Why a cinematic masterpiece was once considered a total failure by French critics
In short: Jean Renoir's 1939 film The Rules of the Game is now hailed as a pinnacle of cinema, yet it was initially a financial and critical disaster. Banned by the government during the war, the film's original, intended beauty remained hidden for decades until its 1965 restoration revealed its true genius.
Directed by Jean Renoir, the son of the Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the film was released in 1939. It was a period of high anticipation for the director, whose career was at its peak. However, the initial reception was harsh, with critics and audiences reacting with scorn. The French government eventually banned the work in October 1939, claiming it exerted an undesirable influence on the youth. Consequently, the film was cut and fragmented by distributors, leaving only an 85-minute version available for many years.
The film's reputation underwent a dramatic transformation in 1965, when the original version was finally reconstructed and shown. This version revealed the sophisticated cinematic techniques Renoir employed, including extensive use of deep-focus and long shots with a constantly moving camera. These methods, alongside the film's satirical portrayal of upper-class French society and their servants on the eve of World War II, demonstrated a level of artistry that had been previously obscured by the truncated edits.
Renoir’s artistic development was deeply rooted in his upbringing in Montmartre, surrounded by painters and models. His early work was often characterized by technical clumsiness and amateurishness, but he eventually mastered a mature style that combined the talents of a painter and a dramatist. By the time he directed his masterpiece, he had moved past the stilted manner of early sound films, embracing improvisation and complex montage. The eventual recognition of the film as a classic underscores the importance of preserving a director's original vision against the pressures of commercial distribution.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Rules of the Game | film by Renoir [1939] | Britannica
- Also: The Rules of the Game
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