Grand Illusion (1937)
A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.
- Released
- 1937-06-18
- Genres
- Drama, History, War
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Status
- Released
- Directed / written by
- Jean Renoir
- TMDB rating
- 7.9/10 from 808 votes
Cast
- Jean Gabin as Lieutenant Maréchal
- Dita Parlo as Elsa
- Pierre Fresnay as Captain de Boëldieu
- Erich von Stroheim as Captain von Rauffenstein
- Julien Carette as Cartier, the Vaudeville Performer
- Georges Péclet as Officer
- Werner Florian as Sergeant Arthur
- Jean Dasté as Teacher
- Sylvain Itkine as Lieutenant Demolder
- Gaston Modot as Engineer
- Marcel Dalio as Lieutenant Rosenthal
- Jacques Becker as British Officer (uncredited)