Grand Illusion

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Grand Illusion

1937

1h 53m

Drama

War

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal (Jean Gabin), 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 (Erich von Stroheim), who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

Critics Consensus

Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion is a masterful anti-war statement, bringing humane insight and an undercurrent of ironic humor to an unusual relationship between captor and captive.

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Otis Ferguson

The New Republic

12/26/2023

A little more art (always as opposed to artifice or the arty) could have heightened the beauty and truth of this film, which already has as much as we’ve seen anywhere this year.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

01/30/2021

5/5

It's a smart choice and a peerless film that makes sweeping rhetorical statements about the futility of war while maintaining a laser-sharp focus on an ensemble of meticulously drawn characters.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

11/03/2018

The greatest World War I movie ever made (and there were lots of good ones)...

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 5

4/4

In 1952, both Orson Welles and David Lean cited this as one of their 10 all-time favorite films. Still, not everyone was a fan: Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's rat-faced Minister of Propaganda, declared it "Cinematic Public Enemy No. 1."

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

07/06/2025

4/4

On the other side of the coin is Jean Renoir’s interpersonal exploration of war, class distinction, and prejudice. Grand Illusion is a film that never once places a scene on the battlefield.

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Ian Kane

Epoch Times

09/27/2024

4.5/5

This timeless classic still resonates today, as it offers a hopeful reflection on the illusions that shape our world, and the enduring connections that unite humanity across all borders, classes, and conflicts.

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EE D

@RT03285035 May 23

surprisingly well aged movie! Though it's almost 100 years old the movie doesn't look stupid- there's wit, there's suspense (that doesn't look theatrical) and the pace of the movie is super well done for that age (and is good by todays standards), recommended

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Stephen C

@bob25009 06/09/2025

Failure in 1 hour and 53 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The cast and crew are unreliable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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William B

@RT83652365 01/14/2025

A great classic. One of the best of French films.

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BowTangey M

@BowTangey 01/03/2025

The most interesting facet of this famed antiwar movie is that it was made in 1937, about the First World War, before the horrors of the Second showed how little had been learned.

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Marit Risto F

@RT66247982 10/11/2024

I just love it. The way they're making a joke of war. Made by Pierre-Auguste Renoir's son! Jean Gabin I find fabulous too.

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Eli B

@RT85540821 03/21/2024

Grand Illusion explores the idea of social class and the bonds that are formed between people who are on opposite sides of a conflict. Through the interactions between the French and German soldiers, the movie highlights the common humanity that exists between people, regardless of nationality. Full review: https://cinephilecorner.com/reviews/grand-illusion-movie-1937/

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Jean Renoir

Director

Pierre Fresnay

Capt. de Boieldieu

Erich von Stroheim

Capt. von Rauffenstein

Jean Gabin

Lt. Maréchal

Marcel Dalio

Lt. Rosenthal

Dita Parlo

Elsa (farm woman)

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Synopsis

A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal (Jean Gabin), 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 (Erich von Stroheim), who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

Director: Jean Renoir
Producer: Albert Pinkovitch, Frank Rollmer
Distributor: Home Vision Entertainment, Barr Entertainment
Production Co: R.A.C.
Genre: Drama, War
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 1937, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 11, 2012
Release Date (Streaming): May 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $516.5K
Runtime: 1h 53m