Very much more of a character-driven look at the experiences of French prisoners during the first world war. The inmates represent - much as did their army - soldiers from all aspects of life. The aristocratic Pierre Fresnay as "Boeldieu", Jean Gabin "Maréchal" and Marcel Dalio "Rosenthal" as the more down to earth captives - but all proud Frenchmen with their own determination to escape their imprisonment. The film features many of their valiant escape attempts; along with providing us with quite an interesting illustration of the toughness of their existence and the diversions they sought from the terminal ennui. "Boeldieu" forms an unlikely, respectful relationship with the Commandant - Erich von Stroheim; a fellow aristocrat who feels himself a failure for ending up as a glorified jailor rather than fighting gallantly on the battlefield. On a basic level, it is really quite routine; and the ending almost incidental: what makes this distinctive is the way the story interweaves the decline of a centuries old class system; the chivalric honour between opponents being a thing of the past. This is very much about "Egalité" and "Fraternité" in order to secure "Liberté" and is told in as sympathetic a fashion as it is possible given the gritty peril of their circumstances. Gabin and von Stroheim are particularly effective as is Joseph Kosma's score and the tightly focussed direction on just a few central characters really does give this a sense of purpose.

Big one for me: this is one of the perennial classic “canon” movies that I have shamefully never seen until now. Renoir can be a tough watch for me: there’s a sense of distance, even as he works to communicate timeless themes, because so much of his work is grounded in the politics of the day. Of course I have some understanding of the demise of Old Europe and the aristocracy, of the rise of fascism in the late ’30s, and even the enhanced perspective of knowing what is to come–but I still find myself struggling a little to grapple with the film because it is fundamentally of a different time and place. It feels unfair to call it dated, but it does feel like it requires a short course in world history, even as it attempts to embody a larger, overtly humanistic point of view. This movie is about class, though, and that can be hard to grok even if you’re vaguely aware of the historical context.

All that said, of course the movie is wonderful. In particular I enjoyed watching the relationship between the aristocratic characters: the tragic Boeldieu and Rauffenstein, both of whom embody a sense of “old world dying” that I felt was affecting. And while the film’s sympathies obviously lie with the French and with the underclass (Gabin’s Marchal cut a particularly noble presence throughout), von Stroheim’s Rauffenstein was the most arresting character I think I’ve seen in a while. Pulled between duty to country and duty to class, his characterization was the one I found most compelling. There is a humanity there that transcends all time: this will continue to be a great film, even hundreds of years from now.