"The awful thing about life is this: everybody has their reasons."
And so seems to be the central point of Jean Renoir's classic film, Le Regle Du Jeu. A critique of the bourgeoisie in pre-WWII France, this film spares no expense at ridiculing upper-class french society. As World War II looms on the horizon, and the threat of Hitler is very real, Christine le Chesnaye is concerned only with the men in her life, and which affairs mean the most to her. Yet Christine is not the only one; her husband Robert and her maid Lisette also carry on extra-marital affairs which seem to lead to nothing but trouble. But each character, for their own reasons, prefers to think only of themselves.
The film begins as what seems to be a comedy of manners. Andre loves Christine, who might love Andre, Octave, or Robert, who loves Christine or Genevieve. And then there's Lisette, who seems to carry on with anyone but her husband. What is most interesting about these affairs is the difference in reaction between those of the upper-class and those of the working class. Christine and Andre, though each saddened by the affairs the other carries on, treat them lightly, and without much seriousness. There seem to be an unspoken set of rules that cannot be broken, rules that allow affairs which are conducted correctly. However, in Lisette's case, her husband Schumacher gets very angry about her affairs, and is not afraid to express his disapproval. In the party near the end of the movie, a stark contrast is shown between Schumacher's reaction and Robert/Andre's reaction. While Schumacher chases Marceau, Lisette's lover, around the house with a gun to defend his wife's honor, Andre and Robert simply argue about who loves Christine more. Though they exchange a few blows, this seems more brought on by their drunkenness than a true desire to defend Christine. What's more, at the end Christine cannot chose between Octave, Andre, and Robert, and decides to settle for the one who is the most daring. It has nothing to with love; Christine simply wants adventure, and is only interested in these men as long as they can give that to her. Lisette, though a member of the working class, seems to align her relationship morals with those of Christine. Lisette seems to represent the portion of french society that looks up to the upper-class whereas Schumacher represents the portion that is grounded more in reality.
Besides the story itself, La Regle Du Jeu also makes interesting use of camerawork. In particular, the hunting scene makes use of peculiar editing, specifically fast cuts. In the scene, several animals are shown being shot as they flee from the hunters. The filming of this scene take a good five minutes of the movie, switching from rabbit to bird to rabbit in rapid succession. The point of the scene seems to be to imply the excessiveness of the bourgeois and their tendency for waste without care. Another interesting scene is the one in which Schumacher chases Marceau around the hunting lodge with a gun. There are long periods in which the camera follows the two without cutting to a different shot. This creates a sort of verisimilitude of space because it allows us to see several rooms of the mansion.
Though a very engaging film, it is certainly not without faults. The biggest fault seems to be a discrepancy between the tones at the beginning and the end of the film. The majority of the film is fairly light-hearted and comedic in nature. Though there are undertones of dramatic elements, it is outwardly portrayed as humorous. However, things take a very serious, very dramatic turn when Schumacher, in a fit of jealousy, shoots Andre. It happens very quickly, but the change in tone goes from light to dark at the drop of a hat. And before the audience has time to perceive this change and adjust, the movie is over. To be fair, there is a very important statement in the shooting of Andre and the cover-up of the truth. One of the "rules of the game" is that saving face is more important than anything else. Christine and Robert, as members of high society, would rather claim that Andre was mistaken for a poacher than reveal that Christine was going to elope with a lover. However, while this point is in conjunction with the theme of the rest of the movie- the ridiculous rules of upper-class society- the change in tone is too quick and results in it being very awkward.
All in all, La Regle Du Jeu is certainly a film worth watching. And truly, Octave said it best. The awful thing about life is that everybody has their reasons.
