1. Narrative cinema l In earliest days, cinema not used for story- telling (Lumières, Méliès) l Cinematic narrative vs. other forms/media: particular to cinematic narrative are (1) collective production (2) allocation of budget (3) requirement for technical apparatus (4) distribution and marketing/advertising (5) certification/censorship

2. Film narrative: the classic narrative model l structured around equilibrium > disruption > new equilibrium l events between also subject to ordering, typically according to cause > effect l classic narrative governed by verisimilitude (vraisemblance) l classic narrative driven forward by central character or ‘hero’, who often brings about resolution

3. Codes of classic narrative 1 l story must be kept moving l causal links between events have to be made clear l location(s)/sets must be credibly constructed l characters must be individuated, ‘fleshed-out’ agents

4. Codes of classic narrative 2 l editing is key mechanism of control l ‘continuity editing’ maintains appearance of continuous space and time in finished film. Viewer can ‘read’ film without conscious effort l establishing shots and shot-reverse shot e.g. in Les Diaboliques

5. Variations on classic narrative l device of ‘delay’ (= withholding of knowledge) in Les Diaboliques. Begins from moment Lasalle’s body is disposed of. l Flashback in Chocolat = 80% of film

6. Flashback (= retour en arrière) l juxtaposes present and past - present dissolves to past l cinematic flashback more efficient than literature or theatre l dissolve (fondu) takes place through voiceover or in image l concepts implied are (1) memory (subjective) (2) history (shared, recorded)

7. Flashback in Chocolat l to address enigma ‘Why is France in Cameroun?’, answered at end of film l is story in itself (becomes the film). Then ‘memory’ becomes ‘history’ again: France is in Cameroun to find out if she still belongs there (no).