French Impressionism and Surrealism

During the early years, a number of film movements were introduced. World War I struck a serious blow to the French film industry.  That’s why France and its film industry were in tatters. French filmmakers began to explore and experiment, and there is where they see artistic concepts as the solution to raise the French cinema. That’s why they constituted film movements that became a part of the growing international avant-garde. Impressionism and Surrealism were introduced during 1918-1930. Through these movements the French cinema found its way to distinguish itself from the rest of the world.

When France was in tatters, the film industry tried in several ways to recapture the market, mostly through imitation of Hollywood production rnethods and genres. Younger French directors like Abel Gance, Louis Delluc, Germaine Dulac, Marcel L’Herbier and Jean Epstein were different from their predecessors. They said that cinema should be purely itself and should not borrow from other forms of art. Through their films they introduced Impressionist style that made its unique characteristics.

Impressionism was known as the first avant-garde style that operated largely within the film industry. These films manipulate plot time and subjectivity. Flashbacks are common to depict memories. Techniques include the use of blurred images and overlapping images to invoke the character’s inner thoughts.

Some Impressionist films that were cited are Dulac’s The Smiling Mme. Beuclet (1923), Gance's La Roue (1922), L'Herbier's El Doraclo (1920), Napoleon (1927), L'Argent (1928). Impressionism may be said to be dead by 1929, but its influence were still applied to a lot of films until now.

On the other hand, another movement was introduced that time. It was said that Surrealist cinema, developed in the period 1924-1929, was a more radical movement that produced films that shocked the audience. It was directly linked to Surrealism in painting and literature. But Surrealist films were unique in terms of its characteristics. It is overtly anti-narrative and its causality is as evasive as in a dream. Meaning, it follows no plot. The search for bizarre imagery and its deliberate avoidance rational form became the features of Surrealism. The style is also eclectic. Many Surrealist films make us think and find narrative logic that is simply absent.

Some Surrealist films that were cited are the famous Dali and Buñuel's Un Chien Andalou (1928), Dulac’s The Seashell and the Clergyman (1928), Bu٢uel's L'Age d'or (1930), Jean Vigo's Zero de Conduite (1933), Belle de Jour (1967) and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) both by Buñuel.

These film movements were indeed the avant-garde of the industry of film. They contributed to the better form and style of the films in the present as they influenced a lot of directors and filmmakers that made great films.

Reference:

Bordwell, D., Thompson, K. (1979). Film Art: An Introduction (8^th ed.).  McGraw-Hill