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Licensor Information
Les Grands Films Classiques
Directed by: Jean Renoir
Featuring: Marcel Dalio, Nora Grégor, Roland Toutain, Jean Renoir, Mila Parély, Odette Talazac, Pierre Magnier, Pierre Nay, Gaston Modot
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 activites 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 it as a timeless representation of a vanishing way of life.
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Technical Specifications
Format:
DVD
Discs:
DVD-9 (2 Discs)
Total: 2 Discs
Regions:
1/2/3/4/5/6 (DVD)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1
Audio Options:
French Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Resolution:
480p/29.97
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Introduction, Audio Commentary, Video Presentation, Video Essay, Television Program, Documentary, Interview, Gallery, Text, Booklet
- Introduction to the film by director Jean Renoir
- Audio commentary written by film scholar Alexander Sesonske and read by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich
- Comparison of the film’s two endings
- Illustrated study of Renoir's shooting script
- Selected-scene analysis by Renoir historian Chris Faulkner
- Excerpts from Jean Renoir le patron: La Règle et l’exception (1966), a French television program by filmmaker Jacques Rivette
- Part one of Jean Renoir, a two-part 1993 BBC documentary by film critic David Thompson
- Video essay about the film’s production, release, and 1959 reconstruction
- Interviews with set designer Max Douy, Renoir’s son, Alain Renoir; and actress Mila Parély
- Written tributes to the film and Renoir by François Truffaut, Paul Schrader, Bertrand Tavernier, Wim Wenders and others
- A 24-page booklet featuring writings by Jean Renoir, François Truffaut, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bertrand Tavernier, and an essay by Alexander Sesonske
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Film
Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Credits
Artwork: Lucien S. Y. Yang
Producer: Johanna Schiller
Release Notes on Restoration
The Rules of the Game
The Rules of the Game is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right of the screen to maintain the proper screen format. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using MTI Digital Restoration System. The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic audio track, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.