La Règle Du Jeu (1939)

So, this one is a classic and one of the masterpieces - If you don't believe me, check the Sight & Sound or Cahiers du Cinéma or any other lists. But any film lover who has a passion for films old or new knows about this particular one. The Rules of the Game(1939) is considered to be one of the greatest films that have been made and it is a gem among millions of others.

The Rules of the Game(1939)

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I wish I could say I have seen many of Jean Renoir's films, but I haven't. This is the second film but I have a few other of his films on hold that I haven't watched yet. But soon I'll put them on my "watched list" - just need to make sure how soon is soon. So, I'm not going to be talking about the plot at all. He himself has directed the movie and written the screenplay. The movie is set in 1939, and World War II wasn't too far behind, I would say, war was knocking on the doorstep. Many things have influenced the movie such as the presence of Germans and how society and other things were changing - and much of it was portrayed in the film. So many secrets are closeted and remain the same in the end. People aren't usually what they seem to be and even the most inconspicuous looking fellow might just have some secrets buried deep in his heart or is among one of those with ulterior motives. Love has very twisted meanings but more twisted are relationships and well, humans being humans, they'd choose the mind over the heart in an instant. I cannot say furthermore without revealing more of the plot.

Thinking...

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Well, the plot is relatively simple - at least to me, it was. Then I remembered the year, it wasn't just old, it was pretty old and the story might have caught some fire due to the explicit contents. It is quite daring if I must say. Well, the very mention of "extra-marital affair" might have been too much scandalous at the time. And like I said, most of the secrets, albeit the audience knows, they don't get unearthed. Whatever happened in the dark, stayed in the dark. So, keeping in mind the year and the societal mindset, I found it somewhat daring, comical too, and yes let's not mention drama - I love drama. One of the reasons I love old films is that there aren't many "action" components and mostly focus on stories - that means the story stays the main attraction and all that visual effects and thingamajig isn't going to cast a shadow on the plot. Yes, even though my fairly modern brain didn't find this film great in the beginning, I didn't manage to put two and two together and enjoyed it. Like me, you may also think that this movie is somewhat not too surprising but be mindful of the era and the circumstance, and the effort it took to make it.