The Rules of the Game

(aka "The Rules of the Game")

France 1939

Widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, Jean Renoir’s masterpiece The Rules of the Game is a scathing critique of corrupt French society cloaked in a comedy of manners. At a weekend hunting party, amorous escapades abound among the aristocratic guests and are mirrored by the activities of the servants downstairs. The refusal of one of the guests to play by society’s rules sets off a chain of events that ends in tragedy. Poorly received upon its release in 1939, the film was severely re-edited, and the original negative was destroyed during World War II. Only in 1959 was the film fully reconstructed and embraced by audiences and critics who now see the film as a timeless representation of a vanishing way of life. out of

Poster

Theatrical Release: July 8th, 1939

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews Online Renoir Resources

Recommended Reading in French Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)


My Life and My Films (Da Capo Paperback) by Jean Renoir	French Cinema: A Student's Guide by Philip Powrie, Keith Reader	Agnes Varda by Alison Smith	Godard on Godard : Critical Writings by Jean-Luc Godard	Jean Renoir (French Film Directors) by Martin O'Shaughnessy	Robert Bresson (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No. 2) by James Quandt	The Art of Cinema by Jean Cocteau	French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present by Remi Fournier Lanzoni

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DVD Comparison:

Korean - Region 0 - NTSC vs. BFI - Region 0 - PAL vs. Edition Montparnasse Region 0 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to the Markus of Chiaroscuro and Pavel Borodin for the screen captures.

(Korean - Region 0 - NTSC vs. BFI - Region 0 - PAL vs. Montparnasse - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers			(Out of Print)
(click titles for DVDBeaver reviews) Criterion (without any extras) also available in The Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films - a 50-disc celebration of international films collected under the auspices of the groundbreaking theatrical distributor. It contains Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ashes And Diamonds (1958), L'avventura (1960), Ballad Of A Soldier (1959), Beauty And The Beast (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), Brief Encounter (1945), The Fallen Idol (1948), Fires On The Plain (1959), Fists In The Pocket (1965), Floating Weeds (1959), Forbidden Games (1952), The 400 Blows (1959), Grand Illusion (1937), Häxan (1922), Ikiru (1952), The Importance Of Being Earnest (1952), Ivan The Terrible, Part II (1958), Le Jour Se Lève (1939), Jules And Jim (1962), Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949), Knife In The Water (1962), The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943), Loves Of A Blonde (1965), M (1931), M. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Miss Julie (1951), Pandora's Box (1929), Pépé Le Moko (1937), Il Posto (1961), Pygmalion (1938), Rashomon (1950), Richard III (1955), The Rules Of The Game (1939), Seven Samurai (1954), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973), La Strada (1954), Summertime (1955), The Third Man (1949), The 39 Steps (1935), Ugetsu (1953), Umberto D. (1952), The Virgin Spring (1960), Viridiana (1961), The Wages Of Fear (1953), The White Sheik (1952), Wild Strawberries (1957), Three Documentaries By Saul J. Turell plus the hardcover, full color 240-page book.
Distribution	Unknown (Korean) Region 0 - NTSC	BFI Video Region 0 - PAL	Montparnasse / Buena Vista / Collection Diamant Region 0 - PAL	Criterion Collection Spine # 216 Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:46:20	1:41:39 (+ 4% PAL Speedup)	1:41:42 (+ 4% PAL Speedup)	1:46:20
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.27 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.29 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.84 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.27 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	English, Korean and none	English (ingrained)	English, Spanish, German and none	English, and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Unknown (Korean) Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Introduction to the film by Jean Renoir • Commentary (same as Criterions) DVD Release Date: Unknown Keep case Chapters: 8	Release Information: Studio: BFI Video Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Image par image • Directors Biography DVD Release Date: June 2nd, 2003 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 10	Release Information: Studio: Editions Montparnasse / Buena Vista / Collection Diamant Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Documentary: La règle du jeu de Jean Renoir: Une analyse du film par l’image, by Pierre-Oscar Levy with texts by Jean Douchet, from the 1987 TV series Image par Image (42:36 min) • Film Posters • DVD-ROM: Biographies & filmographies • Complete Crew & Cast • Internet Links DVD Release Date: April 26th, 1999 Keep Case Chapters 18	Release Information: Studio: Criterion / Home Vision Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Introduction to the film by Jean Renoir • Audio commentary written by film scholar Alexander Sesonske and read by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich • Selected scene audio commentary by Renoir historian Christopher Faulkner • Jean Renoir le Patron: La Regle et l'Exception (1966), a French television program about The Rules of the Game featuring interviews with Renoir and actor Marcel Dalio directed by Jacques Rivette (31:13) • A new video essay about the film's production, release, and later reconstruction • Jean Gaborit and Jacques Durand discuss their reconstruction and re-release of the film (1965) • New interview with Renoir's son, Alain, an assistant cameraman on the film • New interview with set designer Max Douy • Written tributes to the film and Renoir by Francois Truffaut, Paul Schrader, Bertrand Tavernier, Wim Wenders, and others. • Number of discs: 2 DVD Release Date: January 20th, 2004 Slip Case inside transparent plastic sleeve Chapters: 29

Comments:

ADDITION: Korean and BFI editions (Nov -04) - All 4 DVDs are the longer un-cut version of the film restored by film historians Jean Gaborit and Jacques Durand. The Montparnasse and BFI have PAL speedup.

We can't find the Korean edition online anymore, and e strongly suspect it as a boot leg of the Criterion. The image is identical. The BFI looks like the hazier Montparnasse but with ingrained English subtitles. The Criterion extras are overwhelming. We again, strongly recommend the Criterion.

NOTE: the Montparnasse is Out of Print.

******

The Criterion is sharper - less grain and dirt - and shows the Montparnasse version to be slightly cropped on the left and right edges. The Criterion is a bit brighter than the PAL release. The Montparnasse has some good Extras but how could they compete with the Criterions staggering supplements. I cannot compare the audio - but guesses would lean towards Criterion. the Criterion contrast level is softer, but the subtle palette of grays still show with clarity. Go for the Criterion...

- Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

(Korean -Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. BFI - Region 0 - PAL RIGHT)

(Montparnasse - Region 2,3,4,5,6 - PAL - LEFT vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Screen Captures