Mists of regret : culture and sensibility in classic French film / Dudley Andrew.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Andrew, Dudley, 1945- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion pictures--France--History.

Motion pictures.

Motion pictures--France--Aesthetics.

Motion pictures--Social aspects--France.

Culture in motion pictures.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (428 pages)

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [1995]

Summary:

Just before World War II, French cinema reached a high point that has been dubbed the style of "poetic realism." Working with unforgettable actors like Jean Gabin and Arletty, directors such as Renoir, Carné, Gremillon, Duvivier, and Chenal routinely captured the prizes for best film at every festival and in every country, and their accomplishments led to general agreement that the French were the first to give maturity to the sound cinema. Here the distinguished film scholar Dudley Andrew examines the motivations and consequences of these remarkable films by looking at the cultural web in which they were made. Beyond giving a rich view of the life and worth of cinema in France, Andrew contributes substantially to our knowledge of how films are dealt with in history. Where earlier studies have treated the masterpieces of this era either in themselves or as part of the vision of their creators, and where certain recent scholars have reacted to this by dissolving the masterpieces back into the system of entertainment that made them possible, Andrew stresses the dialogue of culture and cinema. In his view, the films open questions that take us into the culture, while our understanding of the culture gives energy, direction, and consequence to our reading of the films. The book demonstrates the value of this hermeneutic approach for one set of texts and one period, but it should very much interest film theorists and film historians of all sorts.

Contents:

Cover Page

Half-title Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Introduction: A Compass in the Mist of Poetic Realism

Chapter 2. Impressionism and Surrealism: The Origins of an Optique

Chapter 3. Adolescents in an Adolescent Industry

Chapter 4. French Cinema and the Sonic Boom

Chapter 5. Theatrical Models for French Films

Chapter 6. The Literary and Artistic Sources of Poetic Realism

Chapter 7. Demands of Realism

Chapter 8. Figures of the Poetic

Chapter 9. Jean Renoir: Adaptation, Institution, Auteur

Chapter 10. The Myth of Poetic Realism

Chapter 11. Epilogue: Le Temps des cerises and the Fruit of Regret

Appendix. Chronology of French Films Mentioned

Notes

Bibliography

Index of Film Titles

General Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [391]-396) and indexes.

Other Format:

Print version: Andrew, Dudley Mists of Regret

ISBN:

9780691239446

0691239444

OCLC:

1281984811