Harockerce What a beautiful movie!

Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

jackasstrange I admit, I was not very big in this film for the most part of it. But hey, is very good from a visual standpoint. We have very unexpected angles and a weird set of lights. Look at how messy the lights are in this film. It helps even more to put focus in the characters. In fact, it alone put a focus in the characters, because they become darken than the set's natural light. And the plot is kinda ugh, you know what I mean? Very cliché. Sure, back in 1955, this kind of 'Guy wants to date girl because of bet with friend" must have been interesting and very original, but nowadays? Not very much, if you ask me. Maybe this is the film that started all these clichés? Well, I don't know, further research is welcomed. But anyway, the editing, the transition of scenes is very crazy, and certainly a very good technique aesthetically talking. This technique alone can change completely the film's ambient.Is kinda interesting and even funny at times, but yeah, for the most part there is nothing that you already haven't seen before made much better than in this film.

wvisser-leusden 'Les grandes manoeuvres' (= French for 'the great army exercises') is located in a small provincial garrison town, somewhere in France. The year is around 1900.This film's plot adapts well to this setting. More entertaining than spectacular, providing insight in the local military as well in the town's upper class civilians. And, making its core, how they interact with each other. Director Rene Clair takes his time, but cleverly avoids any boredom or dullness.This avoiding is also very much due to the magnificent acting of the two leads, Michele Morgan and Philippe Gerard. Well supported by the likes of Yves Robert and young Brigitte Bardot. This cast left us a good & enjoyable 'Les grandes manoeuvres'.The only criticism may be found in this film's slightly cold way of proceeding. It leaves you with the impression that 'Les grandes manoeuvres' plot is run by some well-oiled mechanism.

JBrandeisS A French army regiment, resplendent in colorful uniform, is quartered in a French provincial town for summer exercises. As this detachment first enters the town marching in order down its main thoroughfare, a beautiful woman (Michele Morgan) appears on the balcony of her fashion shop and catches the eye of the regiment's dashing and handsome Lothario who has already compiled a notorious string of conquests (Gerard Philipe). This gives rise to a bet by his fellow soldiers with him, when the soldiers reach their barracks, that this time he will not be able to seduce this woman. He launches a spirited campaign for her, designed to sweep her off her feet, but becomes so ensnared in her charms that he completely loses his mind and falls genuinely and madly in love with her, forgetting totally about the bet and wanting only her. The high point of his fortunes is reached when, practically on bended knee, he protests to her that he does not love her for only a few days or a few weeks but for his whole life. She is on the point of yielding to his entreaties when she learns of the bet. The denouement is exquisite torture as she is unable to credit his protestations any longer notwithstanding that she passionately desires to, he is in effect impaled to his hurt on the thorns of his past, she ends by returning to the fat husband with greasy ringlets of curls from whom she'd been divorced and who appears totally unworthy of her, and the regiment marches out of town at the end of summer. There are comic interludes of great charm and even some hilarity, as well as all the brilliance and wit that make a French movie a French movie, but all in all this is a sentimentalist's dream of a production in which the adorable loveliness of Michele Morgan is at its dazzling height.

zetes A womanizing soldier (circa WWI) makes a wager with his fellow soldiers that he will be able to seduce any woman chosen at random. The woman is chosen, he goes for it. You can probably guess most of the rest: he falls in love with her unexpectedly, she finds out about the wager, there is a question of whether they will ever truly get together, yada yada yada. Yes, it's that old plot. Perhaps Clair invented it, but I doubt it. It would later be used in every fourth movie ever made in the 1980s. I hoped that Clair could make it work. My favorite films of his are so effortlessly romantic that I expected him to be able to do it. Alas, he can't. This film lacks everything that made films like Le million charming and romantic. This one is cold and dull. I didn't like either of the leads. The man was completely despicable and the woman was frigid. Scenes move too quickly, and there is no feeling in them. The only bright spots are some nice cinematography (it was Clair's first film in color, and it looks as if the whole thing has been painted with watercolors) and a nice little supporting role by the enormously darling young Brigitte Bardot. 5/10.