Grand Illusion
“A Great Drama of Human Emotions”
A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.
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Cast
23 people
Jean Gabin
Lieutenant Maréchal
Known for
The Sicilian Clan
Port of Shadows
Dita Parlo
Elsa
Known for
L'Atalante
Pierre Fresnay
Captain de Boëldieu
Known for
Le Corbeau
The Murderer Lives at Number 21
Erich von Stroheim
Captain von Rauffenstein
Known for
Sunset Boulevard
Foolish Wives
Julien Carette
Cartier, the Vaudeville Performer
Known for
The Rules of the Game
La Bête Humaine
Georges Péclet
Officer
Known for
Pépé le Moko
Werner Florian
Sergeant Arthur
Also in
La Marseillaise
Jean Dasté
Teacher
Known for
Zero for Conduct
L'Atalante
Sylvain Itkine
Lieutenant Demolder
Known for
The Tale of the Fox
The Crime of Monsieur Lange
Gaston Modot
Engineer
Known for
L'Âge d'or
The Rules of the Game
Marcel Dalio
Lieutenant Rosenthal
Known for
The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob
The Rules of the Game
Jacques Becker
British Officer (uncredited)
Also in
The Adventures of Arsène Lupin
Le Bled
Jean Renoir Director · Charles Spaak Writer Joseph Kosma Composer
Worldwide gross $173K · United States release September 12, 1938 · Produced in France
Box office
Worldwide gross
$172,885
Production
Réalisation d'Art Cinématographique
Production
France
Produced in
Languages
Original title
La Grande Illusion
Original language
French
Spoken on screen
English · French · German · Russian
Release dates
France · June 8, 1937
Premiere · Paris
United States · September 12, 1938
Theatrical
France · September 7, 1944
Theatrical · Re-release
United States
August 18, 1939 · TV · New York City, New York
August 27, 1999 · Theatrical · Re-release
Argentina
April 14, 1938 · Theatrical
Belgium
June 18, 1937 · Theatrical · Brussels
Brazil
August 24, 2001 · Theatrical · Re-release
July 19, 2026 · Limited theatrical · CineSesc ("Sessão Especial: Clássicos do Cinema de Rua")
Croatia
January 12, 1938 · Theatrical
Denmark
November 22, 1937 · Theatrical
September 8, 1959 · Theatrical · Re-release
July 2, 1964 · Theatrical · Re-release
Finland
October 31, 1937 · Theatrical
May 1, 1959 · Theatrical · Re-release
July 27, 1979 · Theatrical · Re-release
France
June 21, 1972 · Theatrical · Re-release
February 15, 2012 · Theatrical · Restored Version
October 11, 2020 · Premiere · Lumière Film Festival
November 5, 2026 · TV · Ciné+ Classic
Germany
September 10, 1948 · Theatrical
December 29, 1970 · TV · East Germany
Italy
August 18, 1937 · Premiere · Venice Film Festival
December 10, 1947 · Theatrical
March 3, 2014 · Theatrical · Re-release
December 20, 2022 · TV · Byoblu
Japan
May 21, 1949 · Theatrical
Netherlands
October 8, 1937 · Theatrical · Amsterdam
July 18, 1947 · Theatrical · Re-release
Portugal
November 1, 1937 · Theatrical
August 22, 1974 · Theatrical · Re-release
April 10, 1983 · Limited theatrical · Cineclube do Porto
May 8, 1983 · Limited theatrical · Porto, Cineclube do Norte
Slovenia
January 15, 1938 · Theatrical
Sweden
October 4, 1937 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
January 1, 1938 · Theatrical
July 24, 1998 · Theatrical · Re-release
April 6, 2012 · Theatrical · Re-release
November 7, 2014 · Premiere · Leeds International Film Festival
Uruguay
June 22, 1938 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.