ABOUT THE EPISODE:

When asked what 2 movies he would take with him on the ark, Orson Welles replied that La Grande Illusion would be one of them (and couldn’t name the other). Our hosts are happy to report that they don’t question his decision. A war movie with no battles, a film that is not about racism and anti-semitism but addresses them better than any film they’ve watched so far, and a clear inspiration for countless films to follow, La Grande Illusion is a masterpiece, even through the lens of the Screen Test of Time. (It was so good, Suzan made popcorn— though, as David makes clear, she has a rather unusual definition of “popcorn movie.”)

SHOW NOTES

Year Eligible: 1938 (Nominated)

Additional audio: “A Long Way to Tipperary” and “La Marseillaise”, from La Grande Illusion

(Explicit language, as always)