Le Grand jeu
1934 Drama / Romance
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Credits
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Summary
To give his wife Florence a comfortable lifestyle, Pierre Martel ends up having to resort
to crime to raise the money. When he is found out, he signs up with the French Foreign
Legion, hoping to forget his present worries. In a desert fight against the natives,
Pierre is injured and temporarily loses his memory. He mistakes a native girl, Irma,
for his wife - she looks exactly like her but has a different voice. When, at the
end of his tour of duty, Pierre is preparing to return to his home in Paris, he finds
himself torn between Florence and his new love, Irma...
Review
One of Jacques Feyder’s most memorable romantic dramas, Le Grand jeu features compelling
performances from Pierre Richard-Willm and Marie Bell. Whilst the film is skilfully
focused on a doomed love affair played out by the lead actors, it has an epic feel in
common with many of other Feyder’s films from this period.
The desert location and poetic realist ending invite an obvious comparison with Julien Duvivier’s 1935 film, La Bandera , which achieves a similar high standard of technical and dramatic quality. Robert Siodmak directed a slightly inferior re-make of Le Grand Jeu, released in 1954 with Gina Lollobrigida in the Marie Bell role. © James Travers 2003 Write a review for this film... |
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