The Rules of the Game

The Rules of the Game (original French title: La Règle du jeu, "the rule of the game") is a 1939 film directed by Jean Renoir about upper-class French society just before the start of World War II. Renoir's film is in part an adaptation of Alfred de Musset's Les Caprices de Marianne, a popular 19th-century comedy of manners; Renoir takes the film far beyond the pleasantries of a typical comedy of manners, creating instead a biting and tragic sati... more

The Rules of the Game (original French title: La Règle du jeu, "the rule of the game") is a 1939 film directed by Jean Renoir about upper-class French society just before the start of World War II. Renoir's film is in part an adaptation of Alfred de Musset's Les Caprices de Marianne, a popular 19th-century comedy of manners; Renoir takes the film far beyond the pleasantries of a typical comedy of manners, creating instead a biting and tragic satire that captured the frenetic emotions of France on the cusp of World War II. The Rules of the Game is often cited as one of the greatest films in the history of cinema. A poll of critics from the British Film Institute ranked The Rules of the Game as the third greatest film ever, placing behind Citizen Kane and Vertigo. The film begins with the aviator André Jurieux landing at Le Bourget Airfield just outside Paris, France. He is greeted by his friend, Octave, who reveals that Christine, the woman André loves, has not come to the airfield to... less