Exploring Duty and Social Class in World War I
Nov 06, 2017
By Peter Jakab
La Grande Illusion (1937) is widely regarded as a masterpiece of French cinema and is often cited as one of the greatest films ever made.
The story explores class relationships among a small group of French soldiers who are prisoners of war during World War I (WWI) and are plotting to escape. The lead characters are two French aviators who were shot down by a German pilot and aristocrat. After they are captured, the French pilots meet their German foe and discover they have mutual acquaintances, revealing a familiarity within the upper classes that crossed national boundaries. The film depicts the decline of the European world of privilege caused by the war and the complex and divergent reactions to the passing of the old order.
The story follows the prisoners as they are moved from camp to camp and plot various escape attempts. Two of the characters ultimately flee and begin an uncertain journey as escapees hoping to find their way to Switzerland. This journey serves as the backdrop to exploring the role of duty and the relationships between different social classes thrown together in a world disrupted by war. Ironically, this is a war film without any depiction of battle. The inhumanity of war is shown through the intimate thoughts and reflections of the characters rather than overt battle scenes.
Director Jean Renoir seeks to refute the idea that war accomplishes anything. His intent is to portray war as a futile exercise. For Renoir, the idea that any war will change the world and end conflict forever, is false. Indeed, that is the “grand illusion” to which the title refers.
La Grande Illusion is a complex and compelling piece of filmmaking. To see it is to understand the power of cinema to help us explore ourselves as individuals and reflect on the larger world in which we live.
This blog was originally written in 2017 by Peter Jakab to promote "Hollywood Goes to War: World War I on the Big Screen," a film series at the Museum. It was updated in 2025. You can read the original via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.
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