Orson Welles once said that La Grande Illusion is one of the films he would take with him "on th ark." I'm not one to argue with Mr. Welles (mostly because he's dead and it would be pointless) but it's easy to see why he loved this film so much.
Set in a WW1 prisoner of war camp (or camps to be completely accurate, La Grande Illusion is one of the first prison break films. While there are no elaborate escape attempts or big action set pieces on display, the film does deal with issues (class, race, duty, futility of war, the (lack of) worthiness of the band Styx - so that one's not real but Styx really sucks and it's always worth mentioning) that are as relevant today as they were in 1937. Ultimately writer/director Jean Renoir attempts to show that even though we all have major differences, we all do have enough similarities to make war unnecessary and nothing more than a grand illusion. If that message is perhaps a bit naive and utopian, it's still a worthwhile attitude to have toward your fellow man.
Despite some minor aging flaws -- one character in particular is beyond annoying but was likely considered humorous at the time -- La Grande Illusion is a fine anti-war film, a great showcase for Renoir's abilities and well deserved of it's place in history.
Rating: 4.5
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