Grand Illusion (1937)

"Are you sure that's Switzerland? I can't tell the difference."
"Well you can't see the borders. Those are man-made."

Grand Illusion is a film about finding kindness and understanding in unexpected places, about the universality of human experience, regardless of class, nationality, and what side of the prison cell walls you're on. Watching this (particularly the first act) I got a good sense of where a lot of M*A*S*H came from. The rouch looseness, the masculinity, the casual dismissal of authority, and the episodic nature of the first act all feel very much like an influence on Altman. In fact, it wasn't until I saw this that I realized something that now seems fairly obvious: M*A*S*H is a prison movie.

The subject matter and themes could have easily become mawkish but the aforementioned rough looseness and masculinity that helps everything go down without it being sappy. All the performances are extremely good, but Erich von Stroheim stands out for me. I'm a fan of Stroheim from the Billy Wilder films Sunset Blvd. and Five Graves to Cairo, but everything that shines about his performances in those films SPARKLES here. He's quiet but gruff, guarded but sad. And the climax of his character's arc is so powerful and moving that I half-expected it to be the end of the film, despite knowing there were still 40 or so minutes to go.

I couldn't find a previous thread for this film, so I can only assume that this isn't something that a lot of Chewers have seen. You MUST correct this. It's not only powerful, but wholly watchable and funny. It's an escape from prison movie, for God's sakes! I strongly urge all of the Chewers with a limited knowledge of foreign or classic films (like myself) to see this as soon as possible. And it's on Netflix Instant, so you have no excuse.

Bump because this movie is amazing and I think I may have posted the thread during a low traffic time.

Love the final line of the movie: "Good for them." Really sums it up perfectly.

The Criterion disc has an intro Renoir recorded (I believe for an American re-release of some kind) which notes how, in the light of the then recent WW2, it already seemed archaic, a time long past. But the relatively easy-going nature of the people involved at the prisons is what makes the film work so well. It expresses such a casual dismissal of authority. I think there's only one character (a guard in the second, more strict, prison) that even notes how laidback everything is, bad-mouthing Erich von Stroheim's character and his flower.

I buy the mutual respect between the two warring countries. There are times, like when the French prisoners start singing the national anthem at the reclaiming of Fort Douaumont, where their opposition comes to a head but I think they mostly view themselves, and each other, as people just doing their jobs. I also cite the Wire, where you can sense the mutual respect between the law and the drug dealers.

Was this a film print or a DVD? I don't recall the Criterion disc missing any important subtitles.