FRENCH CINEMA

Name Professor Course Date Overview of French Cinema The New Wave The years 1958 to 1964 can be termed as the years of the French New Wave. There are some aspects of change that can be attributed to this period. First, the film directors became the undisputed authority in all film production aspects such as photography, thematic and artistic choices, script and mise-en-scene. This was misunderstood but it actually brought sanity too the film industry, creating room for creativity (Lanzioni, 195). According to Lanzioni (196), there was a change in camera work. There was a move from the traditional cinematography which comprised a flawless photography, concealing the audience to the real work of a film artist. In the new wave, cameramen got the freedom in their procedure and choice of artist. The cameraman could move around, thereby providing an exciting aspect. However, the style of filming did not change and this set the upcoming directors of the new wave to focus on the revolutionary agenda. This era also witnessed the shift to in the French audiovisual industry. The government provided the film makers with funding for this move because otherwise the film industry would fail. The funds were given by the Ministere de la Culture to film directors, producers and scriptwriters within the European Union. This saw the last phase of the New Wave which was the coming up of new acting talents such as Michel Piccoli, Anouck Aimee, Catherine Deneuve, Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo (Lanzioni, 196). The industry at this time was influenced by many factors such as political events and wars such as the Algerian conflict which claimed 1 million lives; they focused on current affairs. This combined with the tough economic times forced the filmmakers to find means of producing low-cost films (Lanzioni, 197). Post-New Wave The post-68 era was quite tense in France. Prime Minister Jacques Chirac resigned in 1976 and formed his own party. Mitterand won the 1981 presidential elections. The period between May 1968 and May 1981 depicts a time that started and ended with cultural euphoria that had not been witnessed before. Considered as one of the major political landmarks of the French politics in the twentieth century, the period is also a determining factor in the French cultural history (Lanzioni, 247). Film makers were not passed by this period, and they kept in pace with the developments. Given that the filmmakers were keen on the contemporary issues, they captured this period which was marked by the anger and the frustrations of post-68. There was emergence of issues such as trade unions, sexuality, family values, language, education and social laws. The film industry had to evolve so as to accommodate these new changes. Louis Malle, Les cashiers du cinema and Auteur theory are symbols of the new wave. Famous films of the time include films by Claude Chabrol, Francois Truffaut Agnes Varda Alan Resnais and Jean-Luc Godard. Varda was the first female director of a full length movie. The media was stormed with stories as the political, medical and judicial institutions were contested. In the film industry, these revolutions were felt. Women took advantage of the new-found freedom and laws that favored them to infiltrate into fields that were initially a preserve for men. It is notable that during this period, a record 37 women film makers had their debut films featured (Lanzioni, 248). The period also favored the production of personal films as the French film industry took advantage of the return to consumerism. Films related to societal and personal issues were produced. Film producer Godard also took notice of this period and produced a movie called contempt which in its complexity could be misunderstood by the audience, but it depicted the then contemporary issues. 1980s In this period, the technological and ideological developments had really picked. Cinema producers had moved with the trend and were in step. Furthermore, due to the consumerism aspect, the film industry had quickly taken a commercial turn (Lanzoni, 338...