Mists of Regret
eBook - PDF

Mists of Regret

Culture and Sensibility in Classic French Film

  1. 384 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Mists of Regret

Culture and Sensibility in Classic French Film

About this book

Just before World War II, French cinema reached a high point that has been dubbed the style of "poetic realism." Working with unforgettable actors like Jean Gabin and Arletty, directors such as Renoir, Carné, Gremillon, Duvivier, and Chenal routinely captured the prizes for best film at every festival and in every country, and their accomplishments led to general agreement that the French were the first to give maturity to the sound cinema. Here the distinguished film scholar Dudley Andrew examines the motivations and consequences of these remarkable films by looking at the cultural web in which they were made.


Beyond giving a rich view of the life and worth of cinema in France, Andrew contributes substantially to our knowledge of how films are dealt with in history. Where earlier studies have treated the masterpieces of this era either in themselves or as part of the vision of their creators, and where certain recent scholars have reacted to this by dissolving the masterpieces back into the system of entertainment that made them possible, Andrew stresses the dialogue of culture and cinema. In his view, the films open questions that take us into the culture, while our understanding of the culture gives energy, direction, and consequence to our reading of the films. The book demonstrates the value of this hermeneutic approach for one set of texts and one period, but it should very much interest film theorists and film historians of all sorts.

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Yes, you can access Mists of Regret by Dudley Andrew in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Film History & Criticism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents
  5. Preface
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Chapter 1: Introduction: A Compass in the Mist of Poetic Realism
  8. Chapter 2: Impressionism and Surrealism: The Origins of an Optique
  9. Chapter 3: Adolescents in an Adolescent Industry
  10. Chapter 4: French Cinema and the Sonic Boom
  11. Chapter 5: Theatrical Models for French Films
  12. Chapter 6: The Literary and Artistic Sources of Poetic Realism
  13. Chapter 7: Demands of Realism
  14. Chapter 8: Figures of the Poetic
  15. Chapter 9: Jean Renoir: Adaptation, Institution, Auteur
  16. Chapter 10: The Myth of Poetic Realism
  17. Chapter 11: Epilogue: Le Temps des cerises and the Fruit of Regret
  18. Appendix: Chronology of French Films Mentioned
  19. Notes
  20. Bibliography
  21. Index of Film Titles
  22. General Index