The Rules of the Game/ La Règle du jeu (1939)

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A confused film (as confessed by the Director, Jean Renoir); it is a comedy with a soap-opera narrative and a tragic ending. It is almost Shakespearian with its complex plot, multitude of characters and the odd combination of genres. Sadly it does not match up to the power that Shakespeare’s plays possess and instead it loses its audience through a badly coordinated balance of emotional queues.

The story revolves around many characters, most of whom are in love with one particular woman. This woman is not developed enough and leaves the audience questioning the reasons for the constant stream of infatuated admirers. None of the characters are actually developed enough, except possibly Renoir’s own character, and therefore one cannot choose someone to support in their endeavours in pursuing love. Instead the audience stares coldly at the farcical sequences the characters move through.

This film does have some production merits as Renoir is a creative director who is not afraid to use camera angles and shots in innovative ways. However this can only make this film durable for one who:

A.      Understands the complexities of shooting his films

B.      Notices the differences between his mise-en-scene and others

C.      Has an awareness of the historical and cultural elements that are in play during the filming.

Therefore this film is for a critic to view and appreciate, not the regular audience. Despite studying film I do not pretend (or wish) to be a connoisseur of film, rather instead a normal viewer with an expanded film repertoire. The Rules of the Game, therefore, has little appeal to me as it does not appease an audience and needs a certain level of expertise to fully appreciate.