French Cinema: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #742

by Dudley Andrew

It is often claimed that the French invented cinema. Dominating the production and distribution of cinema until World War 1, when they were supplanted by Hollywood, the French cinema industry encompassed all genres, from popular entertainment to avant-garde practice. The French invented the “auteur” and the “cine-club” ; they incubated criticism from the 1920s to our own day that is unrivalled; and they boast more film journals, fan magazines, TV shows, and festivals devoted to film than anywhere else.

This Very Short Introduction opens up French cinema through focusing on some of its most notable works, using the lens of the New Wave decade (1958-1968) that changed cinema worldwide. Exploring the entire French cinematic oeuvre, Dudley Andrew teases out distinguishing themes, tendencies, and lineages, to bring what is most crucial about French Cinema into alignment. He discusses how style has shaped the look of female stars and film form alike, analysing the “made up” aesthetic of many films, and the paradoxical penchant for French cinema to cruelly unmask surface beauty in quests for authenticity. Discussing how French cinema as a whole pits strong-willed characters against auteurs with high-minded ideas of film art, funded by French cinema's close rapport to literature, painting, and music, Dudley considers how the New Wave emerged from these struggles, becoming an emblem of ambition for cinema that persists today. He goes on to show how the values promulgated by the New Wave
directors brought the three decades that preceded it into focus, and explores the deep resonance of those values today, fifty years later.



ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Film, France, Art

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 26, 2024

About the author

Dudley Andrew is a Professor of Film and Comparative Literature at Yale University.

Reviews

[Alden Veazey]

Dr. Richard Neupert invited Dudley Andrew to a talk at Ciné last March (around when he published this book and around when I started reading it). I remember Dudley arguing that animation does not belong in French cinema history. (This is something Neupert disagrees with). This is something I disagree with. In fact, it actually made me a bit angry that someone with little to no knowledge could pick up this book and only ever read the briefly mentioned title The Triplets of Belleville without being explained its context or impact in French/global cinema.

I thought it was a fine read, but that's with a semester of French Cinema and a decade-long general interest. I'd hate to think that the other VSI books read like this... because it certainly is no introduction, rather a semi chronological (the end gets muddled) musing of muses. It tries to balance criticism with practical production/historical information, but my focus was often lost.

All this being said I could never be a film historian because I'd always end up cherrypicking my favorites. With Dudley, its Truffaut. Maybe I'll start a Substack page devoted to Rohmer.

[Anthony V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dudley Andrew is generally acknowledged as the leading expert on French film and the history of the movie industry in France. In this elegantly written short book, he draws on his knowledge of the movies, the industry, aesthetics, and cultural context to provide new ways of understanding and enjoying French cinema. If you share his enthusiasm. you will find many "old friends" that you will see in new ways. You will also be encouraged to seek out movies you may not know now but will be eager to see through his clarifying perspective. This is both a wonderful introduction to over a century of French cinema and a sophisticated and revealing reconsideration of the monuments of French films. Crisply written, with brilliant insights on every page, everyone who loves movies will value and learn a lot from this "very short introduction."

[Christopher Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good start to learning about French Cinema. It discusses most major French films and provides an excellent index for classic French films.

My only complaint is that alot of the analysis has to do with the industry, instead of the actual films. If a film is analysed, its only done with reference to cinematic trends at the time.

[t.f. · Rating 4 out of 5]

DNF. (Not in a bad way, just had to return the book to the library!)
I know people had a lot to complain about it but it does exactly what it says on the tin and was a great introductory for me especially for someone doing a major in filmmaking, I gotta catch up and know this stuff!

[Shimon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Andrew simultaneously provides information and analysis while sucking all life out of French Cinema.