The Grand Illusion - J. Miley

The grand illusion in "The Grand Illusion," I think, most pertains to Captain de Boeldieu deception of Captain von Rauffenstein. This is, however, a double deception on de Boeldieu’s part. I do not believe that he wants to deceive von Rauffenstein, but must for the sake of his men. Thus, he acts one way to the soldiers under his command and to another von Rauffenstein. The illusion is complete; de Boeldieu never lets up on his guise, even when no one is looking (as in the shot above).

The German guard is paying de Boeldieu no attention and his second in command (Lieutenant Maréchal) is yawning with boredom and tiredness. Still, de Boeldieu is unrelenting in his “properness,” never breaking the illusion for either von Rauffenstein or his men. What separates Von Rauffenstein and de Boeldieu is never implicitly stated. But it is implied that they are a different type soldier, presumably created only to lead and go to war. Their time is coming to an end, though, as von Rauffenstein says that the end of the war “will be the end of the Rauffensteins and the Boeldieus.”

While Renoir does not say it is so discrete terms at that point, he does show that idea through visuals and plot both before and after that line. This picture is one of the first images that shows this change. Not only do we see de Boeldieu’s semi-distaste for the way that Maréchal yawns, but in how the German soldier, despite being in the foreground, fades into the background. This message is told through the lighting, color/tone and placement, which then dictate the dominant and contrast.

In the shot, Maréchal and de Boeldieu do not look like they are not actually lit any lighter than the guard is, but they appear to be because of how their skin tones contrast against their clothing. In contrast, the guard’s skin is almost the same tone as his clothes. Not only that, but he in the same color as those in the background. This causes Maréchal and de Boldieu to pop out.

The attention is further drawn to Maréchal, making him the dominant. Not only does de Boldieu’s stare lead us to Maréchal, but he literally has two arrows (his chevrons) pointing at him.

While Maréchal is the dominant visually, he is also the dominant concerning the new wave of culture as it were. He is standing there yawning, giving us the sense of the boredom he might feel with how things are. De Boldieu is the contrast in the shot; he is the second brightest thing on the screen. But he yields to Maréchal’s presence (his irreverence to the situation) as he will be fading away to the new culture, that which both he and the Germans represent. While de Boeldieu is merely subject to Maréchal, the German, despite being in front of both of them, disappears into the background. Not only Germany, but “the Rauffensteins and the Boeldieus” all half to yield to a new European culture.