Grand Illusion

Plot Summary

A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

Top Cast

Jean Gabin Lieutenant Maréchal

Dita Parlo Elsa

Pierre Fresnay Captain de Boëldieu

Erich von Stroheim Captain von Rauffenstein

Julien Carette Cartier, the Vaudeville Performer