The 1939 French film The Rules of the Game, or its French title La Règle du Jeu, directed by Jean Renoir depicts the various romantic entanglements of French society’s upper class and their servants. It mainly focuses on Christine, a noblewoman married to Marquis Robert, and her love affair with André, a pilot deemed a hero after flying across the Atlantic. However, this film also has a variety of notable minor characters, and among them is Octave, played by Jean Renoir himself, who is both a childhood companion of Christine and a close, reliable friend of André.
Octave is first introduced comforting André at the landing of his extraordinary flight as he learns Christine did not attend the celebration. Right from the beginning, Octave is portrayed as a supportive and dependable friend. He is an amiable character who is well-liked and agreed upon by everyone to be a kind and sincere individual. Octave also proves to have influence in the film as seen when he convinces the Marquis to invite André to his prestigious gathering at his country estate. Although presented as good-natured, he also shows deceptive qualities as once at the gathering, he too confesses his love for Christine without either the Marquis or André’s knowledge. When his feelings are reciprocated by Christine, they devise a plan to run off together. However, when Octave does not go through with the scheme and insists André take his place, his best intentions lead to tragedy. Octave’s actions and decisions sealed André’s fate and ultimately led to him being killed.
Despite his considerable impact and involvement in the film, Octave is still considered a minor character. Although he has a positive attitude and provides the film with humorous moments, he struggles with his self-value and does not get the chance to explore a positive relationship with himself or gain self-confidence. This connects to Will Straw’s point that minor characters are “[r]educed, much of the time, to fleeting moments or undeveloped functions within films…” (79). This shows how Octave’s inability to experience meaningful character development deems him a minor character. Rather than having a storyline of his own, he exists to help direct and develop the story of the characters around him. Regardless of being a minor character, Octave has a critical role in that he provides comedy relief, relatable personal struggles, and causes tragedy.
Works Cited
La Règle du Jeu. Directed by Jean Renoir, Nouvelle Édition Française, 1939.
Straw, Will. “The Small Parts, Small Players dossier Introduction.” Screen, vol. 52, no. 1, 2011, pp. 78-81. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.tru.ca/10.1093/screen/hjq057.
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