1. Grand Illusion: To start this off...

Just for shits and giggles I thought I'd create a blog ranking the Criterion Collection. I haven't seen even half of these films, but who knows. Maybe I'll even finish this one.

Grand Illusion (1937)

This is about the third or fourth time I've seen this film, and while I've always liked it, I think this is the first time that I can say I've fallen in love with it. It's such an odd war movie, in that it portrays a group of POW's that in general don't get beaten and get along fine with each other, aside from some rather fluffy antisemitism.  The worst thing I remember is Jean Gabin being put in solitary confinement. Oh, and someone gets shot in the stomach, but to be fair, he was trying to escape after all. Aside from that, these guys are allowed lavish packages from home, and have cognac-fueled feasts hosted by fellow prisoner Rosenthal. The dialog is witty as shit, and each character feels unique enough to deserve a solo film, though I doubt director Jean Renoir would be interested in a Grand Illusion Cinematic Universe. Speaking of cinematic universes, you also get Erich von Stroheim dressed up like a Marvel supervillain, with a neck-brace and chin holder that wouldn't look out of place in Hydra's closet. However, while you would never see the Red Skull delicately cradling a dying Captain America's face, you do get that with Stroheim and the French Captain who he just shot. I told you this wasn't like your typical war film. Renoir loves examining social structures, and this may be my favorite instance of this theme, though The Rules of the Game and Boudu Saved from Drowning are some stiff competition for this film. Will I end up preferring those over The Grand Illusion when I rewatch them? I guess you'll just have to stay tuned to find out.

The plan is to rank these films as I watch them. Right now it's Grand Illusion vs. nothing. My list thus far looks like this:

1. Grand Illusion (1937)

Next up: Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Will I like this 3 1/2 hour samurai epic more than Grand Illusion? I've already seen it and vaguely know the answer, but I'm not saying a goddamn thing until I rewatch it. Until then!