In Search of La Grande Illusion: A Critical Appreciation of Jean Renoir's Elusive Masterpiece

In Search of La Grande Illusion: A Critical Appreciation of Jean Renoir's Elusive Masterpiece
ISBN-10
0786462701
ISBN-13
9780786462704
Category
Performing Arts
Pages
268
Language
English
Published
2013-11-08
Publisher
McFarland
Author
Nicholas Macdonald

Description

This is an extended analysis of the film, from different perspectives. The first half is largely a discussion of the cinematic technique, with key sequences analyzed shot by shot. The second half approaches the film from many other angles, including its history, the critical reception, Renoir's life and career, and film theory, e.g., film in relation to music. A case is made that Renoir's career was inconsistent, especially after "La Regle du jeu"--though also at times during the 1930s, melodramatic plots and trite cinematic technique dominate many of his films. And, rather than emphasizing the humanist, anti-war thrust of "La Grande Illusion," the film is approached as a work of art that is deeply expressive cinematically.

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