1. French Impressionism 1918-1929
COM 320: History of Film
French Impressionism

2. Defining Characteristics
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)

3. Form & Style: Camera work most important (vs. Editing or Mise en scene)

4. Form & Style: Camera work most important
Narrative structure—personal actions and psychology
Abel Gance, Napoleon, 1927
Jean Epstein, Coeur fidele, 1923

5. Form & Style: Camera work most important
Narrative structure—personal actions and psychology
Germaine Dulac, The Smiling Madame Beudet, 1922

6. Form & Style: Camera work most important
Narrative structure—personal actions and psychology
Photogenie – “that quality which distinguishes a film shot from the original object photographed”

7. Photogenie--There are parallels in French Imp painting, e.g.:
Frederick Carl Frieseke, Lady in a Garden, 1912

8. Photogenie--There are parallels in French Imp painting, e.g.:
Mary Cassatt, Lydia Leaning on Her Arms, 1879
Claude Monet, one of his Water Lilies series, c

9. Form & Style: Camera work most important
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

10. Form & Style: Camera work most important
Optical devices often used to do this
Triptych from Abel Gance’s Napoleon

11. Form & Style: Camera work most important
Optical devices often used to do this
Abel Gance, Napoleon, 1927
Abel Gance, La Roue, 1922

12. Form & Style: Camera work most important
Optical devices often used to do this
Jean Epstein, Coeur fidele, 1923

13. Form & Style: Camera work most important
Optical devices often used to do this
Double, triple, quadruple, etc., exposures were used throughout Abel Gance’s Napoleon….he reportedly used an early optical printer.
Linwood Dunn in Hollywood with a later optical printer

14. Form & Style: Camera work most important
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

15. Form & Style: Camera work most important
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 shooting
Abel Gance, J’Accuse, 1919

16. Background 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

17. Other Film Types in that Nation at that Time
Genre films
Fantasy (e.g., Rene Clair)
Rene Clair,
Le Fantôme du Moulin Rouge, 1924

18. Other Film Types in that Nation at that Time
Genre films
Fantasy (e.g., Rene Clair)
Comedy (e.g., Max Linder)
Max Linder

19. Importance of the Movement
Influential in style
Not very important in terms of $$ (box office)

20. Important Practitioners
Abel Gance ( )
Abel Gance, Napoleon, 1927

21. Important Practitioners
Jean Epstein ( )
Jean Epstein,
Coeur fidele, 1923

22. Important Practitioners
Germaine Dulac ( )
Germaine Dulac, The Smiling Madame Beudet, 1922

23. The Death of the Movement
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 ($$)

24. Current Influences & Applications
Subjectivity, especially in “indie” films
e.g., films of Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho, Milk)

25. end