Honesty should not be the epitaph of the honest

Aric 2022-01-26 08:43:44

As one of the greatest directors in film history, Jean Renoir's "Rules of the Game" is also regarded as a classic.

This film with no ideological core is full of ambiguity and pomp. The men and women of the upper class abide by the hidden social rules in the seemingly chaotic disorder. Jean Renoir has no intention of satirizing such Vanity Fair. Lies and deceit, pomp and commotion have been the so-called rules of the game since the beginning, but the gorgeous scenes and intricate relationships between characters displayed in the camera make all those who are in it or out of the way. Everyone is tacit.

The mean is the pass of the mean, and the noble is the epitaph of the noble. What about honesty? In "Rules of the Game", honesty has also become the epitaph of honest people. From comedy to farce, it eventually evolved into tragedy.


The film revolves around the upper-class couple Christina and Robert, who live a decent life lovingly on the surface, but show mercy everywhere. Giulio is a pilot, a national hero, who flew across the Atlantic alone, and was personally met by the Prime Minister after returning home, but he did not perform well in the interview because he did not see his beloved Christina. Octave was the introducer of the two, but unfortunately Julio got deeper and deeper in his relationship, so he discussed with Christina to invite Julio to the party at the immediate manor, and introduced him to others.

The party at the country manor brought everyone together, including Robert's lover, Geneviève, of course. During a hunt, Christina saw the two of them rendezvous with binoculars. That night, Genevieve was about to pack up and go back to Paris, but Christina persuaded her to stay on the grounds that "women should take care of each other". Christina and the male guests around her left the table to be alone. During the period, the groom made a big scene at the party in order to teach a lesson to the shoemaker who seduced his wife, and bumped into Christina and others. She saw that Julio turned to confession and asked him to elope with him, and he came with Octave in the chaos. In the outdoor conservatory, they embraced and kissed wherever they spoke. When Octave, who was determined to take Christina away, went back to his room to get the coat, he was dissuaded by the servant and decided to let Julio go to meet the waiting Christina instead of him. Excited, Julio ran to the flower room, and was finally shot down by the groom who mistook him for a flower thief who seduced his wife.


If you move your heart, you have to pay the price, and Julio is the innocent victim.

On the eve of World War II, there was a scene in the world where the mountains and the rain were about to come.

Jean Renoir used his superb skills to take this picture of all beings calmly and in a gorgeous and atmospheric way. The scheduling of the party scene makes future generations marvel at his ability to command and use the camera skillfully. In the depth of field shot, everyone who enters the picture is given a new sense of vitality and story. The complex relationship between the characters can always face each other in a certain scene. It can turn to another accident like a stream of water, and the final gunshot does not mean the end of the party. Julio broke into this world unexpectedly, and was sacrificed unexpectedly. For others, rather than regret or sadness, it is a kind of relief that has nothing to do with oneself, a kind of indifference accustomed to the rules of the game. The party will continue.

The sets in the film are exquisite and high-end, presenting the arrogance of bourgeois high society with a visual beauty. There are also many close-ups of oil painting-like scenes and objects. In the hunting ground, the director deliberately added a lot of shots of small animals, especially a close-up of a small rabbit that was hit, which also foreshadowed Julio's ending from another side.

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Extended Reading
  • Rodrigo 2022-03-19 09:01:09

    They talk, but never really communicate, or they simply don't want to reveal their hearts. The principle of moderation has not created the expected harmony, despair is accompanied by loss, and various signs of the whole society convey a panic of "the storm is about to come and the wind is full of buildings".

  • Ona 2022-03-28 09:01:12

    Renoir himself 35mm @Whitney Humanities Center, Yale

The Rules of the Game quotes

  • Robert de la Cheyniest: [to Schumacher] I have no choice but to dismiss you. It breaks my heart, but I can't expose my guests to your firearms. It may be wrong of them, but they value their lives.

  • Robert de la Cheyniest: Corneille! Put an end to this farce!

    Corneille, le majordome: Which one, your lordship?