Classic French Cinema 1930 1960

The 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.

"We can usually expect something fresh and different to emerge from Australia, and this study is no exception." --American Cinematographer

"An important contribution to cinema history.

Colin Crisp, Associate Professor of Film Studies in the School of Film, Media and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities at Griffith University, is author of Eric Rohmer: Realist and Moralist and François Truffaut.

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Political Economy and Industrial Structure 1930-1940

2. Political Economy and Industrial Structure 1940-1960

3. Plant and Technology

4. Personnel

5. The Formation of Audiences

6. Mode of Production and Authorial Control

7. Work Practices and Stylistic Change

Conclusion: The Classic French Cinema and the New Wave

Appendix

Abbreviations

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Photo sections follow page 325