Slide 1Slide 2Slide 3Slide 4Slide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide 9Slide 10Slide 11Slide 12Slide 13Slide 14Slide 15Slide 16Slide 17Slide 18Slide 19Slide 20Slide 21Slide 22French Impressionism1918-1929Goal is to “convey sensations and emotional ‘impressions’ . . . conveying the personal vision of the artist . . . cinema shows us the souls of people and the essence of objects (photogenie) . . . Cinema is a synthesis of the other arts” (architecture, painting, sculpture, music, poetry, dance)Narrative structure—personal actions and psychologyAbel Gance, Napoleon, 1927Jean Epstein, Coeur fidele, 1923Narrative structure—personal actions and psychologyGermaine Dulac, The Smiling Madame Beudet, 1922Narrative structure—personal actions and psychologyPhotogenie – “that quality which distinguishes a film shot from the original object photographed”Photogenie--There are parallels in French Imp painting, e.g.:Frederick Carl Frieseke, Lady in a Garden, 1912Photogenie--There are parallels in French Imp painting, e.g.:Mary Cassatt, Lydia Leaning on Her Arms, 1879Claude Monet, one of his Water Lilies series, c. 1915Narrative structure—personal actions and psychologyPhotogenie – “that quality which distinguishes a film shot from the original object photographed”Optical devices often used to do thisTriptych from Abel Gance’s NapoleonNarrative structure—personal actions and psychologyPhotogenie – “that quality which distinguishes a film shot from the original object photographed”Optical devices often used to do thisAbel Gance, Napoleon, 1927Abel Gance, La Roue, 1922Narrative structure—personal actions and psychologyPhotogenie – “that quality which distinguishes a film shot from the original object photographed”Optical devices often used to do thisJean Epstein, Coeur fidele, 1923Narrative structure—personal actions and psychologyPhotogenie – “that quality which distinguishes a film shot from the original object photographed”Optical devices often used to do this“Visual rhythm” of fast cuttingNote examples from Abel Gance: The Charm of DynamiteNarrative structure—personal actions and psychologyPhotogenie – “that quality which distinguishes a film shot from the original object photographed”Optical devices often used to do this“Visual rhythm” of fast cuttingLocation shootingAbel Gance, J’Accuse, 1919In a commercial film contextFrench film in crisis after WWIFrance swamped with German and U.S. filmsSmall French companies willing to experimentGenre filmsFantasy (e.g., Rene Clair)Rene Clair, Le Fantôme du Moulin Rouge, 1924Genre filmsFantasy (e.g., Rene Clair)Comedy (e.g., Max Linder)Max LinderInfluential in styleNot very important in terms of $$ (box office)Abel Gance (1889-1981)Abel Gance, Napoleon, 1927Jean Epstein (1897-1953)Jean Epstein, Coeur fidele, 1923Germaine Dulac (1882-1942)Germaine Dulac, The Smiling Madame Beudet, 1922The movement’s own success led to a diffusion of its techniques, and a lessening of its impactFrench Impressionist filmmakers lost their independence with the introduction of sound ($$)Subjectivity, especially in “indie” filmse.g., films of Gus Van