Rules of the Game often makes top ten movies of all time lists, but it has taken me awhile to see it. I've not seen a lot of French film (although Wages of Fear is one of my all time faves), but now in particular, with Congress dropping "freedom" for "french" on fries and toast, now seems the ideal time to thank Lafayette again.
The movie is really quite good and if it seems familiar, it is because Gosford Park is an homage to this movie. The plot centers on a holiday retreat to an aristocrat's summer home. The aristocrats try to manage spouses and lovers, sometimes consoling their own spouse's lover when things go awry. The servant class also has its dalliances but they must contend with managing the house and maintaining order while the madness upstairs continues. It is not obvious to us in our time, but the movie is a critique of upper class who throw parties with follies while the German Army flexes its muscles (the movie was made shortly before the war). Politics is never mentioned, but it is the subtext. You don't have to look at the movie that way to enjoy it. You can just read it as mockery of human relationships, which is does quite well.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Tonight we're gonna party like its 1939
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2 comments:
If you like Rules of the Game, try Grand Illusion, my favorite Renior film. Hogan's Heroes, The Great Escape and other movies ripped it off, but it was the original and best. Make sure to get the Criterion Collection version...well, that's good advice period. Always get the Criterion Collection version.
As luck would have it, I have the Grand Illusion at home right now! So it's next.
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