The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu) Photos

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Cast

Marcel Dalio
as Robert de la Chesnaye

Nora Gregor
as Christine de La Chesnaye

Roland Toutain
as André Jurieu

Mila Parely
as Genevieve de Marrast

Roland Tourain
as Andre Jurieu

Jean Renoir
as Octave

Paulette Dubost
as Lisette

Gaston Modot
as Schumacher

Julien Carette
as Marceau

Odette Talazac
as Charlotte de la Plante

Pierre Magnier
as The General

Pierre Nay
as M. de Saint-Aubin

Richard Francoeur
as M. La Bruyere

Claire Gerard
as Mme. La Bruyere

Anne Mayen
as Jackie

Roger Forster
as Effeminate Guest

Nicolas Amato
as The South American

Tony Corteggiani
as Berthelin

Eddy Debray
as Corneille

Leon Larive
as The Cook

Jenny Hélia
as The Servant

Celestin
as Kitchen Servant

Lise Elina
as The Radio Reporter

Henri Cartier-Bresson
as The English Domestic

André Zwoboda
as The Engineer from Caudron's

Antoine Corteggiani
as Berthelin, the Huntsman

Camille François
as Radio Announcer, The Announcer

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News & Interviews for The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu)

Critic Reviews for The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu)

Audience Reviews for The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu)

• Sep 24, 2018

  A mostly average film, with average acting and plot (3 stars), plus half a star for its social satire (3.5 stars), minus half a star for its extended bunny/pheasant massacre (3 stars, and good lord, I don't care if this is commentary on man's cruelty, it's awful). At its best, director Jean Renoir gives us brilliant criticism of just how vapid and morally bereft the bourgeoisie of his day were, putting the mirror up so close to French society that audiences were outraged and booing in the cinema. While his characters are jovial enough in various social gatherings, they have no scruples, sincerity, or intellectual depth, and spouses cheat on one another not so much out of real passion or love for someone else, but out of ennui. "Sincere people are such bores," one says, reflecting a lack of values. They calmly slaughter bunnies that have been driven towards them, considering it a "hunt", one laughs as he relates the story of a man who died in a self-inflicted gun accident, and later there is a remarkable lack of real concern or empathy when someone else is hurt (being vague on purpose). They goof around sophomorically in front of servants, who clearly don't respect them, but the servants themselves also have their own infidelities. In 'The Rules of the Game', there are very few real rules, just the entitlement to make up the rules that comes with wealth. The characters are maddeningly unlikeable, and of course, that's the point. Renoir does some interesting work with the camera in the film, putting it in motion almost as if it's a character or we're voyeurs into these scenes as the audience, but I think more is made of this than it should be. Similarly, I don't put much in the fact that the film was made in 1939 and released less than a year before Germany invaded France; to me that seems more coincidence than Renoir's statement that it is a "war film and yet there is no reference to the war." As the action picks up in the second half, with guests scurrying around the chateau either to arrange for or break up trysts, it feels very much like a Hollywood screwball comedy from the period, with farcical elements and attempts at humor which aren't all that funny (e.g. the bear suit). There's enough here to make the film watchable, but it's hard to understand how it ended up so highly regarded.
  Antonius B Super Reviewer
• May 02, 2013

  I hope I managed to see the restored director's cut but even if it was not, I still appreciated the camera work in this film. The humour only serves to punctuate the tragedy.
  

  John B Super Reviewer
• Oct 20, 2012

  Concealing a lot of complexity in its apparently simple plot, this fabulous tragicomedy (which almost got lost in History) is a witty and clever commentary on the rules of bourgeoisie and social relations - a classic of French Cinema to be seen and re-seen many times.
  Carlos M Super Reviewer
• Jul 14, 2012

  The Rules of the Game goes down as an instant classic, much like the effect Citizen Kane or The Godfather had on me. Although the first bit of the movie is quite confusing, once you learn the faces and names of the characters, The Rules of the Game is a masterpiece. The characters are magnificently built and overall, this is one of the most well made films I have ever seen. Favorite Scene: The hunting scene
  Anthony L Super Reviewer

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