FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

jillmillenniumgirllevin As the critic Walter Benjamin reminds us, no civilization without barbarism, no enlightenment without inhumanity. So it is in Grand Illusion. The civilization lies in the camaraderie among the prisoners; the barbarism, offstage in the trenches where so many of the Lost Generation were slaughtered. Renoir's business, as always, is with the warm, the human, the civilized. Here he underlines that camaraderie by including "the Jew," whom he exempts from the worst of French anti-Semitism, and the members of the working class whose technical skills have made them pilots. Dalio is wonderful as "the Jew"; Gabin no less so as the former "mechanic." Fresnais and von Stroheim, the aristocratic career soldiers, hold themselves aloof, and experience the warmth ironically at best; not without bitterness, they agree that the war has put an end to heir world. A masterpiece among Renoir's masterpieces, it speaks to us almost as powerfullhy as it did to its first audiences. As we watch, it lets us believe in a tiny, imperiled, and almost unimaginable island of civilization where Gabin and "the Jew" can make common cause. But not without the reminder of barbarism: the guns pointed at the end by the frustrated German soldiers. Civilization, barbarism: Renoir understands both, and as always, celebrates the first without overlooking its second.

gavin6942 During the First World War, two French soldiers are captured and imprisoned in a German POW camp. Several escape attempts follow until they are sent to a seemingly impenetrable fortress which seems impossible to escape from.This is regarded by critics and film historians as one of the masterpieces of French cinema and among the greatest films ever made. Orson Welles named "La Grande Illusion" as one of the movies he would take with him "on the ark", and even Woody Allen named it among his favorites.Director Jean Renoir uses the First World War (1914–1918) as a lens through which to examine Europe as it faces the rising specter of fascism (especially in Nazi Germany) and the impending approach of the Second World War (1939–1945). Indeed, this is what makes the film so great... Europe between the wars, especially coming from France, which is like Ground Zero for the Second World War.

disinterested_spectator What a lovefest! Though set in the middle of World War I, yet this movie shows everyone getting along fabulously. A German and a French officer regard their class as more important than their nationality, the German being very sad when he has to shoot the Frenchman. A Christian and a Jewish officer become pals and celebrate Christmas together, at a time when anti-Semitism was quite common. A German widow protects two French officers who have escaped, falling in love with one of them. They plan to get married after the war. When the two escapees make it over the Swiss border just as the Germans arrive, the Germans are relieved that they do not have to shoot them.In the face of all this brotherhood-of-man stuff, we are forced to conclude that the whole war was just some big misunderstanding among friends.

Sergeant_Tibbs It startles me now how much the prison break subgenre can do. It gives us Cool Hand Luke, The Shawshank Redemption, Le Trou, The Defiant Ones and The Grand Illusion. Perhaps it's the subgenre that can reveal the most humanity. The Grand Illusion definitely deserves the classic status it has. Although the plot can be hard to follow as well as tracking the side characters, it's the profound themes that shine out. It suggests the idea that "the grand illusion" of life is the differences between people, specifically through nationality and class. It's touched on in a brilliantly ironic way, best summed up from its last moment. I'll have to rewatch this film to get under the character's skin but its influence on cinema remains powerful. It's The Grand Illusion's blend of camaraderie, sense of tragedy and emotion that makes this film so timeless and a pleasure to watch. I'm very glad I finally watched it.9/10