(1939, Dir. Jean Renoir)
In Short: A dozen or so horribly selfish aristocrats and servants all stay together in one house. Things go terribly wrong. There is not one entirely likable character in this whole movie. Even with an enormous and well-developed ensemble of main characters, it just turns out that each and every one of them is kind of awful. The thing is, however, that none of them are really evil. They're not actively malicious. In fact, almost all of them go out of their way to maintain decorum and propriety and not upset the status quo as they ruin one another's lives. The main conflicts center around marriage and infidelity--no one is happy with his or her spouse, or lack thereof, but they're all unable to figure out the right way to make things work. Christine (Nora Gregor) is especially confused on this front and changes her mind on the subject many times throughout the film. The plot of the film culminates in a great, though swift, disaster at the end. It's unsurprising given the immense tension that has been built up leading to that point. The chateau where all the action takes place serves as an enormous emotional pressure cooker full of a group of entirely selfish individuals. Hardly ever does anyone think about someone other than himself or herself. This is why nothing works out--these self-obsessed people make no progress because they are unwilling to look at the big picture. Despite its somewhat slow start, The Rules of the Game is really worth the payoff. Jean Renoir, the director, also plays a major acting role (and he's fantastic). In fact, all the acting is really brilliant, and the writing balances the talented ensemble cast very well. It's also a very interesting film visually (though I did quickly tire of the hunting sequences). If you like slow-burning conflict and mounting tension, this one's for you.
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AuthorEileen here, writing reviews for film class. Archives
April 2018
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