Fresh
The word "Mozartean"... gets thrown around a little too eagerly by critics, but one movie, as almost everyone agrees, deserves this supreme benediction -- Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game.
David Denby, New Yorker
The Rules of the Game
1939 · 1h 50m · Not Rated
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Directed by
Jean Renoir
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The Rules of the Game
Overview
The Marquis de la Chesnaye and his wife host a weekend gala where a variety of complicated romantic and social entanglements between guests and servants lead to tragedy, all against the backdrop of a looming war.
Director and cast
- Jean Renoir Director
- Jean Renoir as Octave
- Marcel Dalio as Robert de la Cheyniest
- Nora Gregor as Christine de la Cheyniest
- Julien Carette as Marceau, le braconnier
- Roland Toutain as André Jurieux
- Paulette Dubost as Lisette, sa camériste
- Gaston Modot as Edouard Schumacher, le garde-chasse
- Mila Parély as Geneviève de Marras
- Anne Mayen as Jackie, nièce de Christine
- Eddy Debray as Corneille, le majordome
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
97%
Tomatometer
Fresh
On the surface, a lace of flirtations, insinuations and rejections compose the basic plotting. But Renoir uses flashes of accelerating drama to amplify his bigger points.
Mark Chalon Smith, Los Angeles Times
Rotten
Jean Renoir, who directs, wrote the scenario and dialog, and takes a leading role, has made a common error: he attempts to crowd too many ideas into 80 minutes of film fare, resulting in confusion.
Variety Staff, Variety
Fresh
The mobile camera seems to be a member of the party, as it follows the almost balletically choreographed movements of the cast. The effect for the audience is transcendental. We are watching life at its messiest, unfolding at its most beautiful.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Fresh
A disaster when initially released, the movie's reputation has only grown since.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
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