The destiny of Jean Renoir's movie "The Rules of the Game" is a drama unto itself. The film's harsh reality was too much for viewers to handle when it debuted in Paris in 1939. Screenings of the movie, which revealed the moral decay of the French elite on the eve of World War II, were quickly halted because the public saw it as an insult.

Moreover, the French government banned the film less than a month later, labeling it “depressive” and “unpatriotic.” The disaster was not over: in 1942, as a result of an Allied bombing raid during the war, the original film negative was physically destroyed. “The Rules of the Game” seemed to be lost forever.

In the 1950s, thanks to efforts and fragments preserved in private collections, the original 106-minute version of the film was restored. Thus, the masterpiece that had narrowly escaped destruction was finally recognized as one of the greatest films in the history of world cinema.

Today, the film "Rules of the Game," with its rich and difficult history, was screened at the National Library, allowing contemporary audiences to appreciate the work of one of the greatest filmmakers.