ElMaruecan82 After landing on the Bourget airfield, André Jurieu (Roland Toutain) is celebrated like the French Lindberg by a cheerful crowd, a radio reporter, political representatives and his best friend Octave (Jean Renoir) but his joy instantly fades into bitterness when he realizes his beloved Christine is missing. André publicly shares his sorrow, calling her a liar, a move Octave will deem as puerile. The genius opening of Renoir's "Rules of the Game", made at the dawn of World War 2, less establishes the titular rules than one who's not part of it. André is the ultimate romantic, risking his life for a woman and embodying this magnificent saying from romantic writer Lamartine's: "One person is missing and the whole word seems depopulated". There's no place for romanticism in Renoir's masterpiece that borrows more from "The Marriage of Figaro", written by Marivaux. Marivaux gave his name to the French term: marivaudage, meaning 'little games of love', like a lighthearted way to call gallantries. The film even sets the tone by opening with Marivaux' lines: "If Cupid was given wings, was it not to flitter?" And boy, will Cupid flitter. I defy anyone to find a movie with as many layers of love and potential romances, you wouldn't even guess who'd end up with whom. To make it simple, there is only André and another schmuck of 'exclusive' heart: the gamekeeper Schumacher (Gaston Modot, of Bunuel's "Age d'Or") is married to Lisette (Paulette Dubost) the chambermaid of Christine. It's interesting that the scene following the opening features these poor guys' women.Christine (Nora Gregor) is an Austrian married to a rich aristocrat named Robert de la Chastenaye and played by Marcel Dalio (he was Rosenthal, the rich Jew of "Grand Illusion"). She and Lisette talk about their marriage and lovers, without guilt, Lisette has fully embraced her milieu's manners and believes she gives men what they want. Later, Marceau (Julien Carrette), a poacher despised by Schumacher but hired as a servant by Robert, flirts with her, and this little subplot converge with the first triangular love into the unexpectedly tragic ending.And the central piece of this vaudeville is the marquis Robert, a compromising and mild- mannered man whose personality gets more enigmatic as the plot moves. His answer to the aviator's affair is to invite his mistress Genevieve (Mila Parely) in the castle with the other guests. Octave approves the decision because he needs Christine to get in André's arms. Robert's sense of etiquette and class are often praised (generally as a contrast to his ethnic background) but he's also capable of making surprising moves, like hiring Shumacher's rival, and inviting his mistress and his rival, to give everyone's a chance.And when all the pieces of the game have been placed, "The Rules of the Games" blossoms as one of the most bizarrely entertaining social commentaries about a class totally disconnected from the world. If not a study, this is a real slap in the face of the social conventions that prevailed in the bourgeois class. Everything has been said about the infamous hunting game where beaters walk across the forest to make the poor rabbits and pheasants hide in the meadow and become the perfect target to the hunters. An exercise in cruelty sublimated by the contrasts between the purity of animals and the mechanical gestures. The same goes for love: it's purity vs. mechanics. It's fitting that Robert is a collector of mechanical musical toys. Many scenes feature men fooling around with Lisette (Octave, Marceau) as soon as the music from the radio starts the girl plays 'hard to get' and the guy chases her… and that's all, it's boring as soon as it becomes sincere. And this all comes down to an extraordinary climax where all these mechanics are played together and the players seem to play hide-and-seek with the camera and the jealous husbands or lovers, while the very director, wearing a bear suit is disoriented as if he was overwhelmed by the genius disorder he created. And the dance macabre goes on playing as the dark omen of the tragic finale to come: the death of Andre, ironically shot by his counterpart Schumacher.The tragic irony of André is that when he had the one opportunity to flee with Christine, to be fully romantic but he stayed because of good manners. Schumacher mistaking him for Octave and Christine for Lisette, shoots Andre like the rabbits the day earlier, the purity of love has been terminated. And the mechanisms of the bourgeois life cover the crime: Robert forgives his gamekeeper and invites his guest to come to the castle, one man has been sacrificed on the altar of this nonsense, but the honor is safe. And this is where Renoir hits the sensitive chord, after having sublimated the end of era from military gentlemen's perspective in "Grand Illusion", this is the decadent and self-conscious bourgeoisie that contributed to the collapse of the world.The film was ill-received at the time of its release but it's hard to root for the same society that'd make so much 'bad moves' during the War, it's only after France had come to terms with its own past, and when the final cut, reassembled in 1959 was projected, that they saw Renoir was ahead of his time, and his film became an instant milestone on filmmaking like Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane". The two movies, if anything, have transcended the use of filmmaking for the storytelling. Through his deep focus shots, his revolutionary uses of movements in the backgrounds, so many things happen in this film you're likely to miss them at first, second or third viewing and at the end. The reason is that there's no main protagonist, and each viewing makes you realize they all had their reasons, and as Octave says, that's the awful thing about life.And that's the great thing about "The Rules Of the Game".

RyanCShowers The Rules of the Game, directed by Jean Renoir in 1939, deeply explores French culture at the time before World War II; the repeated theme of contrasting the rich and the poor is heavily stressed. The rich seem to be selfish, only concerned with their own lives and playing "the game" to advance themselves in their personal affairs. The film editing is used in ways that it was not before this time in cinema. The use of patterns and repetitions draw parallels and juxtapose the characters, as well as the ending with the beginning. The Rules of the Game's roots are found in realism of the culture of its country's people.In the introduction scene of Christine and Lisette, The Rules of the Game comments on the lives of the rich verses the lives of the poor morally and with their pride. Near the end of the scene, Christine moves across the set to sit at her vanity, Lisette follows Christine and stands at her side while she fixes herself. The mise-en-scene shows us Lisette's reflection in the mirror, but the angle doesn't show Christine's face reflecting. This tells us that Lisette can look at herself and her mistakes and keep living, whereas Christine has no reflection. It shows poor people may have more understanding and morals, whereas rich people may not have as much to their souls. Film repetition is used in the centerpiece of The Rules of the Game, where the rabbits are exposed to the party guests, who ready to fire their guns. Shooting rabbits becomes entertainment for the rich people and the rabbits symbolize the poor people of society. The rich destroy their lives without a second thought to simply amuse themselves. Rabbits are trying to live their lives to the best of their ability and the people who have more power than them end their lives abruptly. Though the rich are contrasted with the poor quite often, there is a wonderful example in the middle of the film that compares the two and pulls out the similarity. When Robert finds Christine with Andre, he engages in a confrontation with him. Whenever Schumacher finds Marceau to be communicating with Lisette, he attacks Marceau. This contrast tells us, yes they have differences in personality make-up, but people are people. It's in human nature to react hastily to romantic betrayal. This act takes a stand on saying that rich people have it in them to act with the same mindset and values as poor people, but for some reason they chose to act a different way.When Schumacher finds out about the semi-affair between Marceau and Lisette, he carries out his anger and rage by using his firearm and chasing Marceau throughout the mansion. This aggression and violence is the biggest foreshadowing of the war; Schumacher looks similar to a Nazi soldier to begin with, but he's the only character carrying a gun, too. He thinks violence will solve his problem and it eventually does not. Repetition is used in the opening and final scenes involving Andre. In the opening scene, he should care about the achievement he made for the world, but instead wallows in the misery that he creates for himself with Christine. Selfishness can be found in any of the rich characters, even the one who just accomplished an aviation landmark. In the end, it is Christine he goes out searching for in the garden to run away with. He's acting out of his own selfish desires, he knows she's married and doesn't really love him; again, he doesn't get what he wants, he's murdered. Andre is portrayed as a tragic figure in circumstance and the hell he brought on himself. If he would've corrected his mistake from the opening and moved on from Christine he may not have died. The way Robert finalizes the film is a testament to the "rules" in which the film is named after. Everyone tries to play by his or her own rules, but the most powerful man will win in the end. The game is life itself and everyone has to follow the rules that best suit the rich people. Robert dismissed Andre's death as accident, which is clearly wasn't. Robert's actions are hypocritical and do not solve the situation. The rules do not make sense in real society, but only in the twisted world of the French upper class. When he makes the announcement of the "accident," the mise-en-scene places him between two pillars that resemble globes, which metaphorically has him standing between the two worlds of the rich and the poor. The backlighting used after Robert's announcement creates shadows that feed into the theme of Greek theater created throughout the picture. All the people in the film have no faces anymore (as a result of their believing the "accident" scenario), everyone is in a darker place; so the final shots acting as a curtain call includes only shadows. Selfishness, ignorance, and the naive ways of the upper class is highlighted in The Rules of the Game and is most often contrasted with repeating themes of poor people's actions and morals. The Rules of the Game acts like a Greek theater imitation. The action takes place in short period of time, theatricalities are scattered throughout, and it even acquires as a "stage" in the final scene that ends with a shadowing curtain call. The Rules of Game knows French culture, builds it subtly and realistically throughout the film. The basic statement the film accomplishes saying "PAY ATTENTION!" to the rich people of France in the time before the war.

Turin_Horse I am somewhat puzzled after having watched this acclaimed as a classical film. If this is supposed to be a comedy, it lacks any fun whatsoever, if it pretends to be a drama, it is hilarious, if it tries to be something in between, it just fully fails.A set of personages with intermingled love and friendship relationships that come from nowhere, develop without any sense in a series of ridiculous scenes, and end in... nothing at all. What's the point??. Not a single personage raises any sympathy or concern for him/her, no personage is developed so that you can understand his/her motivations and the reason why is behaving in such a senseless way (everybody does in the film).Is the film maybe a criticism against aristocracy/bourgeoisie?... if so I can't imagine a more clumsy way to do it!... Well, let's leave it at that. Mi first attempt with Jean Renoir, and for sure the last one!

st-shot Every bit the major player in film that his illustrious father Auguste was to Impressionism Jean Renoir's Rules of the Game may well be his finest work in a filmography (Boudu saved from Drowning, La Chienne, Grande Illusion, The Crimes of Monsieur Lange, La Bete Humaine) studded with classics. Made on the eve of Europe going dark for the war's duration it failed to catch on in it's initial release with the public or critics but eventually grew in reputation over the years where it consistently finishes near the top in annual critics polls as one of the finest films ever made. They'll get no argument from me.Aviator Andre Jurieux has just pulled off a remarkable and dangerous Trans Atlantic flight but rather than bask in the adulation chooses to lash out at no show Christine, a married aristocrat, who he claims inspired him to risk all for her. Even with the scandal flashed across the airwaves her gadget loving Marquis husband Robert (Marcel Dalio) is forgiving and for good reason since he has been carrying on an affair for some time with a family friend. Realizing what a fool he has made of himself Andre imposes on close friend Octave (Director Renoir) to get him an invite to the country estate of the Marquis and his wife to make up for his indecorous behavior and mingle with the upper crust at leisure for a week. The result is one tragic comic fiasco not only upstairs but also downstairs among the help who will inadvertently contribute mightily to the disaster. Rules of the Game is a magnificent parody of both dry wit and Feydeau farce. Renoirs jabs at present day upper class society and foibles are not slashing but subtle, his characters clueless and self absorbed but not cruelly malicious or overtly snobbish with both the Marquis and Christine confiding in a poacher and a maid respectively. It is this callous nature though that sets the stage for tragedy not just among the players but also as microcosm to events that will unfold within the year.Renoir mingles characters and relationships with casual precision moving the story along at a healthy pace with lengthy choreographed scenes involving a myriad of characters, all with healthy opinions and a touch of comic nuance to go along with it. He avoids overt caricature and humanizes the most egregious of his characters reserving judgment to make observations ("every man has his own reason") and in doing so holds up a mirror to a society on the verge of going over the edge with this remarkably perceptive testament of the times.