John Brooks I'll start this review by stating one cannot regard a film from 1937 and gauge it the same way he would a contemporary movie. This here is the sort of film that seemed to have inspired a Stephen King for example to write the resounding classic 'the Shawshank Redemption' with certain ideas obviously picked from this pre-world world II document of a piece. So it is no doubt a pioneer, and its credit for that is due.However. As a film from any one period in time, as just being a film: its dialog is only interesting in some bits but overall quite ordinary if not flat and the film doesn't say much or carry any kind of a moral anywhere or ultimate message, if not values of honor or emphasizing that nations don't divide individuals but nothing like a grand scheme subtly knitted. The film is a succession of events chained up together to form the narrative where there are just scenes and then more scenes and a story to follow, it being rather uneven structurally in fact. It's one of those films that seem to go one way, then choose another direction and when the end seems to come there's still more to go and yet another setting to process. The escape scene is a bit ridiculous and certainly unrealistic in its concept, and there isn't much to extract from any of the main parts of the film. Some have pointed to the historical context as being cinematic artifact, but depicting two high society aristocrats one French the other German being bound by class rather than by culture is hardly an awesome achievement, we get it and it's quite commonplace for this sort of film and context - and if anything the film seems a bit biased and appears to pick a side about that class conflict apparently awarding more glitter to those two rather than the mere soldier kind, so the film feels at least a bit like it's got a political position.

eddie052010 There are certain films that, due to their strong reputation and historical significance, are supposedly beyond criticism. Citizen Kane, Seven Samurai, 2001, The Godfather and many more are examples of films that despite not being necessarily perfect, many say that they are beyond criticism, and that if you do criticism them, you must discuss what masterpieces they are first. One of those films is Grand Illusion. Considered to be one of the first prison escape movies ever made, the film is meant to be one of the best ever made, for not only being the grand-daddy of prison escape films, but for having great characters, an engaging story and a strong anti-war message laying underneath its skin. However, while it does have many positive attributes, Grand Illusion isn't the masterpiece everyone believes it to be, due to poor narrative and being very overlong.The plot is that after being shot down during an aerial battle, a group of French soldiers are sent to a German prison. Here, they decide to escape, and use many cunning plans in order to do so. That's really all of the story there is here, and while its simple nature makes it seem impossible to screw up, the story is poorly told here. This is due to how there isn't much of a story throughout much of the film, and many scenes consist of characters talking about things not story related or utterly pointless scenes as well (i.e. a scene where the prisoners display a show to the Germans) that should have hit the cutting room floor. Because of this, the film feels very baggy and overlong as a result. It also doesn't help that the character development is quite inconsistent. While I understand that the film is essentially an ensemble piece, there are too many characters for the film to juggle, leading to few characters we care about or are interested in, and many we couldn't care less about. It also doesn't help that there isn't much threat from the villain characters, as they act very friendly towards the heroes and in a later scene when a protagonist dies, the villain tends to his need. Sure, the scene that this leads to is a wonderful moment (something the film sadly has too little of) and it does represent director Jean Renoir's pacifist views but it fails to create any tension or conflict within the story, and if the audience doesn't care about the events on screen, then what's the point of watching?The film isn't a complete disaster though. The film is clearly well made , some of the characters are at least interesting and the cast are excellent, with Jean Gabin, Marcel Dalio & Erich von Stroheim in particular giving standout performances. It is also at least an entertaining experience for the most part, and it is also an interesting watch, as it is compelling to see one of the first prison escape films and to see how it influenced later prison escape films as a whole.It is because of this that while Grand Illusion isn't a complete failure, it is very flawed and it hasn't aged very well, due to its overlong length, barrage of pointless material and lacking any tension or suspense for the most part. However, there are some great moments here and there and the acting is fantastic overall. So in conclusion, what you have is a mediocre film that despite its iconic status is quite problematic. However, it is worth checking out to see one of the forerunners of the prison escape genre, and is occasionally brilliant here and there. If you must get it, get the Criterion version above all others, as it goes into great detail about the film, it's history, cast biographies and Nazi ban. To be honest, the edition gives the film a better treatment than it perhaps deserves.

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.

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