The Rules of the Game - Criterion Collection

Starring:Julien Carette, Tony Corteggiani, Marcel Dalio, Eddy Debray, Paulette Dubost, Lise Elina, Richard Francoeur, Camille FranÃ§ois, Nora Gregor, Claire GÃ©rard, Jenny HÃ©lia, LÃ©on Larive, Pierre Magnier, Anne Mayen, Gaston Modot, Pierre Nay, Mila ParÃ©ly, Jean Renoir, Odette Talazac, Roland Toutain
Director: Jean Renoir
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

Description

Jean Renoir's 1939 classic is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, and Criterion is very proud to present the film in a special two-disc edition. Cloaked in a comedy of manners, this scathing critique of corrupt French society is about a weekend hunting party at which amorous escapades abound among the aristocratic guests-which are also mirrored by the activities of the servants downstairs. The refusal of one of the guests to play by society's rules sets off a chain of events that ends in tragedy.

Customer Reviews:

Rules of the Game.......2007-06-21

Director Renoir's scathing critique of French social conventions and hypocrisy caused quite a stir on release, and it's not hard to see why. A bit too clever and close to home for its time, the film's sublime satire has a cutting edge, as both masters and servants fixate on trivialities and behave foolishly, while all around them, Rome burns- or is it Paris? (Only a year after the film's release, the Nazis would occupy France). This is one game still worth playing.

quick note on the subtitles.......2007-05-06

The folks at "Criterion Collection" sure do go out of their way to tout their products -- such as this release of Renoir's immortal "Rules of the Game" -- as being the alpha and omega of DVD releases.

This two-disc set sure has a lot of extras bundled in, but I'm disappointed in one major category: although you can get the English subtitles off the screen, you cannot have it display French subtitles, in case you're passable at French or would like to clarify or improve something.

There is quite the literate commentary track in English, however, although the movie has not been dubbed into English on any audio track. Be aware that the commentary is not "live:" it's someone reading an academic essay. (Peter Bogdanovich reading an appreciation by Alexander Sesonske.)

Who says the French are boring?.......2007-04-22

Asinine comments such as "The French are boring and do not know how to entertain us" (this from a Finn, of all people) or the predictable "It's the French, what can I say?" perfectly illustrate this false perception of French films being "boring" and "self-absorbed". French films like this one and countless others have not only been praised by some of the best directors in the world - from Scorcese to Kurosawa, - but hugely influential as well. Broadway-adapted French classics such as "The Fanthom Of The Opera", "Beauty And The Beast", "Les Miserables" and "Notre Dame De Paris" have entertained millions (and made many wealthy) to this day. So who says the French - who by the way invented Cinema - are boring?

The Most Sympathetic of Social Satires. .......2007-01-25

Regarded by many as one of the greatest movies ever made, Jean Renoir's "The Rules of the Game" had a poor reception in Paris in 1939. Audiences were enraged. French conservatives were offended. This social satire about the games of love as played by upper class acquaintances and their domestic servants who assemble at the country home of the Marquis de la Chesnaye for a weekend of hunting nearly moved people to riot. Watching "The Rules of the Game" now, it's impossible to see it as audiences did then. The characters are charming relics of an extinct society. And the film we see isn't what audiences saw in 1939. The original edit was 94 minutes long, then cut to 81 minutes in a futile attempt to appease the public. The film was reconstructed in 1959 from all available footage, resulting in the extended 106-minute version that we see today. Earlier versions were harsher, allowing for less character development and emotional depth. Quite simply, the wrong film was shown to the wrong audience in 1939. "The Rules of the Game" opened on the Champs-Elysees, where bourgeois audiences saw their values mocked on the big screen.

Inspired by 18th century comedies and Musset's "Les Caprices de Marianne", Jean Renoir went one better with the stock characters of husband, wife, mistress, lover, and interceding friend. He doubled them, creating matched opposing pairs in the upstairs/downstairs social circles. The Marquis Robert de la Chesnaye (Marcel Dalio) invites an assemblage of friends to his country home for a hunt and a party in honor of a new national hero, the aviator Andre Jurieu (Roland Toutain). Robert plans to dismiss his mistress Genevieve (Mila Parely) and pursue a more sincere relationship with his somewhat naïve Austrian wife Christine (Nora Gregor). But Christine is pursued by the handsome young Jurieu. Old family friend Octav (Jean Renoir) negotiates a fine line as friend and accomplice to all. Christine's maid Lisette (Paulette Dubost) watches with interest as she evades her earnest gamekeeper husband (Gaston Modot) in favor of a flirtatious poacher (Julien Carette).

Considering Jean Renoir's communist sympathies in the 1930s, it is easy to see "The Rules of the Game" as a critique of bourgeois materialism and propriety. But the film is not so limited. It's a broader commentary on the consequences of etiquette that every society imposes on its members by necessity. The consequences of not understanding the rules and of understanding them all too well. Whatever he may be criticizing, Jean Renoir's sympathies are clearly with his characters. These hauts bourgeois, with their alternating spectacles of slaughter, farce, and delicacy, are ultimately likable and sensitive. Renoir scholar Alexander Sesonske called "The Rules of the Game" "the most complex social criticism ever enacted on the screen." Perhaps it is simply the most sympathetic. And to that the film owes its enduring success. French with optional English subtitles.

The DVDs (Criterion Collection 2004): Disc 1 contains the film, a "Renoir Introduction" (6 1/2 min) in which the director talks about the film's reception and why it was considered controversial, an audio commentary, comparison of different edits, and some additional scene analysis. The white English subtitles are sometimes difficult to read and would have been better in yellow. The audio commentary is a good scene-by-scene analysis of the film written by Renoir scholar Alexander Sesonske and read by Peter Bogdanovich. It discusses the political atmosphere in the time between Munich and the War, themes, social context, characters, structure, social juxtapositions, class distinctions, etc. "Version Comparison" includes the film's final scenes as they appeared in the 81-minute edit of the film, which change the meaning of the final act. Professor of Film at Carleton University in Ottawa Chris Faulkner compares (13 min) the final scenes in the 106-minute version with the same scenes in the 81-minute version, which omitted many of Octav's scenes. "Scene Analysis" is by Renoir historian Chris Faulkner: "Public and Private" (5 1/2 min) analyzes the opening scenes and the final scene. "Corridor" (3 min) discusses depth of field in one scene.

Disc 2 includes television shows about Jean Renoir, the film's production history, and interviews. "Jean Renoir, Le Patron" (31 min) is from the French TV series "Cineastes de Notre Temps". In this 1967 interview, Renoir discusses the script, characters, and deep focus. Includes a conversation between Renoir and Marcel Dalio in which they talk about creating the character of the Marquis. In French with English subtitles, but the quality of the print is poor and burned out. "BBC Documentary" (1 hour) is the first part of a 2-part 1993 documentary which follows Renoir's life "From La Belle Epoche to World War II". Includes interviews with Jean Renoir, his son, and those who knew him. Talks about his childhood and youth as the son of painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, his career in filmmaking, influence during the 1930s, until his departure to Hollywood in 1940. "Production History" includes a video essay (8 min) narrated by Chris Faulkner that traces the film from its conception until its reconstruction in 1959, as well as an archived interview with Jean Gaborit and Jacques Durand, who did the 1959 reconstruction. "Interviews" are with people who took part in the film: Production designer Max Douy (9 min), 2003, French with subtitles. Actress Mila Parely (16 min), 1995, French with subtitles. And assistant cameraman Alain Renoir (19 min), 2003, in English. "Tributes" (text) are 13 brief essays by writers, directors, and critics paying tribute to "The Rules of the Game".

Gallic Goings-on Upstairs and Downstairs During an Eventful Weekend at a Chateau.......2006-09-13

I didn't know what to expect given the vaunted reputation of Jean Renoir's acknowledged 1939 masterpiece, but what surprises me most is its frenetic energy, really akin to a Marx Brothers farce in depicting the goings-on of the French bourgeoisie during the tenuous period just before WWII. The 2004 Criterion Collection DVD contains a masterfully restored print of this social dramedy focusing on a diverse group of characters on a palatial country estate during a weekend hunt.

The event is spurred by André Jurieu, an adventurous aviator who just crossed the Atlantic to a hero's welcome only to find his lover Christine has not greeted him. Petulant about his rejection, he is invited by his best friend, the boorish, seemingly happy-go-lucky Octave, to the hunt since it is at La Colinere, the chateau of Christine and her husband, the wealthy Marquis Robert de la Chesnaye. Also invited is Robert's mistress Genevieve, and romantic complications inevitably ensue. All the while, the servants carry on with their own shenanigans as Christine's soubrette maid Lisette, married to the Germanic estate gamekeeper Schumacher, dallies with Marceau, a new domestic hired by Robert after getting caught poaching rabbits on the grounds.

Even though it looks like it will be a serious character study from the outset, there are actually quite a few moments that border on slapstick. But there is an increasing gravitas to the proceedings sparked by the actual game hunt where we see rabbits and pheasants slaughtered mercilessly by the guests. Renoir obviously wants to show us the unconcerned attitudes of the rich encapsulated in one defining scene, and it works. From that point, the various deceptions start to unravel until André makes a serious-minded proposition to Christine that amounts to breaking the rules of their elitist existence. It isn't too surprising that tragedy subsequently occurs as such violations are intolerable among the upper crust.

The cinematography by Jean-Paul Alphen, Jean Bachelet, Jacques Lemare and Alain Renoir is most impressive as it alternates fluidly between realistic documentary-style shots with dramatic deep-focus tableaux in the house that capture the fulsome activity. The acting is first-rate with stand-out work from Roland Toutain as André, Marcel Dalio as Robert, a comical Julien Carette as Marceau and Renoir himself as Octave. Although I don't think it's completely necessary, some knowledge of European history during this period is helpful in understanding some of the film's nuances such as making Christine an Austrian or having one of the servants mouth such anti-Semitic remarks as everyday conversation.

Criterion's two-disc set is chockfull of extras beginning with Renoir's own introduction of the film taped in 1966. There is audio commentary narrated by Peter Bogdanovich from notes supplied by film scholar Alexander Sesonske, and scene-specific commentary from Renoir specialist Christopher Faulkner. There are three extended video excerpts included on the second disc - the first from 1966 with Renoir's participation, the second from an extensive 1993 BBC documentary, and the third a video essay on not only the original production but the reconstruction that took place when original footage became lost during the war. This all seems luxuriant, but this classic film does live up to its reputation.

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