Unlike Jean Renoir’s other masterpiece (La Règle Du Jeu), this WWI classic was a success from release, becoming the first foreign-language flick to get the Best Picture nod from Oscar. Applause all round – except from the Nazis, Goebbels branding it “Cinematic Public Enemy No 1” when the film was seized during the Occupation. Ironic, since there’s sympathy for the Germans in this truth-based tale of French POWs who are shown civility by their Commandant captor (an excellent Erich von Stroheim) while they plot their great escape. Enveloped in Renoir’s trademark humanist haze, it’s an anti-war movie that focuses on camaraderie rather than conflict. It’s also about class, the dawn of a new Europe and the fragility of ideals. Add tension, tragedy and a touch of romance and you’ve got the complete package.

DVD Extras:

The same can’t quite be said for the disc, but it deserves a look. There’s an archive intro from Renoir (talking up his aviation experiences), plus a lengthier overview from critic Ginette Vincendeau. Best of all are the two silent shorts from Renoir: a 1928 adap of The Little Match Girl, plus sci-fi jazz-age tribute Sur Un Air De Charleston, which features a post-apocalyptic dance-off between a girl and a bloke in blackface. Seriously.