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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
Considered one of the greatest films ever made, The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu), by Jean Renoir, is a scathing critique of corrupt French society cloaked in a comedy of manners in which a weekend at a marquis’ country château lays bare some ugly truths about a group of haut bourgeois acquaintances. The film has had a tumultuous history: it was subjected to cuts after the violent response of the premiere audience in 1939, and the original negative was destroyed during World War II; it wasn’t reconstructed until 1959. That version, which has stunned viewers for decades, is presented here.
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Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
DVD
Discs:
DVD-9 (2 Discs)
Total: 2 Discs
Regions:
1 (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, 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
- 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
- Interview with film critic Olivier Curchod
- Interview from a 1965 episode of the French television series Les écrans de la ville in which Jean Gaborit and Jacques Durand discuss their reconstruction and rerelease of the film
- Interviews with set designer Max Douy, Renoir’s son, Alain Renoir; and actress Mila Parély
- A booklet featuring a new essay by Alexander Sesonske; writings by Jean Renoir, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bertrand Tavernier, and François Truffaut; and tributes to the film by J. Hoberman, Kent Jones, Paul Schrader, Wim Wenders, Robert Altman, and others
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Film
Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Credits
Producer: Johanna Schiller
Artwork: Edward Sorel
Restoration Information
The Rules of the Game
Restoration by:
The Criterion Collection
Year: 2003
Scanned at: High-Definition Digital
Restored at: High-Definition Digital
Sources:
35mm Fine-grain master positive
Release Notes on Restoration
The Rules of the Game
The Rules of the Game is presented In its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right of the image to maintain the proper screen format. The original negative for the film was destroyed during a World War II bombing raid. In 1959, with Jean Renoir's approval, the movie was reconstructed by Jean Gaborit and Jacques Durand resulting in todays renowned 106-minute version. In preparation for the original DVD release of The Rules of the Game, Criterion searched at length tor a 35 mm fine-grain master processed directly from the negative of Gaborit and Durand's reconstruction and one was finally located at the French film lab GTC in 2003. This high-definition digital transfer of that fine-grain master was created on a Spirit Datacine. Due to the nature of the reconstruction, which Is comprised of elements from various sources, there are noticeable variations in quality; nonetheless, this version is made from the best existing materials. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using MTl's DRS both' In 2003 and 2011.
The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35 mm magnetic audio track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation.
The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35 mm magnetic audio track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation.