The Rules of the Game
La Règle du jeu
Synopsis
The Marquis de la Chesnaye and his wife host a weekend gala where a variety of complicated romantic and social entanglements between guests and servants lead to tragedy, all against the backdrop of a looming war.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
2022 US Re-Release TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2022-12-02
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Jean Renoir
Octave
Marcel Dalio
Robert de la Cheyniest
Nora Gregor
Christine de la Cheyniest
Julien Carette
Marceau, le braconnier
Roland Toutain
André Jurieux
Paulette Dubost
Lisette, sa camériste
Gaston Modot
Edouard Schumacher, le garde-chasse
Mila Parély
Geneviève de Marras
Anne Mayen
Jackie, nièce de Christine
Eddy Debray
Corneille, le majordome
Odette Talazac
Madame de la Plante
Claire Gérard
Madame de la Bruyère
Pierre Magnier
Le général
Pierre Nay
Monsieur de St. Aubin
Richard Francœur
Monsieur La Bruyère
Léon Larive
Le cuisinier
Lise Elina
Radio-Reporter
Nicolas Amato
L'invité sud-américain (uncredited)
Release History & Theatrical Window
Adelaide Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
July 8, 1939
Wide Cinema Exhibition
November 15, 2011
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$8.8M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$274K
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
0.03x
-$8.6M deficit
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Jean Renoir
- Screenplay & Story
- Jean Renoir
- Original Score
- Joseph Kosma
- Original Title
- La Règle du jeu
- Country of Origin
- France
- Spoken Languages
- French
- Runtime
- 1h 50m
- Production Budget
- $8.8M
- Worldwide Gross
- $274K
- Production Studios
- La Nouvelle Edition Francaise, Franco London Films
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir, Carl Koch
Joseph Kosma
Jean Bachelet, Jean-Paul Alphen, Jacques Lemare, Alain Renoir
Marthe Huguet, Marguerite Renoir
Jean Renoir
Department Leadership Roster
Jean Renoir
Director
Coco Chanel
Costume Design
Jean Renoir
Screenplay
Marthe Huguet
Editor
Marguerite Renoir
Editor
Jean Bachelet
Director of Photography
Jean-Paul Alphen
Director of Photography
Jacques Lemare
Director of Photography
Alain Renoir
Director of Photography
Jean Renoir
Producer
Max Douy
Production Design
Eugène Lourié
Production Design
Joseph Kosma
Original Music Composer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
Tous publics — Universal audience.
Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Rules of the Game.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Rules of the Game.
Flickbase Watchlist
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:40:36 UTC+8)*
Roger Ebert's Great Movies
Every film from Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' essays. 罗杰·伊伯特的伟大电影： 收录了已故美国著名国民级影评人罗杰·伊伯特（Roger Ebert）在其经典的《伟大电影》（Great Movies）系列专栏文章中推荐、评论过的所有影史经典佳作。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#092] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
S&S Critics - Greatest Films
Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2022 (Critics' Poll). Every decade the Sight and Sound team asks critics to name the greatest films of all time. Here are the results of the 2022 poll – the largest ever, with 1,639 critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics each submitting their top ten ballot - and now updated with the complete list. 《视与听》2022年影评人评选影史百大电影（含并列完整版）： 由 1639 位影评人、策展人及学者共同票选的影史最伟大电影。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#152] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#171] Out 1 (1971) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:37:09 UTC+8)*
S&S Directors - Greatest Films
Sight and Sound’s Directors’ 100 Greatest Films of All Time 2022. Every decade since 1992, Sight and Sound has complemented its celebrated critics’ poll by formally sounding out the world’s leading directors on the ten films they believe to be the greatest of all time. 《视与听》2022年导演评选影史百大电影： 由全球 480 位知名导演共同票选出的影史最伟大电影。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:36:57 UTC+8)*
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:30:01 UTC+8)*
Similar Titles to The Rules of the Game
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
7.2
6.8
5.8
5.7
10.0
6.7
6.2
4.9
7.0
3.5
6.6
7.0
More Like The Rules of the Game
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Rules of the Game
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Rules of the Game about?
The Marquis de la Chesnaye and his wife host a weekend gala where a variety of complicated romantic and social entanglements between guests and servants lead to tragedy, all against the backdrop of a looming war.
Who directed The Rules of the Game?
The Rules of the Game was directed by Jean Renoir.
Who stars in The Rules of the Game?
The principal cast of The Rules of the Game includes Jean Renoir, Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, Julien Carette, Roland Toutain.
When was The Rules of the Game released and how long is it?
The Rules of the Game was released in 1939 with a total runtime of 1h 50m.
What was the box office and production budget of The Rules of the Game?
The Rules of the Game had a reported production budget of $8.8M and grossed $274K at the worldwide box office (0.03 return on budget, classified as a underperformed).
Who composed the musical score for The Rules of the Game?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Rules of the Game was composed by Joseph Kosma.
Is The Rules of the Game based on a book or true story?
The Rules of the Game is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "Carl Koch".
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Rules of the Game?
The Rules of the Game holds official age classifications: FR: U (Tous publics — Universal audience.); GB: PG (Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).