Discussion Post 9/29

The most obvious additions to Renoir’s full length film are the new complexity with which he uses his camera and the addition of speaking. Both aid to significantly highlight the sentiments of the film’s narratives while simultaneously deepening the impact on the audience of these moments.  Camera shots such as the close up relay a heightened intensity of emotions, drawing the audience in and creating an intimate sensation. 

While in moments of grandiosity we were able to view the entire picture. 

Both members of the French and German army are shockingly magnanimous towards one another. This can be seen without the aid of camera techniques, but the beauty of a moment such as a German soldier cutting Marchel’s food can be showcased by closing in on their interaction out of a table of many men. Making this action seem more intimate and therefore more tender. 

Apart from the addition of speech, to me, the effect which changed the viewing experience between this film and some of the earlier work we viewed in class such as Le Déshabillage Impossible or Le Voyage dans la Lune was the removal of most jump cuts. As mentioned in the article attached, Renoir and much of the New Wave directors used jump cuts, especially in the beginning of the movement. Renoir and Méliès utilise this technique in silent and short films to further the narrative and create a lively feeling. But in La Grande Illusion Renoir turns away from them to the advantage of this film. “Favoring fluidity and naturalism, Renoir typically chooses to change time periods by ellipses.” The naturalism spoke of in this quote is exactly what makes this film so enticing. And employing camera techniques more like that of the human eye allowed viewers to experience the film more organically, which in turn leads to a stronger connection to the message of the film. https://sites.psu.edu/fr138andrews/renoirs-camera/