Drama · Comedy · Romance
French (La Règle du jeu)
1939 · Directed by Jean Renoir · 110 min
On the eve of the Second World War, a wealthy Parisian marquis invites friends, lovers and rivals to his country estate for a weekend of hunting and entertainment. Upstairs the guests flirt and deceive, while downstairs the servants mirror them. A comedy of manners that slowly grows uneasy.
Why it matters in cinema history
A defining film of the late 1930s French tradition and a bridge between the humane realism of Renoir's earlier work and the freer, ensemble-driven, deep-focus style that later directors admired and borrowed.
Watch with intention
Watch it as a study of social performance: how every character balances what they feel against what is proper to say.
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