The Classic French Cinema, 1930-1960The three decades between 1930 and 1960 were one of the most creative periods in the history of cinema. During this era, films achieved a level of great sophistication, and in France this era produced some of the most famous films ever made - Jean Vigo's Zero de conduite. Rene Clair's A nous la liberte, Jean Renoir's Crime de M Lange, and Jean Cocteau's Orphee. In The Classic French Cinema, 1930-1960, Colin Crisp investigates the critical period from the introduction of sound to the beginning of the New Wave. He details the extraordinary ingenuity of French filmmakers who worked under economic and technological constraints that affected both the production and the consumption of films. In this comprehensive study, Crisp synthesizes a large body of work on the French cinema, most of it published only in French. At the same time, he radically re-writes aspects of the industrial history of the classic French cinema, shedding new light on its periodization and re-evaluating the extent of German influence on the French film industry's postwar organization. Crisp also reveals the New Wave filmmakers to be the natural heirs of the classic French cinema, rather than a break with the earlier tradition. Fully illustrated with over 50 black-and-white photos from these classic films, plus numerous charts, and figures. |
Contents
Political Economy and Industrial Structure | 1 |
Political Economy and Industrial Structure | 75 |
Plant and Technology | 90 |
Copyright | |
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actors aesthetic Allégret André artistic audience Autant-Lara became Cahiers du Cinéma CALIFORNIA SANTA camera Carné Ciné cinéma français Cinemascope cinematographers Cinématographique classic cinema classic French cinema Clouzot COIC color coproductions cost Courtade critical CRUZ The University cultural décor découpage developed dialogue directors discourse Duvivier early editing effect equipment exhibitors existence Feyder fifties film production films directed filmstock firms foreign France French cinema French film industry French production funding Gaumont German Grémillon Hollywood IDHEC involved Jacques Jacques Prévert Jean Jean Renoir Jeancolas L'Herbier large number Léglise lighting Marcel Marcel Carné Marcel L'Herbier move Ophüls Paris Pathé period personnel Pierre poetic political postwar practices Prévert production companies realism René Clair René Clément Renoir role Sadoul screen script scriptwriters sector set design shooting shots silent film sound film stage star studios talkie technical technique theater theatrical thirties tion twenties Yves Allégret