Friday, September 12, 2008

 

Borders are man-made — nature couldn't care less

NOTE: Ranked No. 41 on my all-time top 100 of 2012



By Edward Copeland
It is fairly routine for directors to make two (or more) classics in a row, but it still amazes when they do and Jean Renoir did just that the year before he released his masterpiece The Rules of the Game when he directed the World War I drama Grand Illusion. The film opened in the U.S. 70 years ago today and while it's a common occurrence today, Grand Illusion was the first foreign foreign language film to be nominated for the Oscar for best picture, back when the foreign language category didn't even exist. I'd hoped to do a full-fledged post on the movie, but lack of time and energy prevented me from doing it justice. Still, it deserved notice. Perhaps we can delve further in the comments. Remember, golf courses are for playing golf, tennis courts are for playing tennis, prison camps are for escaping and comments are for discussion.


Labels: , , , ,


Comments:
I can't help but agree, and more: I think Renoir mad a string of classics in the 30s: "Boudou Saved from Drowning," "The Crime of Monsieur Lange," "La Bete Humaine," in addition to the two you mentioned.
 
Crime of Monsieur Lange is one I've never been able to see. What's really interesting is to compare Renoir's "Lower Depths" to Kurosawa's.
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Follow edcopeland on Twitter

 Subscribe in a reader