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. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

The Game Rules
"The Rules of the Game" directed by Jean Renoir is now ranked #1 on many film critic lists. Renior built a comedy of manners around old stories. When this film was viewed in Paris in 1939 there was a near riot. The critics hated it for political reasons, but also because characters were walking about the Chateau at amazing speed and angles. If you don't understand the history of the beginnings of WW2, then all will be lost on your Philistine soul. Somehow in an upstairs-downstairs comedy, Renior has described the failed French society. I'll describe the plot concept using English names. Randy, the aviator loves the rich lady, Christine. She's not French; she's Viennese (the only outsider). He's a romantic fool, she's an innocent compared to the Parisian women like Clair, the sophisticated lover of Christine's husband, the Count. Renior plays Alph, a court jester character and friend of Christine from the old days. He's a failed musician. He's also Randy's best friend. The French Count is played by a Jewish actor (which was a scandal in itself considering the anti-Semitism in Europe) So they all leave Paris and go to the country estate of the Count where we meet the servants of the Chateau. Christine's maid, Crystal is playing around with Alph and the newly hired rabbit poacher Jimmy. The gamekeeper, the cuckold Paul chases the amorous Jimmy around the Chateau with a gun for the next forty minutes. All the lovers and friends switch partners amidst declarations of love, slaughter of animals, and fist fights. In the end, noone is in love with anyone and all of society is concerned with the game, which is where he or she were in the first place. Truth is not a concern and the masterpiece is complete.

The DVD of the Year.
On its surface, "The Rules of the Game" is a light farce involving the couplings - and decouplings - of an assortment of weekend guests staying at the chateau of the Comte de la Cheyniest (Marcel Dalio). Without knowing any other context, the film can be enjoyed on this level: Renoir's writing (he co-scripted) is witty and his direction is elegant and sublime. His fluid long-shots make you feel like you're gliding along in this rarified - though topsy-turvy - world; and his open approach to the actors is suffused with generosity. He never allows us to focus on one particular person, or couple, because, in this social world, "everyone has their reasons" and everyone's actions bounce and intertwine with everyone else's.

As a homage and updating of a classic French farce, "Rules" is flawless; it is, however, as a commentary on the decline of a social order that makes this more than a cinematic souffle. Shot in 1939, "between Munich and the War" as Renoir says, the film is portrait of the European aristocracy where ethical codes (conjugal fidelity above all) are not only violated, but are even dismissed as irrelevant. Human relationships collapse and reform with sudden ease (witness the gameskeeper and the poacher) and those who cling to outmoded notions of love and faithfulness set themselves up for disaster (such as the aviator). This is the domestic complement to Renoir's war drama, "La Grande Illusion", where the mournful French and German artistocratic officers, having more in common amongst themselves than with the common soldiers of their respective nationalities, lament that mechanized warfare has rendered their class irrelevant.

Both "Illusion" and "Rules" may seem irrelevant themselves in the US, which did not have a traditional feudal aristocracy. Yet both films fascinate by showing individuals attempting to survive, and thrive, in worlds where the old, comfortable standards no longer apply. If the aristocrats in "Rules" openly, and rather disinterestedly, conduct affairs with each others' spouses, why shouldn't a humble poacher poach a gameskeeper's wife too? If "everyone has their reasons", the famous quote from the film, then, who's to decide which "reasons" are justified or unjust, legitimate or scandalous?

The Criterion double-disc sets its own standards. The extras are plentiful and fascinating, including interviews from the few remaining cast and crew members, the essay booklet intelligent and penetrating, and the transfer quality of the film is superb considering the film's history (having been cut at its premiere, banned, its original negative destroyed in WWII, and finally reassembled in the late 1950's). This disc was clearly a labor of love and the effort shows throughout: this disc is worth Criterion's asking price.

One of the greatest movie ever. Hardly.
Let's see. We have an aldulterer, a cheat, a liar, a slut & a guy with anger management issues. They all exist in this ultra chic, super rich sub-culture. If such a time (the 30's) & place ever existed it is easy to see why the French lost to the Germans, one year after this movie was actually made.
It is of course a satire & a pretty good one at that. The host, of a weekend hunting party has a mistress. He is afraid his wife is going have an affair with the another guest a hero flyer a la Charles Lindberg. But she has other admirers as well. My favorite character is the slut, the maid whose new husband take exception to her behavior. The whole mess is overseen by Jean Renoir, the director, who is also a major player in the movie itself. Eventually there is a murder. I won't tell who is murdered or who the murderer is here. On the dvd there is an alternate ending. A shorter version of the last scenes came out in 1959. This imparts a totally different context from the original which was banned in 1939. It is well done & gives different meanings to the motives of all involved. The major drawback is it is in French with English subtitles. But you'd want to pay strict attention to this one in any case.

The Rules of the Game - Criterion Collection
When affluent Marquis Robert de la Chesnaye (Marcel Dalio) hosts a party at his sprawling property, emotions run high. Guests include Robert's mistress Genevieve (Mila Parely) and pilot Andre Jurieu (Roland Toutain), who fancies Robert's wife, Christine (Nora Gregor). Meanwhile, Schumacher (Gaston Modot) is trying to keep Marceau (Julien Carette) from hitting on his wife (Paulette Dubost). All the while, the servants watch with great interest.

I again can not think of a title
Corruption of the French aristocracy and their "Rules of the game" that they abide by in order to remain where they are, it revolves around a central plot of this pilot who flies to France for the woman he loved but she is marries and the husband is trying to end the affair and they are all with a bunch of members of the aristocracy, it is truly a great film. Criterion collection is growing to my liking quite a lot, the picture and sound are great for a movie made in 1939. Good movie, watch it you fiend. ... Read more

Description

The most beloved of all love stories! Edmond Rostand's play "Cyrano de Bergerac" was a triumph from the moment of its premiere on December 28, 1897. It has become the most popular play of the modern French theater, and Cyrano, despite an ugly visage dominated by an enormous nose, has become a world-beloved symbol of generosity, magnanimity of spirit and beauty of soul. In adapting "Cyrano de Bergerac" to the silent cinema, director Augusto Genina and scenarist Mario Camerini retained the beloved poetic language of Rostand's original work. The grandeur of costume, setting and action is captured not only in impressive staging and sensitive performances but also through the filmmakers' bold decision to present almost the entire work in the highly stylized and beautiful Pathe Stencil Color process. Three years were devoted to the by-hand coloring of "Cyrano de Bergerac," so that this 1922 film was not fully released until the Fall of 1925! With this beautiful release, this rarely-seen silent classic can take its place with the all-time greats! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Silent Cyrano Easily Holds Its Own.
I have always been attracted to the story of CYRANO DE BERGERAC. I first encountered it as a Classics Illustrated comic book in the early 60's (which I still have). Later there was the famous 1950 film with Jose Ferrer which appeared on television many times while I was growing up. In college I had the opportunity to read Edmond Rostand's original play (but not in French). Years later came Steve Martin's adaptation ROXANNE and finally the 1990 Gerard Depardieu film which for me is the definitive version. Now comes the 1925 Italian film which I first saw in 1996 shortly after it was released on video. This silent CYRANO can easily hold its own against the others. Of main interest is the incredible Pathe' Hand Coloring used which involves a variety of techniques including stencil coloring and hand painting. This is one of the few surviving examples of this lost art and is worth it alone just for that. But there is much more. The performance by Pierre Magnier as Cyrano is the heart and soul of the film as it needs to be. He strikes just the right balance of cocky arrogance and heart on sleeve romanticism. Linda Moglia and Angelo Ferrari are fine as Roxanne and Christian although there is little for them to do except advance the plot. The performances are remarkably free of the histrionics which are usually associated with silent films. Even Cyrano's "nose job" is understated and quite believable. The look of the film is ideal. You really feel as if you've been transported to the France of Louis XIII. The director Augustino Genina would later make Louise Brooks' last major film PRIX DE BEAUTE'. While the Depardieu vehicle remains the best version, the 1925 CYRANO DE BERGERAC provides an excellent alternative. One of the best introductions I know of to the art of the silent film. Contrary to what it says on the box, the film is subtitled in Spanish (not French) and English. The effective score by Carlo Moser sounds a little weak in performance. Perhaps that is why the ensemble is listed as the Alan Smithee Orchestra conducted by ALAN SMITHEE (the fictional name used when a director wants his/her name removed from a project).

Phenominal color achievement
Too often films of the silent era come to us in chopped, cropped, and abused formats. "Cyrano" is flat out gorgeous with its detailed Pathecolor process, giving the scenes a fairy-tale coloration that easily rivals the old two-strip Technicolor. The performances are without the silent hyperbole or melodramatic flairs; in fact, when Pierre Magnier's Cyrano becomes expansive with his flourishes, he seems to be parodying the conventions we might expect after a diet of D. W. Griffith epics. The director, Augusta Genina, later went on to direct Louise Brooks' final European film, "Prix de Beaute," and his gifts with both spectacle and introspective moments are in strong evidence here. An amazing find! ... Read more