The style of Grand Illusion

One of the most consistent stylistic principles of Grand Illusion is most certainly “the constant concern to never separate, by the choice of shots, the center of dramatic interest from the general context in which it takes place (physical and human)” (André Bazin). This concern is expressed in Renoir’s insistence on unity in the treatment of time and space; that is, by his resistance to the systematic breaking up of time and space natural to film editing. Renoir substitutes instead, on the one hand, the utilization of depth of field (deep-focus photography), which allows him to better situate the subject in its context, whether it be in relationship to the physical space or to the other characters in its sphere of activity. On the other hand, and for largely the same reasons, he utilizes frequent camera movements and lengthy (sequence) shots to minimize the inevitable fragmentation created by breaking up a shot into several shots. Thus, in the first shot of the film, in the French officers’ bar, there are a series of pans, in several directions, to avoid cutting Maréchal off from his environment in any way. Likewise, in the sequence shot of the preparations for the variety show, the depth of field and the camera movements allow Renoir to combine in a unified continuous space the rehearsal of the British officers’ musical number and the unpacking of the costumes by the Frenchmen. And at Wintersborn again, the long pan in close-up on the chapel which serves as Rauffenstein’s room serves to create the character through the various props which clearly reflect his personal traits. “We thus find in the very technique of the filming,” Bazin remarks, “Renoir’s search for the truth of the relations between Men and the world in which they are plunged.”

Sometimes the camera movements, combined with the scenery, serve to unite particularly disparate spaces, emphasizing both their difference and their place in the same reality. The sequence shot in which the engineer washes Maréchal’s feet begins by focusing on the actor outside, in the camp yard, followed by a tracking shot backward through the window and into the room to frame Maréchal and the engineer, who continue their discussion about Rosenthal before moving on to Boëldieu, the subject of the actor’s remarks at the beginning of the shot. Here as elsewhere in Renoir’s films the window serves as an explicit link between interior and exterior, diversifying the space and suggesting its expanse. The world doesn’t stop at the barracks’ walls, and the tracking shot inscribes the two men in a broader, richer context.

Renoir’s predilection for the sequence shot (mise-en-scène as opposed to editing shots together) is explained also by the importance he attributes to the actors, an attitude he has exhibited since the beginning of his career: “To summarize my remarks, the essential element of a film is the acting. Choosing the right actors and directing them properly, that’s the principal role of the director." To allow the actors a maximum of freedom in developing their character, without using overly static medium shots, Renoir adopts a technique which consists of “beginning with a close-up of the actors, then following them as they move about." “Grand Illusion is perhaps the film in which I applied this approach most successfully,” he adds, referring specifically to Rosenthal’s meal scene and the sequence in which the prisoners sing “La Marseillaise.”

In the following Excerpts (several are mentioned above), we are going to observe and discuss Renoir’s themes and techniques.

• Excerpt 1 :

• Excerpt 2 :

• Excerpt 3 :

• Excerpt 4 :

• Excerpt 5 :

• Excerpt 6 :

• Excerpt 7 :

• Excerpt 8 :

• Excerpt 9 :

• Excerpt 10 :