion and you'll never think of war and humanity the same way again.
Rating:
Summary: The strangely gentle vision of Jean Renoir
Review: I was absolutely floored when I first saw this movie about a year ago, at the house of a friend. I adore old war films (think "The Great Escape," "Stalag 17," and "Bridge on the River Kwai"), and thought I had the genre just about memorized until I saw this. It is an intense film, a grand one, but ultimately gentle. It takes place during World War I, which, the director once said, was "almost a war of gentlmen." The Nazis were two decades from gaining power, the nations of Europe enjoyed relative prosperity, and the upper classes ruled over all. In this setting, the necessary brutality of such films as I've previously mentioned seems out of place. Indeed, in the first few scenes, a German pilot who has shot down two French fliers invites them for lunch with his officers (!). This kind of respect, this illusion that war abides by certain rules and expectations, seems anachronostic and dated at first, in a post-Vietnam, post-9/11 world. But there is such hope, such desire for a world where the classes between nations are united, that the movie never seems jingoistic or naïve, just optimistic.The performances are exceptional; Jean Gabin, Erich von Stroheim, Pierre Fresnay--all seem to really live in their characters, not simply portray them. Von Stroheim, in particular, brings intense poignancy to the tragic figure of the German commandant von Rauffenstein, with his neck brace, stilted walk, and desperate yearning for companionship (which makes him turn to, of all people, his own enemy, Captain de Boeldieu, whom he shot down 18 months previous). Indeed, a lot of the film's message can be summed up in this character: his friendship with an enemy soldier, expressing Renoir's hope for a more peaceful, less divided world; his accoutrements of wealth and station, which hold him firmly in place, unable to change his views of the structure of the world, even as it shifts around him; and his belief in the eponymous "grand illusion" of the continued supremacy of the aristocrats over the working classes in a world scarred by war. As a bit of a side note, this film, considering its age, is in startlingly pristine condition. The story of the film negative is told on the DVD, as part of the many supplements, so I won't bore you with it here. Suffice it to say that this version of this seminal film was lost for over 60 years before its discovery in the 1990s, resulting in its near-perfect condition today. The picture is as sharp as that of any contemporary film, crystal clear, and refreshingly free of dirt and tears that usually mar most older prints by virtue of constant use. This version is about the best you will find, as it has gone through a tedious, time-consuming restoration process that has given it this impressive sheen. My recommendation: Buy this DVD post haste.
Rating: 
Summary: A good movie great start for Criterion Collection
Review: This movie shows a compassionate side to World War I This movie was made before WWII started so don't be surprised if the Germans seem a lot nicer. In it we have 2 men, a Catholic and a Jew escaping from a German POW camp during WWI. It is an excellent film and statred the popularity of prison escape movies. One theme is the respect the German General had for his French counterpart in spite of the fact they were sworn enemies. It can also show that in war, that your enemies are people too. The film is also viewed by some as a (failed) last cry to Germany (where it was banned) to avoid the destruction and senselessness of yet another war. I am beginning to watch the Criterion Collection DVD's in order of the spine number and will review them when I have the chance.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a masterpiece given the treatment it deserves...
Review: The Criterion Collection has been batting 1.000 lately by bringing out splendid DVD versions of such classic films as "The Wages of Fear","The Passion of Joan of Arc" and "The Third Man". Now, with "Grand Illusion", they may have even surpassed themselves. The transfer is from an original camera negative thought to be lost for decades and it can't be rivalled for image clarity or sound quality (given that this is a 62-year old film). The DVD version of "Grand Illusion" looks as close as we can hope to its original state. The film itself is a poignant examination of the conflict between class and national identity during World War I. Three French officers - an aristocrat (Pierre Fresnay), a rich Jewish banker (Marcel Dalio), and a working-class capitian (Jean Gabin) - are captured and imprisoned by a refined, arrogant German officer (von Stroheim). The French and German aristocrats share a deeper cultural and affetionate bond than they do with the men of their respective countries. When the French captives plan an escape, the aristocratic officer risks himself for a nationalism he doesn't believe in. The scenes between Fresnay and von Stroheim, arguably some of the tenderest scenes in the movie, display a ritual of noblesse oblige that seems absurd today (the people in the cinema where I saw it laughed at these men's tender missives to each other). And, indeed, these aristocratic manners are patently absurd in the theater of modern warfare. Pauline Kael has said that this film is "an elegy for a dying class" and that's partially true - it's also an examination of how tenuous the bonds of nationalism can be both within countries (as relations between the working-class Gabin and Dalio later prove) and between them (when a German guard hands Gabin a harmonica). And yet, the acting and writing are grounded so much character and detail that you can be very moved by this film without noticing these underlying theme (the audience that laughed at the aforementioned scenes, gave the film a standing ovation at the end). "Grand Illusion" has been enormously influental - you can see traces of it in "Casablanca" (with Dalio, interestingly enough) and "Paths of Glory", for example. Renoir's direction is wonderfully fluid - even his minor characters have unique features. Along with "Passion" and "The Third Man", the Criterion version of "Grand Illusion" is one of the finest DVD releases of the year. Let's hope that they now do the same for "The Rules of the Game"
Rating: 
Summary: "Neither you nor I can stop the march of time"
Review: To say Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion is simply a war film is to ignore its deeper layers of significance. The film's prison escape elements are suspenseful and exciting but its meditation on the decline of the old European order is its main theme. World War I not only ushered in the era of modern warfare but destroyed the illusion that gentlemen were still gentlemen in times of war. The film begins with French aristocrat Capt. de Boieldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and French commoner Lieutenant Maréchal (Jean Gabin) being captured by the Germans. Both men are taken to a prison camp where camp commandant, Von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim) immediately identifies a blue-blooded kindred spirit in de Boieldieu. The captured Frenchmen bide their time and wait for an opportunity for escape while de Boieldieu lulls Von Rauffenstein into a state of comfort by giving him "gentlemanly assurances" that such an action would be dishonorable. Nevertheless, an opportunity for escape presents itself one night and Von Rauffenstein is forced to confront the fact that aristocratic class loyalty carries little weight in a world now belonging to the commoners. von Stroheim's performance of a man blinded by romantic notions of propriety is touching and tragic at the same time. The image he produced of a broken-bodied Von Rauffenstein in his neckbrace has attained iconic status in the annals of film history. The second half of the film follows a pair of escapees in their cross-country trek through German territory. The two men are hidden from German patrols by a farm widow who - like Von Rauffenstein earlier - sees a kindred spirit in the common Frenchmen. As both men find sanctuary and protection in the widow's household, Renoir puts a symbolic exclamation point on his message that it is now the commoners who have truly triumphed in the new world.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a masterpiece given the treatment it deserves...
Review: The Criterion Collection has been batting 1.000 lately by bringing out splendid DVD versions of such classic films as "The Wages of Fear","The Passion of Joan of Arc" and "The Third Man". Now, with "Grand Illusion", they may have even surpassed themselves. The transfer is from an original camera negative thought to be lost for decades and it can't be rivalled for image clarity or sound quality (given that this is a 62-year old film). The DVD version of "Grand Illusion" looks as close as we can hope to its original state. The film itself is a poignant examination of the conflict between class and national identity during World War I. Three French officers - an aristocrat (Pierre Fresnay), a rich Jewish banker (Marcel Dalio), and a working-class capitian (Jean Gabin) - are captured and imprisoned by a refined, arrogant German officer (von Stroheim). The French and German aristocrats share a deeper cultural and affetionate bond than they do with the men of their respective countries. When the French captives plan an escape, the aristocratic officer risks himself for a nationalism he doesn't believe in. The scenes between Fresnay and von Stroheim, arguably some of the tenderest scenes in the movie, display a ritual of noblesse oblige that seems absurd today (the people in the cinema where I saw it laughed at these men's tender missives to each other). And, indeed, these aristocratic manners are patently absurd in the theater of modern warfare. Pauline Kael has said that this film is "an elegy for a dying class" and that's partially true - it's also an examination of how tenuous the bonds of nationalism can be both within countries (as relations between the working-class Gabin and Dalio later prove) and between them (when a German guard hands Gabin a harmonica). And yet, the acting and writing are grounded so much character and detail that you can be very moved by this film without noticing these underlying theme (the audience that laughed at the aforementioned scenes, gave the film a standing ovation at the end). "Grand Illusion" has been enormously influental - you can see traces of it in "Casablanca" (with Dalio, interestingly enough) and "Paths of Glory", for example. Renoir's direction is wonderfully fluid - even his minor characters have unique features. Along with "Passion" and "The Third Man", the Criterion version of "Grand Illusion" is one of the finest DVD releases of the year. Let's hope that they now do the same for "The Rules of the Game"
Rating:
Summary: Essential
Review: Wonderful movie, amazing print quality, and one of the best commentary tracks (Peter Cowie) that I have heard.
Rating: 
Summary: Unrealistic garbage
Review: Amazing restoration, unfortunately, the film does not hold up well over time. The comments from the director about how WW1 was a "gentleman's War" only corroborate his lack of vision as to what war really means. WW1 was far from a gentleman's war ( can any war be truly that?) and the movie's very basis falls apart as we see the prisoners trying to escape from what appears to be very relaxed, humane prison camps. I cannot say if such nice prison camps existed in WW1, but I am sure that few prisoners would have tried to escape from them if they had, in order that they might fight again. WW1 was a nasty, ugly war, with human wave attacks from trenches, filled with mustard gas. The idea that prisoners wanted to escape as these did is preposterous. Over rated and poorly scripted---truly a disappointing fantasy. For a true masterpiece of WW1 cinema, see "All Quiet on the Western front" written by the French/German Erich Maria Remarque.
Rating:
Summary: SIMPLY GRAND!!!
Review: There is no way to explain this films greatness in words, just buy it watch it, and tell people about it. let's put it this way, if you are an intellectual, genious, an artistic person, or are a singer, dancer, musician, you will love this, it appeals to the more elite and/or lowdown crowds alike!!! But generally speaking it will fly right over the middle class types heads!!! Essential Cinema!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Restoration is Incredible!
Review: I watched La Grande Illusion several times, mostly on video. When I got the DVD I was amazed at how good the images were! Watch the restoration clips just to see how all the scratches that we have become accustomed to have been removed! As to the movie I think this is one of the greatest ever made. Watch how the subjects of honor, camaraderie, and humanity are treated. Watch how they all get together around meals. Nobody likes the war, and enemies understand each other: they all want it to come to an end. After that, go read the poetry of Wilfred Owen. Judging from the wars we let happen, we have certainly not learned.
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