Rent The Rules of the Game on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Jean Renoir (scenario, dialogue), Carl Koch (collaborating writer), Beaumarchais (opening poem)
Directed by: Jean Renoir
Starring: Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély, Marcel Dalio, Julien Carette, Roland Toutain, Gaston Modot, Pierre Magnier
Rated: NR [PG]
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Plot
In this French language film, the rich and their poor servants meet up at a French chateau at the onset of World War II.
Verdict
This examines a complex web of relationships that centers on Robert and Christine and those pulled into their orbit. The movie is a critique on society with most of the characters acting selfishly while donning a different public facade. At the end of the movie, Robert and Christine remain unscathed, but everyone else has paid the price. The writing is intentional in that the two richest characters also face the fewest repercussions. It's an older movie that feels much more modern than it is, but what dulls the movie are the many films that have used the foundations this built.
It depends.
Review
The rules of this game refer to personal relationships. Pilot André Jurieux (Roland Toutain) has just crossed the Atlantic Ocean, but he's upset that Christine (Nora Gregor) isn't at the airport to greet him. Of course he's infatuated with a married woman. This is a complicated game. The players are more concerned about appearances. Christine's husband Robert, Marquis de la Chesnaye (Marcel Dalio), is fully aware of André's infatuation, yet while he and Christine affirm their love for each other, he immediately calls his mistress Geneviève (Mila Parély). The movie critiques French society, as spouses and lovers end up in one place, Robert's summer house.
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| Roland Toutain, Marcel Dalio play André Jurieux, Robert, Marquis de la Chesnaye |
Robert invites André. I don't know if it's to torment him, his wife, or some kind of self sabotage. It's either hubris or a lack thereof. Geneviève is also at the summer house. Christine doesn't mind as she hopes that will distract Robert from André.
It's a movie about relationships, illicit affairs, and their shifting nature. There's the dangers of apathy as Robert and Christine are at the center of this, having brought everyone together. They're both leading people on, and that leads to the finale. Two cases of mistaken identity lead to disastrous consequences.
As with most old movies, they're impressive when you grade on the curve of the time period. For this movie, it's deserved. It's nearly ninety years old, but it doesn't seem anywhere near that age. This exhibits a depth in examining rivals and relationships that many modern movies don't achieve.While it's very good for the time period, modern movie have built on this film and improved. Of course, "I'll box your ears." is a threat that dates the movie just a tad. The final scene brings this home. Characters just want to pave over the faults instead of addressing the underlying issues and their role in events.
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