In the history of world cinema production, it is French cinema that is of the greatest interest, since this art was born in this country. The first film was shown here, the first film studio appeared, many outstanding actors and directors were born.
Lumiere brothers
The history of French cinema dates back to December 28, 1895, when cinema was publicly shown for the first time in the world at the Grand Cafe on Kapucin Boulevard. It was a tape shot by Auguste and Louis Lumiere on the apparatus, which was invented by them. It is believed that it was on this day that cinema was born.
A few months before this, an experimental film demonstration was held in Paris, during which they showed "The Exit of Workers from an Industrial Factory." At the next session, seven films were presented to the audience, among them were the famous "Watered Waterer", "Tomorrow's Child", "Arrival of the Train", which were shown at the "Grand Cafe".
Then it became apparent how much public interest this new form of art was causing. Sessions of 20 minutes lasted all day almost without a break. The ticket price was equal to one franc. In the first three weeks, more than two thousand people visited the cinema.
At the dawn of cinema
The second iconic person in the development of cinema after the Lumiere brothers was Georges Méliès. He was born in 1861, had a technical education, but had a strong craving for art. He drew caricatures, worked in the theater as an actor, director and decorator.
When the cinema appeared, it first became a means for Méliès, which made it possible to diversify the theatrical repertoire. The film turned into one of the numbers of the entertainment program that he was preparing. However, soon this art absorbed him so much that in 1896 he began to shoot himself.
It was Méliès who discovered the methods of accelerated and slowed-down shooting, and eventually began to use the influx and dimming. He was the first to build a pavilion in his own country house near Paris. Everything was equipped there for the stunt technique of filming - lifts, hatches, carts for departures and arrivals of the camera. Méliès even made an attempt to move from black and white to color cinema, trying to colorize frames by hand. The duration of the painting at that time rarely exceeded a quarter of an hour, but it was still a complex and painstaking process, especially in the production of fairy tales, which Méliès had a lot of.
In 1897, paintings "Faust and Margarita" and "Mephistopheles' Cabinet" were released. It was then that the first attempt was made to remove the voice simultaneously, recording on the phonograph roller. The first years of the 20th century turned out to be fruitful for Méliès, when the first fantastic films of French cinema were filmed - Journey to the Moon, Man-Orchestra, and 20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. His works have always been distinguished by originality and fiction, diverse and rich technical solutions. The vulgar comic in them combined with sincere charm.
Made by Méliès was a real breakthrough in the development of not only French cinema, but also world cinema. The recipe for his success was in the play re-enactment of scenes pre-rehearsed by the actors.
The birth of genres
The growth of production led not only to the need to improve technical capabilities, but also outlined the acute problem of a shortage of personnel, especially directors. In the early years, random people were often attracted to work, at best photographers.
The emergence of markets stimulated the expansion of production and offered a variety of products. French cinema, although it was the very first to appear, began to lag behind in a short segment. The distributors had to buy films in England and the USA, where even then the viewers were offered many original plots.
Leading directors began to shoot more often in kind. The pursuit of new stories at the very beginning of the history of French cinema leads to widespread use of the repertoire of booths and circuses, as well as adaptations of literary works.
Vanguard
After the First World War, a movement against the use of cinema for commercial purposes appeared in French cinema of the 20th century. He was led by representatives of the vanguard of that time. They were engaged in experiments, while significantly expanding the capabilities of the cinema.
The first film of French cinema in a new direction is considered to be "Mechanical Ballet" by Fernand Leger, which was released in 1924. It was followed by a series of short films belonging to the Dadaistic, abstract, surrealistic directions. The directors experimented in the field of form, practically ignoring the content.
Surrealists in the cinema
At that time, the stylistic directions of French cinema began to take shape. For example, many supporters of surrealism have appeared. By the end of the 20s, it was presented in two forms at once - sharp and calm.
The creator of beautiful photographic visions Mann Ray belonged to calm surrealism in cinema, and the Spanish director Luis Bunuel, who worked with the artist Salvador Dali, was sharp.
The works of Cavalcanti and Renoir
For avant-garde cinema, the work of the Brazilian director Alberto Cavalcanti, who worked in France, was of great importance. In 1926 he made his debut with a sentimental report devoted to the life of everyday Paris, which was called "Only Time". This was the first attempt to capture the life of a big city, its social and architectural contrasts.
In the film "On the Raid" in 1928, he creates a romantic atmosphere of a port tavern in Marseille, demonstrating the contrast between the dream of distant wanderings and the real everyday life.
Around the same period, the son of impressionist Auguste Renoir, Jean, made his debut in cinema. In his paintings “Girl with Matches”, “Daughter of Water”, he seeks to find a screen expression for a classic fairy tale plot.
At the end of the silent period
The first sound films in France appeared in 1928. Then it became apparent that silent cinema was dying rapidly. Many considered the appearance of sound a real disaster. They were afraid that because of this theatrical traditions would be transferred to the screen, and the laws of film expression would be forgotten.
The arrival of sound cinema was most sensitive to the avant-garde artists who were at an impasse. Having no funds for further experiments, most of them stopped their creative activities.
Those who remained embarked on a creative search. One of the most prominent representatives of that time is Jacques Fader. He began working in films in 1912 at the studio "Gomon" as an actor. Four years later, he shot his first film - "Mr. Penson - a policeman."
His merit lies in the fact that he simultaneously tried to resist commercial cinema and the avant-garde, creating films that were addressed to all segments of the public, while possessing artistic merit. In the golden film fund of French cinema, you can include his work "Kiss", "Big Game", "Pension " Mimosa "", "Heroic Kermessa."
"New wave"
In the 50-60s, it was France that became the pioneer of fashion in the cinema. Here the direction of the "new wave" is born. One of its fundamental differences from commercial films is the rejection of the shooting style that had been exhausted by then and the predictability of the narrative.
Representatives of the French “new wave” in the cinema are young directors who previously worked as journalists and critics. In their publications, they criticize the existing film production system, adherence to bourgeois values, and use experiments that are radical for that time.
Their films are distinguished by a sharply negative attitude towards the world of elders and established morality. They are looking for a new style and new heroes - relaxed and free-thinking young people who personify the impending era of the youth revolution.
The first film of the "new wave" becomes Claude Chabrol's "Handsome Serge". This is the story of Francois suffering from tuberculosis, who returns from Switzerland to his homeland after ten years of absence. Overwhelming international and commercial success was with the existential drama Alane Renee "Hiroshima, My Love", the criminal film by Francois Truffaut, "Four hundred Blows", the drama of Jean-Luc Godard "In the Last Breath," which was released from 1958 to 1960.
The views of the directors
At the same time, participants in the “new wave” denied the existence of a single aesthetic concept. They were united by an antipathy to the stars of the 50s and the idea of the need to create author's cinema, that is, works that would express the essence of their creators with the help of individual stylistics.
Representatives of the "new wave" are really pursuing different goals. Chabrol ridiculed a romantic view of man, Truffaut demonstrated the absurd consequences of the insolvent rebellion of the individual against the bourgeois world. The most significant figure was Godard, who gave the floor to lonely rebels, whose anarchism was born of a spontaneous protest against the transformation of man into a robot.
"New Wave" played an important role in the formation of the entire world cinema language, influencing the next several generations of independent filmmakers. These paintings laid the foundation for the cinematic theory that appeared in the 70s. According to her, the director must be an author who takes part in all stages of film production in order to develop his own unique style.
Nowadays
Modern French cinema is basically a sophisticated spectacle in which drama and psychologism are often combined with outstanding cameraman work. The style of modern cinema is determined by fashionable directors, whose names are constantly at the hearing.
By the beginning of the XXI century, they include Luc Besson, Francois Ozon, Jean-Pierre Genet. The best films of the French cinema of these masters are the crime drama Leon and the fantastic action movie The Fifth Element of Besson, the thriller In the House, the melodrama Young and Beautiful and the drama Franz Ozone, the fantasy City of Lost Children, historical drama "Long Engagement" and the family adventure film "The Incredible Journey of Mr. Spivet" to Zhenya.
In the genre movie stands out Pascal Lodge. He seeks to use the traditions of the classical horror to rethink important moral and philosophical problems. At the moment, his most striking work is the dramatic thriller The Martyrs of 2008.
French comedies
The visiting card of French cinema throughout the 20th century is comedy. Perhaps no other country has presented the world with so many comedians and funny stories.
In the 40-60s, the inimitable Fernandel shone, he was replaced by Bourville, Louis de Funes, Pierre Richard. Almost each of them had a memorable image of a hero who wandered from one tape to another - Commissioner Juve de Funes, Francois Perrin Richard. The latter became famous for several famous comedies in an acting duet with Gerard Depardieu - "Unlucky", "Dad", "Runaways".
Among contemporary artists of the comic genre, it is worth mentioning Dani Boone and Jean Dujardin.