Cinema
The Rules of the Game
La Règle du jeu
Jean Renoir · 1939
Synopsis
An aviator pursues a married woman, a marquis's wife, with his love. The marquis gathers his friends for a few days at his country château. Under the same roof, masters and servants carry on in parallel their love intrigues and their little lies, while Octave, a friend of the house played by Renoir himself, moves from one to another. A great hunting party fills the day, before the evening that brings everyone together.
Context
The premiere took place on 7 July 1939 at the Colisée in Paris, amid an uproar. Renoir shortened the film several times, then the censors banned it. In 1942, the negative was destroyed in a bombing raid at Boulogne-sur-Seine. Jean Gaborit and a partner later found cans of trimmings and, with Renoir's agreement, reconstructed a version of one hundred and six minutes, shown at Venice in 1959, which made the film's reputation.
Who it is for
An hour and forty-six minutes in the reconstructed version; many characters and several plots run in parallel.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, it has recently been restored in 4K.
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