French Avant-Garde 1918-1930
Goal: to explore cinema as art Considered a cinema of “intellectuals for intellectuals” Inspired by Marx and Freud A collective movement Three distinct types of films made at onset…
Short Dadaist/surrealist films anti-conventional, absurdist shock the viewer with surprises and unexpected juxtapositions against normal narrative conventions – eliminated connections, emphasized unexpected occurrences ex: An Andalusian Dog Un Chien Andalou,1929
Short naturalistic psychological studies stressed idea that an individual’s fate is determined by heredity and environment, not free will La Fille de L'eau (dream) (1925)
Feature-length films very ambitious in scope, length, and visual effect ex: Napoleon (1927) and The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Beginning of experimental film…