The Rules of the Game story
The Rules of the Game (original French title: La Règle du Jeu) is a 1939 French comedy-drama satirical film directed by Jean Renoir. It features an ensemble cast of Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély, Marcel Dalio, Julien Carette, Roland Toutain, Gaston Modot, Pierre Magnier and Jean Renoir himself. Renoir's portrayal of the wise, mournful Octave anchors the fatalistic mood of this pensive comedy of manners. The film depicts members of upper-class French society and their servants just before the beginning of World War II, showing their moral callousness on the eve of impending destruction.
12 total · 4 choice · 4 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| jealousy | choice | various men over Christine; Schumacher over Lisette's cheating |
| life in late modern France | choice | we saw a parody on upper class French snobbery and immorality, vis à vis each others as well as servants, in inter-war France |
| love triangle | choice | André, Christine, Robert and maybe Octave; Schumacher, Lisette, Marceau |
| obsessive love | choice | especially André for Christine |
| choosing between lovers | major | Christine flitted between one and the other |
| extramarital affair | major | the various liaisons between married people appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary for 1930s French aristocrats |
| femme fatale | major | Christine appeared to match this stereotype, though she mostly feigned innocence |
| rich character vs. poor character | major | French aristocrats were contrasted with their various attendants |
| coping with living in a foreign culture | minor | men expressed sympathy for Christine as she was Australian living in France and (we heard) didn't speak the language |
| murder | minor | The story ended with a cold blooded murder which was conveniently swept under the rug in order to avoid a scandal. |