Genre, myth, and convention in the classic French cinema, 1929-1939

Genre, Myth, and Convention in the French Cinema, 1929–1939 examines classic French film, exploring and analyzing the cinema as an institution, the textual system to which it gave rise, and the light that such an approach can shed on the process of production and reception of specific films. Colin Crisp identifies recurrent patterns in the fields of character, narrative, and setting in the French cinema of the early sound period and delineates the myths that these patterns embodied. In Part One he discusses the 1,300 films produced by the French cinema in the 1930s, treating them as a single global textual system that returns obsessively to certain types of story, character, and setting. Part Two deals with publications of the period that comment on those films. The extensive viewer's guide and filmography make this book an essential resource for students of the history of cinema. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 Part One. Thirteen Hundred Films......Page 28 ONE Identity: Reflecting on the Self......Page 30 TWO Nation and Race: French and Not-French— Stereotypes and Myths......Page 58 THREE Class: Authority, Oppression, and the Dream of Escape......Page 99 FOUR Gender and the Family: The Formation and Dissolution of the Couple......Page 134 FIVE Education, the Media, and the Law: The Training of a Citizen......Page 167 SIX Art and Transcendence: Spirituality and Reflexivity......Page 193 Part Two. Genre, Star, Box Office......Page 228 SEVEN Cinematic Genres in France: “A grotesque mask” or “the genius of the system”?......Page 230 EIGHT The Stars in Their (Dis)courses: “Anemic dreams” and “poetry for pallid people”?......Page 273 NINE Box-Office Success in the Thirties: Films “debased by popular taste”?......Page 306 TEN Conclusion......Page 365 A Viewer's Guide......Page 378 Filmography......Page 407 Notes......Page 448 Bibliography......Page 458 Index......Page 462 Film Index......Page 474 About the Author......Page 488 "'Genre, myth, and convention in the French cinema, 1929-1939' examines classic French film, exploring and analyzing the cinema as an institution, the textual system to which it gave rise, and the light that these can shed on the process of production and reception of specific films. Colin Crisp identifies recurrent patterns in the fields of character, narrative, and setting in the French cinema of the early sound period and delineates the myths that these patterns embodied. In Part One Crisp discusses the 1,300 films produced by the French cinema in the 1930s, treating them as a single global textual system that obsessively returns to certain types of story, character, and setting. Part Two deals with publications of the period that comment on those films. The extensive viewer's guide and filmography make this book an essential resource for anyone studying the history of cinema." -- rear cover Part One: Thirteen Hundred Films -- Identity: Reflecting On The Self -- Nation And Race: French And Not-french -- Stereotypes And Myths -- Class: Authority, Oppression, And The Dream Of Escape -- Gender And The Family: The Formation And Dissolution Of The Couple -- Education, The Media, And The Law: The Training Of A Citizen -- Art And Transcendence: Spirituality And Reflexivity -- Part Two: Genre, Star, Box Office -- Cinematic Genres In France: A Grotesque Mask Or The Genius Of The System? -- The Stars In Their (dis)courses: Anemic Dreams And Poetry For Pallid People? -- Box-office Success In The Thirties: Films Debased By Popular Taste? -- Conclusion. Colin Crisp. Filmography: P. [380]-420. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [431]-433) And Indexes. This work identifies patterns in the fields of character, narrative, and setting in the French cinema of the early sound period