A history of French cinema (1930-1939)
of Philippe Pallin & Denis Zorgniotti, Preface by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Publisher : Editions Lett Motif (August 25, 2020)
Language : French
Number of pages : 360 pages
A history of French cinema presents itself as a series of works, classified by successive decades (from the 1930s to the present day) to offer the reader a complete panorama of French cinema. For each year, the major films, a great director, an actress and an actor are highlighted, as well as a large thematic file addressing the essential questions of the period for cinema. Through these analyses, and the perspective of works and artists in a historical, social, political and even technical context, this book aims to be the relevant story – and on occasion, impertinent! – the history, rich but still too little known, of our cinema.
From the advent of talkies to the collapse of the Second World War, the 1930s represented, in more ways than one, a veritable golden age of French cinema. Following the technical revolution linked to the arrival of talkies, which completely upset the approach to the seventh art, the decade was marked by historical events as important as the crisis of 1929 and the Popular Front. With, on the one hand, the still strong memory of the Great War and, on the other, the fear of a new conflict, a French cinema in full mutation takes shape, between carelessness and gravity, between idealism and realism, until at the birth of a determining current for world cinema, poetic realism. During the 1930s, great masters (René Clair, Jacques Feyder, Jean Renoir, Julien Duvivier, Marcel Carné) produced masterpieces that were still world-renowned, Freedom is ours!, The Heroic Kermesse, The Great Illusion, Pépé le Moko, Hôtel du Nord ; great actors and actresses are elevated to the rank of sacred monsters (Jean Gabin, Louis Jouvet, Michel Simon, Raimu but also Arletty or Michèle Morgan) without forgetting the invaluable contribution of great supporting roles which make all the verve of the time. But that's not all : A history of French cinema does justice to other fascinating but little-known works, which come to life here as real favourites. This book also pays tribute to actors and actresses, largely forgotten, such as Albert Préjean, Mireille Balin or Corinne Luchaire. The cast is sumptuous, the program of films formidable and sometimes surprising, the reader just has to let himself be carried away, as in a film, to meet the French cinema of the 1930s.
Inspector of National Education, Philippe Pallin has directed his activities as a teacher and trainer towards the history and techniques of cinema.
Radio producer and author for television, Denis Zorgniotti is also a journalist and critic, music and cinema.