Jean Renoir (1894-1979) is one of cinema history's greatest directors. La Grande illusion (1937) and La Regle du jeu (1939) rank among the masterpieces of film. Turning to thinkers such as Aristotle, Wittgenstein, Girard, Derrida, and Cavell, Colin Davis examines Renoir's films and illustrates how his work engages with some of the great philosophical questions. In particular, Renoir's films reflect on the nature of murder and its link to desire, community, ethics, and the mystery of other minds. As his films strive, and often fail, to avoid the impasse of violence, they find creative ways of reinventing what it means to be human.
