- Nazi Propaganda Minister Goebbels immediately banned the film after the German occupation of Paris, and called director Jean Renoir "the number one public enemy of the film industry."
- The original film of the film was brought to Berlin by the Nazi officer Frank Hansel. After the Russian army occupied Berlin, it was taken to Moscow. It was not until the 1990s that people knew the whereabouts of the original film.
- The little girl who played Lotte in the film failed to watch the film. She died of the flu a few weeks before the film was released.
- The military uniform worn by Jean Gabin in the film was provided by the director Renoir himself, who served in World War I.
- Jacques Baker not only served as the assistant director of the film, but also starred in the film as a British officer, the one who smashed his pocket watch shortly after the film began.
- The scenes in which Erich Von Stroheim starred were basically done by himself freely, and the costumes of the characters were also designed according to his wishes.
- Erich Von Stroheim was born in Werner, but has been filming and living in Hollywood for a long time. When he starred in the film, he was very ignorant of German.
- Jean Renoir was unable to persuade the producers to invest in the film until the French actor Jean Gabin agreed to join.
- Strauchen and Renoir often quarreled over details, and once they both cried with excitement, but they soon settled together.
- Renoir and the screenwriter Charles Spaak referred to a book called "Kavalier Scharnhost" when creating the script, but a lawsuit was triggered because they did not obtain authorization.
- Renoir originally planned to shoot a large number of shots of aircraft and battlefields, but the producers refused on the grounds that they could not obtain permission to use the fighter jets, in fact, in order to save money. However, Renoir later stated that the film would be better without these shots .
La Grande Illusion behind the scenes gags
2022-01-07 15:53
Extended Reading
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Lieutenant Maréchal: We've been together eighteen months and you still stand on ceremony.
Capt. de Boeldieu: I am the same with my mother and my wife.
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Capt. de Boeldieu: Cigarette?
Lieutenant Maréchal: No thanks. English tobacco gives me a sore throat.