La Règle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game) (1950)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  A classic from Renoir. The interplay between the wonderful bourgeois upper class characters just before the second world war has never been matched. It's been copied countless times but has never been bettered in my opinion!

• Arash X

  
  "The awful thing about life is this, Everyone has their reasons"

• Tim S

  
  Fantastic film. I hate the rich and this is a great fuck you to them. I love the style that the film was shot in as well, with wides as if watching a play unfold. There is also the rabbit hunt which is done extremely well. Well crafted film on a lot of levels. I was also impressed… More
  Fantastic film. I hate the rich and this is a great fuck you to them. I love the style that the film was shot in as well, with wides as if watching a play unfold. There is also the rabbit hunt which is done extremely well. Well crafted film on a lot of levels. I was also impressed with the dialogue which was funny and sharp, especially considering the time it was made.

• danny d

  
  widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, this one falls a bit flat for me. i understand the commentary renoir was attempting, but the cinematography and acting were bland and the editing was distracting. it deserves a decent score for the fact that high society types… More
  widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, this one falls a bit flat for me. i understand the commentary renoir was attempting, but the cinematography and acting were bland and the editing was distracting. it deserves a decent score for the fact that high society types might find the satire engaging and because the film is so well respected, and it certainly wasnt a bad film by any means, but this is one of the "greats" that fails to move me. the decade has certainly produced better films.

• Matthew Y

  
  Before there was Citizen Kane there was The Rules of the Game. Orson Welles' masterpiece has topped Sight & Sound magazines annual top films of all-time list for 5 straight decades. The film most commonly in the runner up spot is The Rules of the Game. A French film from a… More
  Before there was Citizen Kane there was The Rules of the Game. Orson Welles' masterpiece has topped Sight & Sound magazines annual top films of all-time list for 5 straight decades. The film most commonly in the runner up spot is The Rules of the Game. A French film from a famed director that bombed at the box-office and was critically panned on its initial release, it was hacked by producers from a 113 min run-time to 80 min's. It wasn't till 1956 when the restoration of the film was complete when audiences realized the greatness of Rules of the Game. It is one of the most engaging and authentic I have ever seen. The film is many things but perhaps most simplistically it is a French comedy about manners. There are the wealthy who are throwing a party with much talk of a recent engagement and typical infidelity gossip, meanwhile the help are observing and discussing their masters and madams lives and even having their own little scandals. It is in the final act when the film really has it's most impactful moment that cements it as a cinematic masterpiece, when a man's death is an accident and simultaneously a murder. These people who we've watched have both good and bad qualities throughout them. They are not good or bad people, they are just people and we can not approve of or condemn them just like we cannot approve of or condemn those most responsible for the man's death. A grand cinematic achievement, the best French film of all-time and the second greatest non-American film behind Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. An absolute must see for any film-buff or cinephile.

• Chris B

  
  Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game was a critical and commercial failure upon it's release in 1939 and it wasn't for another 20 years when it would be restored to the original length and earn the success and appraisal it does now. The film is a series of long shots… More
  Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game was a critical and commercial failure upon it's release in 1939 and it wasn't for another 20 years when it would be restored to the original length and earn the success and appraisal it does now. The film is a series of long shots and a focus on catching not just a certain character or place but the entirety of the situation and the players in it. The film is both a drama and a comedy at the same time and bounces between humorous and absurd to downright tragic and unsettling. There is no main protagonist or character, but rather every person has their place and role, one that each performs and captures amazingly well and not at all contrived or rehearsed in it's delivery. The hunting scene near the middle of the movie is truly one of the most memorable and powerful scenes in all of cinema, not to mention one of the hardest to endure in it's brutality as well as it's message. The Rules of the Game is certainly a masterpiece and Renoir an auteur, as this is a look at society unlike most, if not all, others. By this I mean, it is more true and sincere than most. Highly Recommended!

• Joey N

  
  sooooooo boringgggggggg

• William G

  
  Rich French classic for which my appreciation should only grow.

• Edward S

  
  "La Regle De Jeu"s portrayal of a despicable society composed of morally inept, promiscuous, hedonistic, libertine men and women so brainwashed by their own elitist spoilage is perhaps even more relevant today than it was in 1950. It seems that the film, like "La Dolce… More
  "La Regle De Jeu"s portrayal of a despicable society composed of morally inept, promiscuous, hedonistic, libertine men and women so brainwashed by their own elitist spoilage is perhaps even more relevant today than it was in 1950. It seems that the film, like "La Dolce Vita," also touches upon a common pattern, most notably vices, in human behavior that always goes unnoticed. This feat makes works like "La Regle De Jeu" not only timelessly entertaining but also essential for every generation to watch and to absorb. Sadly, time has made the silent, meticulous pace of the film to be somewhat outdated. Some of its humorous commentary on the insensitive, ignorant behavior of higher French society (which I more than joyfully found parallels in my own society,) that ranged from childish, impulsive jealousy, to meaningless barrages of decontextualized flirting, to straight up fucking murder, may also seem subtle and toned-down by today's standards. The film could be slow at points. After sucking you into the lives of its subjects and creating a perpetually innocent environment of a trivial house party, it was quite difficult to sense a noticeable escalation in the film's plot as it delicately builds itself through the gossip and bickering of the characters. In spite of these few arbitrary faults, "La Regle De Jeu" is still, holistically, a substantially enriching experience.

• Simeon D

  
  Often cited as the second greatest movie of all time next to Citizen Kane, second greatest foreign film of all time next to Seven Samurai, and second greatest European film next to Battleship Potemkin. And does it fulfill all these expectations? Yes. It's like a very serious… More
  Often cited as the second greatest movie of all time next to Citizen Kane, second greatest foreign film of all time next to Seven Samurai, and second greatest European film next to Battleship Potemkin. And does it fulfill all these expectations? Yes. It's like a very serious "The Importance of Being Earnest" in that it's a door-slamming farce without laughs that satirizes the upper class by showing how their actions (in this case various love triangles) have no consequences. Director Jean Renoir, just like his other masterpiece The Grand Illusion, doesn't show any visual talent that would rank him among the greatest directors ever (though there is a fantastically photographed rabbit/fowl hunting scene), but instead creates a perfect drama and romance that works as a cinematic play. It's this drama and romance that holds your interest and draws you in throughout the film's somewhat lengthy running time. His style is both realistic, intelligent, and overall hard hitting. Also, just like The Grand Illusion, all of the performances are exceptional, which makes it difficult to single out one performance in particular. If I were to do that though, my choice would actually be Jean Renoir himself, who plays corpulent and eccentric "Octave", who is stuck in the middle of all the drama and acts as an advisor to everyone. The Rules of the Game is the definite cinematic drama and manages, more than many other films, to remain as emotionally resonate as it was when it was made. 101/100

• Ivan D

  
  Like "Grand Illusion", Renoir's "The Rules of the Game" almost became a 'lost art', made and shown in theaters at a time of imminent war, this film never had a single sympathy from neither sides, be it it's very own France, which banned it for… More
  Like "Grand Illusion", Renoir's "The Rules of the Game" almost became a 'lost art', made and shown in theaters at a time of imminent war, this film never had a single sympathy from neither sides, be it it's very own France, which banned it for morally repulsive contents, and of course the Nazi regime, which bans everything that moves. What's so great about this film is its humorous handling of its serious subject matter(extramarital affairs), making all the complex, secretive affairs seem playful, and all the participants look nothing farther than normal. I reckon the year this film was made, 1939, and again I'm awed at how even at the time where cinema is just learning the ropes, a period where directors are nothing but just experimenting with the technical diversities of the medium, Jean Renoir has created a most articulate, substantial film, looking into the Bourgeois life through both point of views of masters and servants, but never with any bias. Renoir crafted it with how both sides talk, how they think, and to act, while all the same never intruding the structure with his personal views. As subtle as it seems, Renoir's directorial presence is clear, knows when his characters will throw words, when to increase the sounds for further impact(the gunshots during the rabbit hunt), and when to go back and forth with farcical comedy and serious drama. The term 'presence' there can even be a literal one, as his prowess as an actor is also very much on display. I've just made an analysis on the Filipino novel "The Woman who Had Two Navels" by Nick Joaquin, and I've unearthed a most unusual similarity between him and Renoir; and it's how they put both the aristocrats and the lower ones on common thinking, on same inclinations. The novel dealt with how both embraces materialistic western influence. the latter, however, is more morally prevalent, as this film shows the commonalities of how both classes, however different, anticipates, adores, and plays with the universal idea of promiscuity. For once when they look at each other, they never stare at their contrast; they're looking at a mirror.

• Tom S

  
  I'm shocked at how few people on this site have seen this movie. Makes me really sad. See it, but call me before you do because I want to watch it again.

• Dimitris S

  
  The "game" is translated as hypocrisy.May I offer my point of view just for the sake of it?I am allowed to do as I please,even so...where is my moral credibility so as my point to be justified,amongst the superficial points of our everyday lives?And who's to say that… More
  The "game" is translated as hypocrisy.May I offer my point of view just for the sake of it?I am allowed to do as I please,even so...where is my moral credibility so as my point to be justified,amongst the superficial points of our everyday lives?And who's to say that poets tell the truth?It depends on the "poets" and their class division,right?

• Doctor S

  
  The romantic tribulations of a collection of high society folk at a country estate. Since the characters are all so vacant and their attachments to each other come and go at a moment's notice, I began to weary of their company after a time. Some scenes play out like a Mac… More
  The romantic tribulations of a collection of high society folk at a country estate. Since the characters are all so vacant and their attachments to each other come and go at a moment's notice, I began to weary of their company after a time. Some scenes play out like a Mac Sennett short!

• Emily B

  
  Another classic I can cross of my list! Renoir's Le Regle du Jeu (The Rules Of The Game) is rightly considered a masterpiece. It's an excellent look at relationships, and class divide on the eve of the Second World War. I found it started a little slow but this soon… More
  Another classic I can cross of my list! Renoir's Le Regle du Jeu (The Rules Of The Game) is rightly considered a masterpiece. It's an excellent look at relationships, and class divide on the eve of the Second World War. I found it started a little slow but this soon changed. I love the complex relationships and emotions of the characters. Look out for director, Jean Renoir, playing a major role.

• Anthony V

  
  If you can't see it on a big screen, don't bother. It really loses something.

• MJS M

  
  An absolute masterpiece, brilliant satire about class in pre-war France.

• Linda K

  
  A controversial film which puts together the Jews, the French, the English during the period of war.

• Krystle C

  
  It's easy to see how it's renowned as one of the best movies of all time - Renoir's comedy of manners and class distinctions is at once complex and multi-layered, and also highly entertaining and accessible. I was surprised at how light the movie was, especially… More
  It's easy to see how it's renowned as one of the best movies of all time - Renoir's comedy of manners and class distinctions is at once complex and multi-layered, and also highly entertaining and accessible. I was surprised at how light the movie was, especially during the scenes where Schumacher chases his wife around and Genevieve throws tantrums, but the movie certainly doesn't skimp on the tough stuff either, which is perfectly displayed in the character of Octave, who straddles the upper-class and working-class line and shows the conflict and comedy which arose from the shifting face of France. Dalio also has a fine turn as the nonchalantly elegant La Chesnaye, and his facial expressions are exquisitely subtle despite the potential for parody. The only thing I'm still wondering about is the ending, which seems to punish those who follow "the rules" - was this what they were trying to say? I'm also not sure how I feel about Nora Gregor's Christine - her innocence and guilelessness grates a little on my nerves, but perhaps that was the intention? Stylistically, the movie is excellent also, with its startlingly modern use of pans and deep focus to play out the similarities and differences between the upper and lower classes. Wonderful.

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