André Bazin (April 18, 1918–November 11, 1958) was a famous and influential French film critic and film theorist. April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films. ...

Biography

Bazin was born in Angers, France. He started to write on film in 1943 and was co-founder of the Cahiers du cinéma in 1951. As a spiritual father of the Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave) he was also a personal friend to Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Robert Bresson, Luis Buñuel, Marcel Carné, Jean Cocteau, Henri Langlois, Luchino Visconti and Jean Renoir. He died in Nogent-sur-Marne, Île-de-France. This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, etc. ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Cahiers du cinéma is an influential French film magazine founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Lo Duca. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The New Wave (French: Nouvelle vague) of French cinema was a cinematic movement of the 1960s. ... Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard (born December 3, 1930) was one of the most influential members of the nouvelle vague. ... François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut (February 6, 1932–October 21, 1984) was one of the founders of the French New Wave in filmmaking, and remains an icon of the French film industry. ... Robert Bresson (September 25, 1901–December 18, 1999) was a French film director and master of minimalism. ... Luis Buñuel ( February 22, 1900 – July 29, 1983) was a Spanish-born surrealist filmmaker and poet. ... Marcel Carné (August 18, 1906 - October 31, 1996) was an important French film director. ... Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (July 5, 1889 – October 11, 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, and filmmaker. ... Henri Langlois (November 13, 1914 - January 13, 1977) was, with George Franju and Jean Mitry, the co-founder of the Cinémathèque Française (a Paris-based film theater and museum) in 1936 and is regarded as a pioneer in film preservation and restoration. ... Luchino Visconti, Duke of Modrone (November 2, 1906 - March 17, 1976) was an Italian theatre and cinema director and writer. ... Jean Renoir (September 15, 1894-February 12, 1979), born in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France was a film director. ... Île-de-France can refer to: the historical province of France: see Île-de-France (province) the modern French administrative région: see Île-de-France (région) For other meanings without the circumflex accent, see Ile de France. ...

Bazin practically invented film studies – two of his translated collections of criticism are mainstays of film courses; What is Cinema, volumes 1 & 2. He wanted the film picture to be treated respectfully and believed in the unveiling potential of film: the possibility to depict reality. Bazin is known as a proponent of "appreciative criticism," wherein only critics who like a film can write a review of it, thus encouraging constructive criticism.

Bibliography

In English:

• What Is Cinema?, by André Bazin (1967)
• Orson Welles, by André Bazin (1979)
• French Cinema of the Occupation and Resistance: The Birth of a Critical Esthetic, by André Bazin (1982)
• The Cinema of Cruelty: From Bunuel to Hitchcock, by André Bazin (1982)
• Essays on Chaplin, by André Bazin (1985)
• Jean Renoir, by André Bazin (1992)
• Bazin at Work: Major Essays & Reviews from the Forties and Fifties, by André Bazin, Bert Cardullo (ed.) (1996)
• French Cinema from the Liberation to the New Wave, 1945-1958, by André Bazin, Bert Cardullo (ed.) (2004)

Online texts

• The Life and Death of Superimposition (1946) (http://www.film-philosophy.com/vol6-2002/n1bazin)
• Will CinemaScope Save the Film Industry? (1953) (http://www.film-philosophy.com/vol6-2002/n2bazin)

External links

• André Bazin : An Unofficial Tribute to The World-Renowned Film Critic and Film Theorist (http://www.unofficialbaziniantrib.com/)
• André Bazin - Divining the real (page on BFI) (http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/archive/innovators/bazin.html)
• André Bazin: Part 1, Film Style Theory in its Historical Context (http://www.horschamp.qc.ca/new_offscreen/bazin_intro.html)
• André Bazin: Part 2, Style as a Philosophical Idea (http://horschamp.qc.ca/new_offscreen/bazin_intro2.html)