Abel Gance and the End of Silent Cinema : Sounding Out Utopia

This book explores the creation and destruction of Abel Gance’s most ambitious film project, and seeks to explain why his meteoric career was so nearly extinguished at the end of silent cinema. By 1929, Gance was France’s most famous director. Acclaimed for his technical innovation and visual imagination, he was also admonished for the excessive length and expense of his productions. Gance’s first sound film, __La Fin du Monde__ (1930), was a critical and financial disaster so great that it nearly destroyed his career. But what went wrong? Gance claimed it was commercial sabotage whilst critics blamed the director’s inexperience with new technology. Neither excuse is satisfactory. Based on extensive archival research, this book re-investigates the cultural background and aesthetic consequences of Gance’s transition from silent filmmaking to sound cinema. __La Fin du Monde__ is revealed to be only one element of an extraordinary cultural project to transform cinema into a universal religion and propagate its power through the League of Nations. From unfinished films to unrealized social revolutions, the reader is given a fascinating tour of Gance’s lost cinematic utopia. Preface: The Sublime And The Ridiculous; Part I: Overcoming The Past. Introduction; Chapter 1: In The Shadow Of War ; Medium And Message; Accusations; Fate; Reclaiming History; Notes; Chapter 2: Towards Utopia ; Art As Religion; Utopian Narratives; Note; Chapter 3: Prophets Of The Future ; Cinematic Messiahs; Embodying Revolution; Taking Action; Note; Chapter 4: Cinema And The Life Of Space; Citizens Of Space; The Psychic Universe; Art And Metaphysics; Magic, Music, Light; Note; Summary; Part Ii: Impossible Dreams; Introduction; Chapter 5: Artistic Integrity And Industrial Change ; Author And Industry; World Cinema; The Coming Of Sound; Notes; Chapter 6: A History Of Incompletion ; Leadership And Recruitment; Sacred Labour; Crises; Distribution; Reverberations; Notes; Summary; Note; Part Iii: The Marvel Of Ruins; Introduction; Chapter 7: Passion And Performance ; Premonitions; Projecting The Voice; Rivals; Film As Testament; Notes; Chapter 8: Fighting To Be Heard; The Speed Of Exchange; Voices Of Authority; Resolutions; Note; Chapter 9: The World On Fire ; Absence And Excess; Orgies; The End; Epilogue; Note; Summary; Notes; Conclusion: 'why Have I Been Only What I Am?'; The Burden Of Reality; Alternative Histories; Looking To The Future; Filmography And Bibliography; Index. Paul Cuff. "This book explores the creation and destruction of Abel Gance's most ambitious film project, and seeks to explain why his meteoric career was so nearly extinguished at the end of silent cinema. By 1929, Gance was France's most famous director. Acclaimed for his technical innovation and visual imagination, he was also admonished for the excessive length and expense of his productions. Gance's first sound film, La Fin du Monde (1930), was a critical and financial disaster so great that it nearly destroyed his career. But what went wrong? Gance claimed it was commercial sabotage whilst critics blamed the director's inexperience with new technology. Neither excuse is satisfactory. Based on extensive archival research, this book re-investigates the cultural background and aesthetic consequences of Gance's transition from silent filmmaking to sound cinema. La Fin du Monde is revealed to be only one element of an extraordinary cultural project to transform cinema into a universal religion and propagate its power through the League of Nations. From unfinished films to unrealized social revolutions, the reader is given a fascinating tour of Gance's lost cinematic utopia"--OCLC Front Matter....Pages i-xxxii Front Matter....Pages 1-4 In the Shadow of War....Pages 5-20 Towards Utopia....Pages 21-39 Prophets of the Future....Pages 41-55 Cinema and the Life of Space....Pages 57-77 Back Matter....Pages 79-80 Front Matter....Pages 81-84 Artistic Integrity and Industrial Change....Pages 85-104 A History of Incompletion....Pages 105-131 Back Matter....Pages 133-135 Front Matter....Pages 137-142 Passion and Performance....Pages 143-166 Fighting to be Heard....Pages 167-176 The World on Fire....Pages 177-198 Back Matter....Pages 199-204 Back Matter....Pages 205-241