Description
Book SynopsisTaking a text-led approach, with the emphasis on more recent popular films,
Studying French Cinema is directed at non-specialists such as students of French, Film Studies, and the general reader with an interest in post-war French cinema. Each of the chapters focuses on one or more key films from the ground-breaking films of the nouvelle vague (
Les 400 coups, 1959) to contemporary documentary (
Etre et avoir, 2002) and puts them into their relevant contexts. Depending on the individual film, these include explorations of childhood, adolescence and coming of age (
Les 400 coups,
L'Argent de poche); auteur ideology and individual style (the films of Jean-Luc Godard and Agnes Varda); the representation of recent French history (Lacombe Lucien and
Au revoir les enfants); transnational production practices (
Le Pacte des loups); and popular cinema, comedy and gender issues (e.g.
Le Diner de cons). Each film is embedded in its cultural and political context. Together, the historical discussions provide an overview of post-war French history to the present. Useful suggestions are made as to studies of related films, both those discussed within the book and outside.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
1.François Truffaut: An Auteur's Representation of Childhood:
Les 400 coups (1959) and
L'Argent de poche (1978)
2. French New Wave and Godard in the 1960s:
A Bout de souffle (1960) and
Pierrot le fou (1965)
3. New Wave Legacy and the French Auteur:
Le Boucher /
The Butcher (1968)
4. Social Realism and Agnès Varda's Cinécriture:
Sans toit ni loi /
Vagabond (1985)
5. Louis Malle's (Hi)stories of the Occupation:
Lacombe Lucien (1973) and
Au revoir les enfants (1987)
6. Adolescence and Coming of Age in Claude Miller's Intimist Cinema:
L'Effrontée (1985) and
La Petite voleuse (1988)
7. French Documentary Film and a Vision of the World:
Être et avoir (2002)
8. Traits and Traditions in French Film Comedy:
Le Dîner de cons /
The Dinner Game (1998) and
Le Placard /
The Closet (2001)
9. The Renewal of French Historical Drama and Heritage Film:
Le Pacte des loups /
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
10. Road Movie, Transnational Cinema and Self-discovery Journey:
Le Grand voyage (2004)
Glossary of Film Terms
General Bibliography
Filmography
Index
