The Rules of the Game
Making lists is an activity moviegoers are fond of. Every year, the same ritual: compilation of the ten best films, with comparative analyses, debates, heated discussions. But what about the ultimate list of the most outstanding films in the history of cinema? That is to say, those films that must be seen, those that have forever transformed the art of cinema, but also our way of seeing a culture, of understanding the world as well as our own lives? This program aims to tackle this challenge with nearly eighty films, produced between 1916 and 1960, while waiting for your lists!
People from the high society gathered for a hunting party suddenly reveal the underside of their honest appearances. A civilization is staggering and dying: the old world is on the verge of collapse and we can dream about the future of these puppets released into the darkness of the Occupation. (Raymond Chirat, 1988)
Jean Renoir
Second son of the famous painter Auguste Renoir, his films had a profound impact on the mutations of French cinema between 1930 and 1950, paving the way for the French New Wave. After serving in the army during World War I, he directed his wife and older brother in his first film in 1924, The Whirlpool of Fate (La fille de l'eau). The film wasn't a success, but the young Jean, passionate about cinema, did not give up. His career really took off with La chienne in 1931. La grande illusion, starring Jean Gabin, and The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu) are now considered major masterpieces of world cinema. In the early 40s, as war was declared, he moved to Hollywood, where he made several films such as This Land Is Mine, The Southerner, and The Diary of a Chambermaid. He returned to France in the early 1950s, directing several masterpieces like The Golden Coach (Le carrosse d'or) and French Cancan. In 1962, he made his last film, The Elusive Corporal (Le caporal épinglé). In 1975, he received an Honorary Academy Award for his career achievements, before passing away four years later in Beverly Hills, California. He was one of the first filmmakers to be known as an auteur.
