The Rules of the Game

film by Renoir [1939]

Also known as: “La Règle du jeu”

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July 13, 2026

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The Rules of the Game (1939) is a French film directed by Jean Renoir. Set in contemporary France, it depicts a society on the brink of collapse, where elegant appearances mask a lack of genuine feeling and substance. The film explores the breakdown of civilization through the interactions of its characters, highlighting that "everyone has his reasons" for their actions. Renoir utilized his technical mastery, including deep-focus composition and directional sound, to convey this theme. The film is considered a masterpiece and a significant work of pre-World War II cinema, reflecting a sense of despair and the seeming inevitability of conflict.12

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Jean Renoir
Early years
…La Règle du jeu (1939; The Rules of the Game), his masterpiece. Cut and fragmented by the distributors, this classic film was also regarded as a failure until it was shown in 1965 in its original form, which revealed its astonishing beauty.
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…La Règle du jeu (1939; The Rules of the Game), his masterpiece. Cut and fragmented by the distributors, this classic film was also regarded as a failure until it was shown in 1965 in its original form, which revealed its astonishing beauty.
Read More

History of film
France
…La Règle du jeu (The Rules of the Game, 1939), set in contemporary France, the breakdown of civilization has already occurred. European society is shown to be an elegant but brittle fabrication in which feeling and substance have been replaced by “manners,” a world in which “the terrible thing,”…
Read More
…La Règle du jeu (The Rules of the Game, 1939), set in contemporary France, the breakdown of civilization has already occurred. European society is shown to be an elegant but brittle fabrication in which feeling and substance have been replaced by “manners,” a world in which “the terrible thing,”…
Read More