2008 Woodie Awards
The Rules of the Game
Restored classic satire of pre-WWII French Bourgeois society at Tivoli
By: Tony Barsanti
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Reviews
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5 stars out of 5
Fans of the late director Robert Altman will appreciate this truly fine work of art by one of cinema's greatest craftsmen, Jean Renoir. "La Regle Du Jeu" (The Rules of the Game) gets off on a bad start, originally opening to a non-receptive audience in 1939. The film's negatives were also considerably damaged during the war, but was completely restored in 1959.
This belated release during the French New Wave movement allowed different classes of society to succinctly admire a work that was created far ahead of its time.
With the foundation of an old 19th-century comedy of manners by Alfred de Musset, Renoir (son of the impressionist painter) chose to make a subtle yet contemptuous comment on the senseless conventions of pre-war French society in the face of grave crises.
Now cleaned up with a new digital restoration, we are first introduced to an exhausted Andre Jurieax (Roland Toutain), touted as the next Charles Lindberg, as he lands his bi-plane in heroic fashion after crossing the Atlantic solo. He is met by his friend Octave (Renoir in one of his more memorable cameo roles), French diplomats and a media frenzy, but not by his beloved Christine. She is also a close friend of Octave's, and whom he says was the impetus behind the journey.
Not put out, the now-married Christine switches off the radio broadcast and continues to prepare for her group's pleasure trip to their countryside estate La Coliniere. While Christine's husband attends to his own outstanding relationships, Octave convinces them to invite Andre along with them to their estate. Hilarious allegory ensues as the group heads out on their hunting/adulterating excursions (largely referenced in Altman's "Gosford Park").
To the casual viewer, possibly expecting a quaint portrait of the 1930's French lifestyle, the film is quite deceptive in that it does not beatify or denounce any of the characters outright - for instance painting their faces in hard shadows or filling their mouths with adversarial dialogue.
Fans of the late director Robert Altman will appreciate this truly fine work of art by one of cinema's greatest craftsmen, Jean Renoir. "La Regle Du Jeu" (The Rules of the Game) gets off on a bad start, originally opening to a non-receptive audience in 1939. The film's negatives were also considerably damaged during the war, but was completely restored in 1959.
This belated release during the French New Wave movement allowed different classes of society to succinctly admire a work that was created far ahead of its time.
With the foundation of an old 19th-century comedy of manners by Alfred de Musset, Renoir (son of the impressionist painter) chose to make a subtle yet contemptuous comment on the senseless conventions of pre-war French society in the face of grave crises.
Now cleaned up with a new digital restoration, we are first introduced to an exhausted Andre Jurieax (Roland Toutain), touted as the next Charles Lindberg, as he lands his bi-plane in heroic fashion after crossing the Atlantic solo. He is met by his friend Octave (Renoir in one of his more memorable cameo roles), French diplomats and a media frenzy, but not by his beloved Christine. She is also a close friend of Octave's, and whom he says was the impetus behind the journey.
Not put out, the now-married Christine switches off the radio broadcast and continues to prepare for her group's pleasure trip to their countryside estate La Coliniere. While Christine's husband attends to his own outstanding relationships, Octave convinces them to invite Andre along with them to their estate. Hilarious allegory ensues as the group heads out on their hunting/adulterating excursions (largely referenced in Altman's "Gosford Park").
To the casual viewer, possibly expecting a quaint portrait of the 1930's French lifestyle, the film is quite deceptive in that it does not beatify or denounce any of the characters outright - for instance painting their faces in hard shadows or filling their mouths with adversarial dialogue.
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