Snapshot Review - The Rules of the Game (1939)
Though I'm now posting most of my short reviews here, alone, The Rules of the Game is such an important piece of filmmaking that I felt oblidged to post my review on this blog, as well:
Much as the network is the protagonist in Network (1976), the entire bourgeoisie seems to be the protagonist in Rules of the Game, Renior's biting criticism of French aristocracy, and one of the most elegant, carefully constructed movies I've seen. It may take a few views for a modern foreigner (or indeed, anyone) to navigate its seemingly chaotic structure, numerous characters, and heavily layered scenes. It's a shame that it requires so much hard work to survive the above and thusly find that this is one of the most brilliant films ever made. A film I respect a hundred times more than I enjoy.
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BTW, I say 'modern foreigner' above because, first, life, society, and culture were much different in 1939 than they were now, and second, the film is a French one that concerns French characters and life. So, as a modern foreigner (of France, anyway), I found it very difficult to follow all of the cultural, societal, and occasionally historical subtleties of the film. The DVD commentary helped a little.
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