The Rules of the Game

In introducing The Rules of the Game, Jean Renoir talks about the controversy that it caused at its first screening in Paris in 1939. Apparently one viewer was so upset that he wanted to set fire to the cinema and had already lit a newspaper to do so. This level of reaction is hard to imagine now, but nonetheless, the movie pulls no punches in its satirical examination of the mores of the bourgeoisie. It examines the interplay between the upstairs and downstairs worlds of the upper class country house, much as Robert Altman would do in one of my all-time favourite movies, Gossford Park, many years later. The Rules of the Game is a work of genius and often ranks just behind Citizen Kane as one of the greatest films. It is filled with great scenes, such as where the clownish Octave (played by Renoir himself) runs around looking for someone to help him take off a bear suit, and where Robert proudly displays his latest acquisition - a clanging, animated, clockwork organ. This was my second viewing and it’s a film that will clearly become more enjoyable every time you see it.