The Rules of the Game (The Criterion Collection)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Eddy Debray, Julien Carette, Marcel Dalio, Paulette Dubost, Tony CorteggianiBrand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-01-20
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of The Rules of the Game (The Criterion Collection)
Movie Review: A solid release from the Criterion Collection and a film worth owning!
Summary: 5 Stars
It was 1939 and World War II and the Nazi Germans was coming. What does director Jean Renoir ("The Grand Illusion", "The River") do? He creates a film titled "La Regle du jeu" (The Rules of the Game) that is part of an adaptation of Alfred de Musset's "Les Caprices de Marianne" and a film that was so far ahead of its time, it received an audience reaction that the filmmakers nor the crew/talent were expecting.
When the film was screened in front of audiences in Paris, the controversial film was boo'ed, led to fights in the theater and people burning their newspapers and leading theater owners to demand that Renoir cut the film. The 94-minute film that was screened in theaters, then became 81-minutes and unlike "Grand Illusion" which lasted three months in theaters, "The Rules of the Game" lasted only three weeks. It was the worst reception that Renoir had ever had for a film and was considered a massive failure. The upper class had an incredible disdain because of the actions of the characters in the film and because the film was a comedy that turns tragic, it was a film that defied normal standards of how storylines of films were at the time.
World War II came, Renoir fled to Rome (since he was a target by the Nazi's) and as for the film, it was banned by the French government. When the film was sealed in a room with other films, because of World War II, that room was bombed and the original 94-minute cut of the film was destroyed.
And decades later, when two cinema fans Jean Gaborit and Jacques Durand wanted to fix the film back to its 94-minute glory, despite the original film being destroyed, the duo worked on the prints and compared with the 81-minute version. And lo and behold, canisters of the unedited footage of the film were found and when the two were done, a 106 minute version was created and is the version of the film that the world has seen. With the French New Wave in full force in France, many film critics, filmmakers and cinema magazines have called "The Rules of the Game" as one of the best films created of all time.
It was a film that was ahead of its time when released in theaters that was jarring to the audience but for the young and upcoming filmmakers who had experienced the back in 1939, the film was nothing like they have ever seen in their lives and help shape French cinema during the 1950's and 1960's.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"The Rules of the Game" is presented in black and white (1:33:1 aspect ratio). For a 71-year-old film, The Criterion Collection did a very good job on the remastering. Many times you can see the original footage (during the comparison footage) and you can see how much sharper and clearer the video is. The picture quality is not perfect as you do see some film warping, dust and scratches at times but considering the negative source and how old this film is, this is a very good looking film on DVD.
According to Criterion, the new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System.
As for the audio, audio is Monaural French and the dialogue is clear, the only thing that didn't sound too great is when they were playing a record off a player and sound seems a bit warped. But for the most part, dialogue and musical soundtrack is clear. I preferred to watch this film with audio on my receiver set to all channels for a more immersive soundscape. According to the Criterion Collection, the soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic audio track and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"The Rules of the Game" comes with plenty of special features. Included are:
DISC 1:
* Renoir Introduction - (6:30) Director Jean Renoir introduces the film and talks about how it was a failure at the theaters and how people reacted to it back then. Also, how he felt when the 106-minute cut of the film was screened at the Venice Film Festival.
* Audio Commentary - The audio commentary is not exactly filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich's own personal comments but him reading the essay of Renoir scholar Alexander Sesonske, author of "Jean Renoir: The French Films, 1924-1939). Because the essay is timed with the film, Bogdanovich has to speed up the reading quite a bit. But it's important to note that this is a reading of an essay but not a commentary by Bogdanovich.
* Version Comparison - (13:05) Historian Chris Faulkner, co-author with Olivier Churchod of an annotated edition of the original shooting script shows a comparison between scenes from the 81-minute version of the film and the 106-minute version of the film and what was cut out in the short version of the film.
* Short Version Ending - (8:32) The ending to the 81-minute version of the film and showing how many scenes featuring Octave were removed.
* Analysis of the Shooting Script - A text based feature with images from the shooting script and more. You can view this segment using your remote to turn the page.
* Scene Analysis - (5:28) Chris Faulkner, who has researched the film "The Rules of the Game" for the last 15 years recorded a commentary on selected scenes "Public and Private" (5:28) and "Corridor" (2:40) from the film.
DISC 2:
* Jean Renoir, Le Patron - (31:13) Featuring a program from "La Rele et l'exception" produced in 1967 by Jacques Rivette for Cineastes de notre temps. Renoir discusses "The Rules of the Game" with Rivette and Andre Labarthe. Renoir discusses Munich and the war, shooting the film, casting the main characters, improvisation and the final scene of the film.
* BBC Documentary - (59:58) David Thompson made a two-part BBC documentary on Jean Renoir back in 1993. The first part featured is about "From La Belle Epoque to World War II" and his upbringing up to his career through "The Rules of the Game" and the people in his life and how he managed to pay for creating his films.
* Production History: Video Essay - (8:18) A video essay by "The Rules of the Game" historian Chris Faulkner who offers a condensed look at the history of the film, Renoir's inception, production, and original release through its 1959 reconstruction.
* Production History: Gaborit and Durand - (10:05) An excerpt from a 1965 television interview from "Les Ecrans de la ville", Jean Gaborit and Jacques Durand, the duo responsible for the reconstruction of the film discuss how it came about, what happened during reconstruction and more.
* Interview: Max Douy - (9:05) An interview from 2003, production/set designer Max Douy talked about how the film crew respected Renoir and trying to complete the film before World War II.
* Interview: Mila Parely - (16:17) An interview from 1995 produced by Jacques Motte for his documentary film "Histoires d'un tournage en Sologne" with Mila Parely. Mila who played the character Genevivie de Marras talks about working with director Jean Renoir and behind-the-scenes moments of "The Rules of the Game".
* Interview: Alain Renoir - (18:18) An interview from 2003. Alain talks about his father and working on the set as an assistant cameraman on "The Rules of the Game".
* Tributes - Filmmakers, film critics and writers write about why they love "The Rules of the Game". You can view the interviews by cycling through each tribute via your remote.
* 26-Page booklet - Featuring "Everyone Has Their Reasons" by Alexander Sesonske, "The Rules of the Game: Scenario" by Jean Renoir, Renoir on "The Rules of the Game", Henri Cartier-Bresson remembers, "Director's Cut" by Bertrand Taverner, "In Truffaut's Words" and more.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"The Rules of the Game" is considered a masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time. Ranked high by several film institutes and shown at film schools, the film was a bonafide flop during its theatrical run and only 20 years later, was the film truly appreciated and recognized.
The upper class and viewers of the film despised Renoir's film as many felt it was a middle finger to the upper class, nor were cinemagoers expecting a tragedy when they thought the film would be a comedy. This is no different today especially how prestigious of a title this film has had since it's 106-minute theatrical re-release back in 1959. Many viewers have approached the film almost similar to "Citizen's Kane" questioning why this film is so highly regarded.
For one, people must recognized what Renoir created. During a time when many director's were politically affiliated with the left or the right, most films favored the Burgeois. Renoir grew up with the rich courtesy of his famous father, painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. This film was Renoir wanting to show what he has experienced with the upperclass. Men and women who had sexual liasons with other partners and things that are done without remorse. Needless to say, the upperclass nor was the French government enthusiastic about the film. They outright banned it.
Renoir created a film that featured beautiful cinematography, well-paced but it took the viewer from its comedic ties to an ending that shocked viewers to the point they were disgusted, boo'ed and threw items on the front of the screen because they were upset. How could a film that could have been happy and a have a happy ending not be happy? With World War II approaching and Nazi Germany, the French viewers had no tolerance for such a film during that time and unfortunately, because of its failure, Renoir moved to Rome and then to the United States knowing he would be targeted or used by the Nazi's.
Bare in mind, this was before the French New Wave. Before Godard, Chris Marker, Agnes Varda, Francois Truffaut, Eric Rohmer and others who would make their mark for their accomplishments for their works in cinema and doing their own thing. Going against what was normal in cinema and against what people typically expected. It was an exciting time in the 1960's and these director's praised the work of Jean Renoir and Jean Vigo. For Alain Resnais and even Francois Truffaut, "The Rules of the Game" was significant as it showed them before their own careers of what cinema is capable of. In 1939, Jean Reno paid the price and although hailed for being one of the best masterpieces of all time, as much as Reno was happy, he paid the price. First, being forced to cut the film down to 81-minutes and then that version not surviving in the theater for a month and of course, losing the original cut of the film during World War II. It seemed too much but eventually he would rebound over a decade later when he worked on his first color film "The River".
"The Rules of the Game" is a film that challenged social convention. In terms of cinematography, it was unique as lighting was timed, characters in the background walking and reacting are timed perfectly with the main talent seen on camera. Was this camera work inspirational to Orson Welles for "Citizen Kane". Possibly. But technically, the film looked so free flowing and cuts were well-done. Call it avante-garde or call the film the inspiration for the French New Wave, this 106-minute version of the film is a version that people around that many French didn't see. A version that we get to see digitally remastered and restored and of course, with The Criterion Collection treatment, we get a lot of special features bundled with this release. It's a fantastic release and its one of those films that may require several viewings but also helps to learn the backstory of the film and why it is so important in the history of cinema.
I'm not going suggest you to watch or own this film because critics call it one of the greatest films of all time. But I do hope people watch this film, know its impact as a failed masterpiece in 1939, but then 20-years-later, becoming a golden masterpiece that was way ahead of its time and it took that long to be appreciated. It's quite interesting because Renoir and Orson Welles became good friends in Hollywood. Renoir told Welles that "an artist must be 20 years head of his time but it was harder for an artist of the cinema because the cinema insists upon being 20 years behind the public". Like father, like son. Jean Renoir's "La Regle du jeu" (The Rules of the Game) is a masterpiece and over 70-years later, is still on top of the list for many cinema polls as one of the greatest films of all time.
"The Rules of the Game" is highly recommended!
Summary of The Rules of the Game (The Criterion Collection)
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.Consistently cited by critics worldwide as one of the greatest films ever made, Jean Renoir's bittersweet drama of life, love, class, and the social code of manners and behavior ("the rules of the game") is a savage critique undertaken with sensitivity and compassion. Renoir's catch-phrase through the film, "Everyone has their reasons," develops a multilayered meaning by the conclusion. A young aviator (Roland Toutain) commits a serious social faux pas by alluding to an affair on national radio. To avert a scandal, the cultured Robert de la Chesnaye (Marcel Dalio), husband to the aviator's mistress, Christine (Nora Gregor), and a philanderer in his own right, invites all to a weekend hunting party in his country mansion. The complicated maze of marriages and mistresses (social register and servant class alike) is plotted like a bedroom farce, but the tone soon takes a darker cast. Renoir, who also takes the pivotal role as Andre's jovial pal and de la Chesnaye confidant Octave, deftly blends high comedy with cutting satire as he parallels the upstairs-downstairs affairs. The film builds to a comic pitch with the hilarious performance of Julien Carette as a rabbit poacher turned groundskeeper, but soon turns tragic in a devastating conclusion. The film was roundly condemned and banned in France upon its 1939 release, but years later (out of the shadow of WWII) the film was rediscovered for the masterpiece that it is. --Sean Axmaker
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