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Amazon.co.uk Review
Actually filmed at the end of the Second World War, La Régle du Jeu confused the public by its dark and modern undertone. Indeed Jean Renoir shows us through a tragic love triangle the acidic face of French society at the end of the 1930s. It was received at its French premiere with such hostility (the theatre was almost set on fire), that the distributors were granted the right to cut some of the then-offensives scenes. Booed by the public and mutilated by censorship, Renoir's black sheep has since won a share of greatness in the French cinematic pantheon. This prophetic movie is now studied in every film course, and celebrities such as Gérard Depardieu or director Emir Kusturica are open admirers of this rich piece of cinema. Rewarding an infinite number of viewings, one never gets bored with La Régle du Jeu's tale of a hunting party in Sologne (followed by a more intimate one at a castle) where masters and servants outwit each other in a game of black humour and cruelty, a work made all the more memorable because of the astounding performances of its remarkable actors. --David Mikanowski, Amazon.fr
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Biographies, Black & White, Documentary, Interactive Menu, SYNOPSIS: Now often cited as one of the greatest films ever made, Jean Renoir's La Rčgle du jeu/Rules of the Game was not warmly received on its original release in 1939: audiences at its opening engagements in Paris were openly hostile, responding to the film with shouts of derision, and distributors cut the movie from 113 minutes to a mere 80. It was banned as morally perilous during the German occupation and the original negative was destroyed during WWII. It wasn't until 1956 that Renoir was able to restore the film to its original length. In retrospect, this reaction seems both puzzling and understandable; at its heart, Rules of the Game is a very moral film about frequently amoral people. A comedy of manners whose wit only occasionally betrays its more serious intentions, it contrasts the romantic entanglements of rich and poor during a weekend at a country estate. André Jurieu (Roland Toutain), a French aviation hero, has fallen in love with Christine de la Chesnaye (Nora Gregor), who is married to wealthy aristocrat Marquis Robert de la Chesnaye (Marcel Dalio). Robert, however, has a mistress of his own, whom he invites to a weekend hunting party at his country home, along with André and his friend Octave (played by Jean Renoir himself). Meanwhile, the hired help have their own game of musical beds going on: a poacher is hired to work as a servant at the estate and immediately makes plans to seduce the gamekeeper's wife, while the gamekeeper recognizes him only as the man who's been trying to steal his rabbits. Among the upper classes, infidelity is not merely accepted but expected; codes are breached not by being unfaithful, but by lacking the courtesy to lie about it in public. The...The Rules of the Game ( La Rčgle du jeu )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I first viewed this film a few years ago now, then i was amazed and confused by it. i have seen it at least 10 times since and love every viewing. the plot is genius, renoir tackling the subject of different classes. though not dividing them but showing we are all the same, striving for something better and in this case love and lust. it is poigniant, hilarious, sad, dark, i could go on... personally i rate this as the second best film of all time (nothing betters citizan kane but it is the only film that is remotely close).
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I won't go on about it but I liked this film a lot. It is mostly a comedy about the social mores of the super rich, but it's a really well done piece of observation about different attitudes to adultery and love. I recommend it to anyone who likes well-made old films.
36 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is the one film that everyone should see, and that everyone should see several times. It is the best film ever made by a very long way, in a different class to the American and British pretenders.
Ostensibly, it is a triangle of love triangles, but it goes so much further. It is dark, funny, moving, deep, complex and incisive. It is a film that is not only essential on DVD, but the only one that makes it essential to own a DVD player - just so you can watch this film over and over.
Yes, it is in French, but don't let that put you off. It could be the only subtitled film you ever see (although you would be missing out on many other fine films, of course). If this were the only film (foreign or otherwise) I were ever allowed to watch for the rest of my life, I would be happy.
Ostensibly, it is a triangle of love triangles, but it goes so much further. It is dark, funny, moving, deep, complex and incisive. It is a film that is not only essential on DVD, but the only one that makes it essential to own a DVD player - just so you can watch this film over and over.
Yes, it is in French, but don't let that put you off. It could be the only subtitled film you ever see (although you would be missing out on many other fine films, of course). If this were the only film (foreign or otherwise) I were ever allowed to watch for the rest of my life, I would be happy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Renoir's Biting Satire
Jean Renoir's 1939 satire on the (French) class system is, for me, something of a mixed bag. It is a film which I consider to have been (certainly, historically at least) much... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Keith M
The Rules of the Game - Jean Renoir
Not speaking French and the film being subtitled does not of course help but, although highly rated by many, I did not personally end up feeling that this is 'one of the best films... Read more
Published 14 months ago by James H. F. Daly
Love the One You're With
"The Rules of the Game," ("La Règle du Jeu") (1939), is another classic drama of the French cinema, black and white, filmed between World Wars I and II by the famed French... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Stephanie DePue
Personal reasons, not relevant to others
I did buy this movie for my mother because my grant aunt is the actress. This movie has a very different meaning to me and a very different motivation to buy which might not be... Read more
Published on 25 May 2010 by Alexandra Fawkes
Better than predicted!
On watching it my wife decided she had ordered the wrong film. Not a promising start! However it is not bad, actually quite funny in places, quite compelling observations of the... Read more
Published on 2 April 2007 by Nutta
Overhyped but with some merit.
This is definitely not the best film ever made. It may well have been "acted" in the style prevalent at the time it was made but the acting is now dated. Read more
Published on 26 July 2005 by S. Fellows
The Greatest Film Ever Made
I am delighted that at last this film is available on DVD. This is the finest film that has ever been made, streets ahead of any pretenders. Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2003
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Renoir's brilliant study of class warfare takes place during a shooting weekend. Protagonists from across the social (and gender) divide fight bitter and deadly battles as they... Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2002 by simonphillips01@btinternet.com
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