Grand Illusion

Synopsis

A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

Trailer

Open trailer on YouTube

Streaming availability

free

Kanopy

flatrate

Darkroom

Streaming data provided by JustWatch.

Cast

Jean Gabin

Lieutenant Maréchal

Dita Parlo

Elsa

Pierre Fresnay

Captain de Boëldieu

Erich von Stroheim

Captain von Rauffenstein

Julien Carette

Cartier, the Vaudeville Performer

Georges Péclet

Officer

—

Werner Florian

Sergeant Arthur

Jean Dasté

Teacher

—

Sylvain Itkine

Lieutenant Demolder

Gaston Modot

Engineer

Marcel Dalio

Lieutenant Rosenthal

Jacques Becker

British Officer (uncredited)

Habib Benglia

Senegalese (uncredited)

—

Pierre Blondy

Soldier (uncredited)

—

Albert Brouett

Prisoner (uncredited)

Géo Forster

Maison-Neuve (uncredited)

Georges Fronval

German Soldier Who Kills Captain de Boëldieu (uncredited)

—

Karl Heil

Officer of the Fortress (uncredited)

—

Carl Koch

Von Rauffenstein's Orderly (uncredited)

—

Little Peters

Elsa's Daughter (uncredited)

Crew

Art

• Eugène Lourié Set Decoration
• Eugène Lourié Production Design
• Alexandre Laurié Props
• Raymond Pillon Props

Camera

• Christian Matras Director of Photography
• Jean Bourgoin First Assistant Camera
• Ernest Bourreaud Camera Operator
• Claude Renoir Camera Operator
• Sam Levin Still Photographer

Costume & Make-Up

• René Decrais Costume Design
• Raffels Makeup Artist
• Suzy Berton Wardrobe Supervisor

Crew

• Carl Koch Technical Supervisor

Directing

• Jean Renoir Director
• Jacques Becker First Assistant Director
• Robert Rips Second Assistant Director
• Françoise Giroud Script Supervisor

Editing

• Marthe Huguet Editor
• Marguerite Renoir Editor

Production

• Albert Pinkovitch Producer
• Frank Rollmer Producer
• Raymond Blondy Production Manager
• Maurice Barnathan Location Manager
• Pierre Blondy General Manager

Sound

• Joseph de Bretagne Sound Designer
• Joseph Kosma Original Music Composer
• Emile Vuillermoz Conductor

Writing

• Charles Spaak Writer
• Jean Renoir Writer

Photos