NationMaster - Encyclopedia: French film

France has been influential in the development of film as a mass medium and as an art form. Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... For other uses of the word Media see media (disambiguation). ...

History

Late 19th century to early 20th century

In the late 19th century, during the early years of cinema, France produced several important pioneers. Auguste and Louis Lumière invented the cinématographe and their screening of L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de la Ciotat in Paris in 1895 is marked by many historians as the official birth of cinema. During the next few years, filmmakers all over the world started experimenting with this new medium, and France's Georges Méliès was influential. He invented many of the techniques now common in the cinematic language, and made the first ever science fiction film A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune, 1902). Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Lumière Brothers, Louis Jean ( October 5, 1864– June 6, 1948) and Auguste Marie Louis Nicholas ( October 19, 1862– April 10, 1954), were the creators of the cinematographic projector. ... The cinematograph or Lumiére Cinématographe was an early type film projector, an all-in-one camera, projector and developer, circa 1895. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 – January 21, 1938), full name Maries-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. ... Poster for The Day the Earth Stood Still, an archetypal science fiction film. ... Categories: Movie stubs | 1902 films | French films | Science fiction films | Steampunk ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Other early individuals and organizations of this period included Gaumont Pictures and Pathé Frères. Alice Guy Blaché was one of the first pioneers in cinema. She made her first film in 1896, 'La Fée au Choux', and was head of production at Gaumont 1897-1906, where she made in total about 400 films. Her career continued in the United States. Gaumont Pictures were founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont (1864-1946). ... Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France. ... Alice Guy-Blaché ( July 1, 1873– March 24, 1968) was a pioneer filmmaker who was the first female director in the motion picture industry and is considered to be the first ever director of a fiction film. ... La Fée au Choux (The Cabbage Fairy) is one of the earliest narrative fiction films ever made. ...

Beginning in 1935, renowned playright and actor Sacha Guitry directed his first film. He made more than 30 films that are seen as the precursor to the new wave era. 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sacha Guitry, born February 21, 1885 in St. ...

In 1937 Jean Renoir, the son of famous painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, directed what many see as his first masterpiece, La Grande Illusion (The Grand Illusion). In 1939 Renoir directed La Règle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game). Several movie critic's have cited this film as one of the greatest of all-time. Jean Renoir (September 15, 1894-February 12, 1979), born in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France was a film director. ... Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (February 25, 1841 - December 3, 1919) was a French artist who painted in the impressionist style. ... Grand Illusion (1937) poster for American release, depicting actors Jean Gabin (as Lt. ... The Rules of the Game (original French title: La règle du jeu) is a 1939 film directed by Jean Renoir about upper-class French society just before the start of World War II. The film was initially condemned for its satire on the French upper classes and was greeted... This is a partial list of films that have been regarded as the greatest ever. ...

Marcel Carne's Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise) was filmed during World War II and released in 1945. The three hour film was extremely difficult to make due to the conditions during the Nazi occupation. Set in Paris in 1828, the film was voted "Best French Film of the Century" in a poll of 600 French critics and professionals in the late 1990s. Marcel Carné (August 18, 1906 - October 31, 1996) was an important French film director. ... This article is about Children of Paradise, the film. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Post-World War II: 1940s-1970s

In the critical magazine Cahiers du cinéma founded by André Bazin, critics and lovers of film would discuss film and why it worked. Modern film theory was born there. Additionally, Cahiers critics such as Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, etc. went on to make films themselves, creating what was to become known as the French New Wave. Some of the first movies of this new genre was Truffaut's The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cent Coups, 1959) starring Jean-Pierre Léaud and Godard's Breathless (À bout de souffle, 1960), starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. Cahiers du cinéma is an influential French film magazine founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Lo Duca. ... André Bazin (April 18, 1918–November 11, 1958) was a famous and influential French film critic and film theorist. ... Film theory seeks to develop concise, systematic concepts that apply to the study of film/cinema as art. ... 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. ... Claude Chabrol (born June 24, 1930) is a French movie director and has become well_known in the 40 years since his first film, Le Beau Serge, for his chilling tales of murder, including Le Boucher. ... The New Wave (French: Nouvelle vague) of French cinema was a cinematic movement of the 1960s. ... This article is about the French film. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jean-Pierre Léaud (born May 5, 1944) is a French actor. ... Breathless was the English language title given to the French film À bout de souffle, (literally, At the end of breath), directed by Jean-Luc Godard and released in 1960, becoming one of the best-known films of the French New Wave. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jean Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Belmondo (born April 9, 1933) is a French actor. ...

Personalities from this period

André Bazin (April 18, 1918–November 11, 1958) was a famous and influential French film critic and film theorist. ... Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Bardot (born September 28, 1934 in Paris) is a French actress and model, daughter of an industrialist. ... Sarah Bernhardt (portrait by Nadar) Sarah Bernhardt (October 22, 1844 – March 26, 1923) was a French stage actress. ... Robert Bresson (September 25, 1901–December 18, 1999) was a French film director and master of minimalism. ... René Clément, born on March 18, 1913 in Bordeaux, in the Gironde département of France - died on March 17, 1996, in Monte Carlo, Monaco, was a film director and screenwriter. ... Claude Chabrol (born June 24, 1930) is a French movie director and has become well_known in the 40 years since his first film, Le Beau Serge, for his chilling tales of murder, including Le Boucher. ... Maurice Chevalier (September 12, 1888 - January 1, 1972) was a French actor and popular entertainer. ... Henri-Georges Clouzot (November 20, 1904 - January 12, 1977) was a French film director born in Niort, Deux-Sèvres. ... Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (July 5, 1889 – October 11, 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, and filmmaker. ... The director and screenwriter Jacques Demy (1931 - 1990) was one of the most approachable filmmakers of the French New Wave. ... Jean Eustache (November 30, 1938 - November 4, 1981) was a famous French filmmaker, whose best known feature film was the 210 minute film The Mother and the Whore. ... Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard (born December 3, 1930) was one of the most influential members of the nouvelle vague. ... 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. ... Claude Lelouch (born October 30, French film director, writer and producer. ... Louis Malle (October 30, 1932 - November 23, 1995) was a French film director. ... Marcel Marceau (born March 22, 1923) is a well-known mime and among the most popular representatives of this art form world-wide. ... Chris Marker (born July 29, 1921) is a writer, photographer, film director and documentary maker. ... Jeanne Moreau (born January 23, 1928) is a French actress. ... Michel Piccoli (born December 27, 1925) is a French actor. ... Jean Renoir (September 15, 1894-February 12, 1979), born in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France was a film director. ... Alain Resnais (born June 3, 1922) is a famous French film director, perhaps best known for his masterpieces Hiroshima mon amour (1959), written by Marguerite Duras, and Last Year at Marienbad (Lannée dernière à Marienbad) (1961), written by the French novelist Alain Robbe-Grillet, but also recognised for... Eric Rohmer (born 1920) is a French film director He was born in Nancy, France. ... Jacques Rivette (born March 1, 1928) is a French film director. ... Categories: 1912 births | 1991 deaths | French actors | Cinema actors | People stubs ... Jacques Tati (October 9, 1908 – November 5, 1982) was a French filmmaker. ... Jean-Louis Trintignant (born December 11, 1930) is a French actor, born in Piolenc, Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-C dAzur, France. ... 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. ... Roger Vadim (January 26, 1928 - February 10, 2000), was a journalist, author, actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who launched Brigitte Bardots career in the film And God Created Woman. ... Agnès Varda (born May 30, 1928) is a French filmmaker and director based in Paris and one of the key figures in modern film. ...

1980s

When Jean-Jacques Beineix made Diva (1981) it sparked the beginning of the 80s wave of French cinema. Movies which followed in its wake included Betty Blue (37°2 le matin, 1986) by Beineix, The Big Blue (Le Grand bleu, 1988) by Luc Besson and The Lovers on the Bridge (Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, 1991) by Leos Carax. Jean-Jacques Beineix (born October 8, 1946) is a French film director. ... Diva is the Latin and Italian word for goddess, the feminine form of the Latin word divus (= god). Time Magazine observed in its October 21, 2002 issue: The word was originally used of great female opera singers, almost always sopranos (like Maria Callas), but can be used to describe many... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Luc Besson Luc Besson (born March 18, 1959) is a French film director, writer, and producer. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1990s

In 1991, Jean-Pierre Jeunet made Delicatessen. In 1995 The City of Lost Children (La Cité des enfants perdus) came out. Both films featured a distinctive style. Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jean-Pierre Jeunet (born 3 September 1953, Roanne, Loire - France) is a French film director. ... Delicatessen (1991) is a French black comedy by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the mid-1990s, Krzysztof Kieslowski released his Three colors trilogy, Blue, White and Red. Mathieu Kassovitz's film Hate (La Haine, 1995) made Vincent Cassel into a star. The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... Blue is the English language title of the 1993 French language film, Trois Couleurs: Bleu (available with English subtitles). ... White is the English language title of the 1993 French- and Polish-language film, Trois couleurs: Blanc or Trzy kolory: Biały (available with English subtitles). ... Red is the English language title of the 1994 French language film, Trois Couleurs: Rouge (available with English subtitles). ... Mathieu Kassovitz is a French actor, director and screenwriter, and is considered one of contemporary Frances top young film talents. ... La Haine cover, with the strapline Jusquici tout va bien… (Until now, everything is going OK…) La Haine (Hate) is a French black-and-white film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, released in 1995. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vincent Cassel (born November 23, 1966) is a French actor. ...

In 2001 after a brief stint in Hollywood with the fourth Alien film (Alien: Resurrection), Jeunet returned to France with Amélie (Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) starring Audrey Tautou and Kassovitz. 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Hollywood (disambiguation) Greetings from Hollywood Hollywood is a district of the City of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., that runs from about Vermont Avenue on the east to just beyond Laurel Canyon Boulevard above Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards on the west; the north to... Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is an extremely popular and influential science fiction/horror film that spawned several sequels and imitators. ... Film poster Alien: Resurrection Alien: Resurrection (1997) is the fourth movie in the Alien series, preceded by Alien, Aliens and Alien³. Synopsis Spoiler warning: Alien: Resurrection takes place 200 years after the events of Alien³. Ellen Ripley has been cloned using blood samples from Fiorina 161, on ice so that... Released in 2001, Le Fabuleux Destin dAmélie Poulain (The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain), or Amélie, as it is known in the English-speaking world, is a quirky French romantic comedy, or a modern fairy tale, starring Audrey Tautou. ... Audrey Tautou (born August 9, 1978) is a French actress, born in Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme, France. ...

Current situation

As the advent of television threatened the life of cinema itself, countries were faced with the problem of reviving cinema-going. The French cinema market, and more generally the French-speaking market, is smaller than the English-speaking market, one reason being that some major markets such as the United States are fairly reluctant to import foreign movies. As a consequence, French movies have to be amortized on a relatively small market and thus generally have budgets far lower than their American counterparts, ruling out expensive settings and special effects. Interestingly, the once prospering filmmaking industry of countries such as Italy has now largely been eliminated. The French government has therefore implemented various measures aimed at supporting local film production and movie theaters, including: Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to create effects that cannot be achieved by normal means, such as depicting travel to other star systems. ...

Canal Plus Group (Canal+) is a French film and television studio and distributor. ... DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for storing data, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... The video cassette recorder (or VCR, less popularly video tape recorder) is a type of video tape recorder that uses removable cassettes containing magnetic tape to record audio and video from a television broadcast so it can be played back later. ...

Notable contemporary French cinema personalities

Actors

Isabelle Adjani (born June 27, 1955) is an actress and movie producer. ... Renée Adorée (September 30, 1898–October 5, 1933) was a French actress. ... Anouk Aimée (born April 27, 1932) is a French film actress. ... Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born March 22, 1949 in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France) is a French actress. ... Jean-Pierre Aumont (January 5, 1911 - January 29, 2001) was a French actor. ... Daniel Auteuil (born January 24, 1950) is a French actor. ... Portrait of Charles Aznavour. ... Emmanuelle Béart (born August 14, 1965) is a French actress. ... Monica Bellucci Monica Bellucci (born September 30, 1964 <or 1969 according to her site>) is an Italian supermodel and actress, born in Citta di Castello, Italy. ... Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (born March 9, 1964) is a French actress, born in Paris, France. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... The English Patient is a novel by Michael Ondaatje which deals with the gradually revealed histories of a critically burned man, his Canadian nurse, a thief, and a British Army sapper as they live out the end of World War II in an Italian monastery. ... Charles Boyer in Love Affair Charles Boyer ( August 28, 1897 – August 26, 1978) was a French actor. ... Capucine (January 6, 1931 - March 17, 1990) was a European actress. ... Leslie Caron (b. ... Vincent Cassel (born November 23, 1966) is a French actor. ... Aurore Clément (born October 12, 1945) is a French actress. ... Photo still of Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 _ July 30, 1996) was a French-American actress. ... Valérie Crunchant (born 1972) is a French actress. ... Alain Delon Alain Delon (born November 8, 1935) is a French actor, one of the best known outside his native country. ... Julie Delpy, 2003 press photo Julie Delpy (born December 21, 1969) is a French actress. ... Catherine Deneuve Catherine Deneuve (born October 22, 1943) is a French actress, born in Paris, France. ... Gérard Depardieu (born December 27, 1948; pronunciation?) is a French actor. ... Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (May 8, 1903 - February 26, 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor. ... Louis de Funès poster from Les Grandes Vacances Louis de Funès de Galarza ( July 31, 1914, Courbevoie, France, - January 27, 1983) was a French actor who is considered by many to be one of the giants of French comedy. ... Judith Godrèche (born March 23, 1972) is a French actress and author, born in Paris, France. ... Isabelle Ann Huppert (born March 16, 1955) is a French actress. ... Irène Marie Jacob (born July 15, 1966) is a French-born Swiss actress. ... Virginie Ledoyen (born November 15, 1976) is a French actress, born in Aubervilliers, France as Virginie Fernandez. ... Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau (November 17, 1966) is a French actress. ... Braveheart is an American motion picture released in 1995 that was very loosely based on the life of William Wallace, a major Scottish hero. ... A Bond girl is an actress taking a lead role in a James Bond movie or video game, or the character they play. ... Jean Marais, born Jean-Villain Marais (December 11, 1913 - November 8, 1998) was a French actor, and the lover of Jean Cocteau. ... Mistinguett (April 5, 1875 - January 5, 1956) was a French singer, born Jeanne Bourgeois in Enghien-les-Bains, Val-dOise, Île-de-France, France. ... Jean Reno (born Don Juan Moreno y Jederique Jimenez, July 30, 1948 in Casablanca, Morocco) is a French actor. ... Emmanuelle Seigner (born June 22, 1966) is a French actress, born in Paris, France. ... Simone Signoret (March 25, 1921 - September 30, 1985), was the pseudonym (after her mothers last name) of Simone Kaminker, a French actress. ... Audrey Tautou (born August 9, 1978) is a French actress, born in Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme, France. ... Marie Trintignant (January 21, 1962 - August 1, 2003) was a French actress. ... Michael Vartan (born November 27, 1968) is a French-American actor. ... Hervé Villechaise Hervé Villechaise (April 23, 1943 - September 4, 1993) was a famous French actor who was born in Paris and achieved world-wide recognition with his role as Tattoo in the television series Fantasy Island (1978-1984). ...

Directors

Jean-Jacques Annaud (born October 1st, 1943) is a French film director. ... Olivier Assayas (born January 25, 1955) is a French film director and screenwriter. ... Luc Besson Luc Besson (born March 18, 1959) is a French film director, writer, and producer. ... Bertrand Blier (born March 14, French screenwriter and film director. ... Catherine Breillat (born July 13, 1948) is a filmmaker and director based in Paris. ... Robert Bresson (September 25, 1901–December 18, 1999) was a French film director and master of minimalism. ... Jean-Paul Civeyrac (born December 24th, 1964) is a French director whose films are usually characterized by a great attention to the music and the Actor’s bodies. ... Yves Caumon (born May 27th, 1964) is a French director. ... Jean Eustache (November 30, 1938 - November 4, 1981) was a famous French filmmaker, whose best known feature film was the 210 minute film The Mother and the Whore. ... Abel Gance (October 25, 1889 - November 10, 1981) a world renowned French film director, producer, writer, actor and editor. ... Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jean-Pierre Jeunet (born 3 September 1953, Roanne, Loire - France) is a French film director. ... Mathieu Kassovitz is a French actor, director and screenwriter, and is considered one of contemporary Frances top young film talents. ... Patrice Leconte (born November 12, 1947, in Paris, France) is a French film director and screenwriter. ... Louis Malle (October 30, 1932 - November 23, 1995) was a French film director. ... André Malraux, French author, adventurer, and statesman André Malraux (November 3, 1901 - November 23, 1976) was a French author, adventurer and statesman preeminent in the world of French politics and culture during his lifetime. ... Gaspar Noé - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... François Ozon - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Maurice Pialat (August 21, 1925 - January 11, 2003) was a French film director and actor. ... Agnès Varda (born May 30, 1928) is a French filmmaker and director based in Paris and one of the key figures in modern film. ... Jean Vigo (April 26, 1905 - October 5, 1934) was a French film director. ...

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