Developments in Foreign Films Essay Example For Students

Developments in Foreign Films Essay Because most movies are shot with English dialogue, Unfortunately, this means that the artistic views, interesting ideas and different techniques that are displayed by foreign filmmakers often go unnoticed by their English speaking peers. This essay aims to highlight the important developments, movements and influences present in historic French and Russian cinema. In order to give a broad overview of the industries as a whole, this essay pinpoints eight chosen films, two representing each topic, one Russian, one French. It is the aim to give a short background of each film, followed by examples of how the film is relevant to its topic and backed up by citations and references from both literature and the internet. While each topic paragraph will clearly identify its main French and Russian film before going into detail; however, some supplementary films will be included in certain topics for deeper comparison purposes. The first topic â€Å"Early Developmentsâ€Å" will provide an informative look at the major film movement of the French New Wave and the important artistic development of the Soviet Montage Theory. There will be a discussion of one representative film from each movement. It will be argued that while Russian filmmakers were developing theories to standardise the art, the French were pushing boundaries and trying to break the standards of film. However, these opposing views to film production and the ways in which they were carried out carry many similarities which will also be demonstrated. Relation to Countrys Culture will aim to show the respective position of film within each country and how film can influence and be influenced by its nations culture. There will be an example of each nations reaction to popular, home-produced films. There will be a study of the box office figures for each country, which will be related to the countrys size and number of cinemas, for both domestic and Hollywood productions, in order to numerically represent the popularity of cinema in each country. Next, Acknowledgement and Success Abroad will explore both France and Russias ability to have their films hold a place on the international film stage. There will be an examination of a particularly successful French and a particularly successful Russian film in attempts to learn more about their success worldwide and what caused it. In this section, there will also be a look at the presence of French and Russian actors, actresses and directors in the international market. The final topic â€Å"Modern Changes in Filmâ€Å" will first of all provide a separate overview of modern topics and techniques that are apparent in domestically produced French and Russian films. There will be a study of a representative film for each country. There will then be a comparative discussion of modern eccentricities that are seen in both modern French and Russian films. There will also be a short view of the importance and availability of modern, digital technology such as CGI in domestic French and Russian cinema. 2. Earlier Developments French New Wave and Soviet Montage Theory 2.1 French New Wave French New Wave cinema is a blanket term used to describe a prominent group of French filmmakers that were active in the late 1950s and 1960s. They were well known for their self-conscious rejection of classical cinematic form, experiments with editing, unique visual style, their unprecedented methods of expression and work around social and political upheavals. Following World War I, France was left in a poor financial state that affected many economic areas, including the countrys film industry, which reverted to a dependence on narrative and classical cinema that was evident in the years before the war. This sparked rebellion in critics circles. The development of the New Wave is often attributed to Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, and Jacques Rivette, who began as film critics at the influential French magazine Cahiers du Cinema. The magazine was not happy with the prospect of falling back on the timeworn methods of classical cinema, instead wanting to move forward and develop their art. Truffaut, Godard, Rohmer, Chabrol and Rivette five French filmmakers who, despite evident differences manifest in the more than one hundred films they have completed in the last twenty years, nevertheless share a basic attitude towards the art of film which unites them as a group and separates them from the majority of their predecess ors   (Monaco 1976, preface). Together in their critique, they developed La politique des auteurs, referred to as the Auteur Theory by American film critic Andrew Sarris. This theory was a set of concepts centred around the belief that the primary input into a films creation should come from the director alone, and the end product should be a reflection of the directors artistic vision. Relating to this, the New Wave directors used film not just to tell a story but also to explore and discover the world around them and try to gain a better understanding of its structure. Another point of interest the New Wave directors incorporated into their work was La CamÃÆ' ©ra-Stylo  , which was an idea put forward by writer and filmmaker Alexandre Astruc. He claimed that film had the power to become a means of writing just as flexible and subtle as written language.   New Wave directors strived to see Astrucs idea realized and turn film into a language unto itself. These ideas, combined with others, were at the heart of the French New Wave. It was further developed through a lack of money that caused directors to have to produce low-budget films, and in doing so, were forced to examine the art form itself in order to give their films depth without having money to spend on exotic locations or large productions. Directors used new techniques and visual styles, as well as unusual subject matter, to ensure the art form was not prevented from moving forward due to a lack of state money. 2.2 Soviet Montage Theory Sergei Eisensteins theory of montage was developed in the 1920s. Eisenstein had previous experience working in theatre, where he conducted a series of experimental plays that bombarded the audience with various different attractions in attempts to guide their thinking a certain way. After realising the physical constraints of the theatre, he turned his attention to developing montage for cinema. He first documented his theory in his 1931 essay ËÅ"A Dialectic Approach to Film Form. Eisensteins first four methods of montage consist of using film montage to build a story where each new scene directly relates to the one that came before it. His fifth method, intellectual montage, was not one of building bricks, but of objects in collision, producing an explosion that would arouse the viewer  (Taylor et al, 2000) 2.3 Comparisons of Films A  Bout de Souffle is a 1960 French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It presents the story of a petty criminal who, after stealing a car, shoots a policeman and is forced to run from the police. He hides with his girlfriend, who at first is unaware he is a wanted man, but soon finds out and turns him over to the police. The Battleship Potemkin (1925) is a Russian silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein. It depicts the true story of the mutiny that occurred aboard the Russian ship Potemkin in 1905, when the crew rebelled against their Tsarist officers. A Bout de Souffle was Godards first feature length film, and is one of the inaugural films of the French New Wave movement. The entire film was recorded on handheld camera with very little lighting; Godard had decided to produce the film in the style of a documentary and there was also little money to afford expensive equipment. It was shot on location in Paris. It has also been stated that a great part of the film was improvised on the spot by Godard, who would write lines of dialogue on set, before having a few brief rehearsals on scenes involved, and filming them. The Works of Tyler Perry and Spike Lee Essay4.2 Russian War and Peace is Sergei Bondarchuks 1969 adaptation of the novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy. This film is widely regarded as an epic of cinematic art. It was produced over a seven-year period. The battle scenes in this film are of epic proportion; one goes on for over an hour. Bondarchuk borrowed many objects from museums around Russia to be used as props, which gave a great authenticity to the film. It is estimated that it cost over an estimated $100 million, and, to this date, is still one of the most expensive films ever made. (Metallic 2011). War and Peace is widely regarded as a testament to Russian cinema. It received the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1969. CONCLUSION THE GOOD AND THE BAD 4.3 Actors and Actresses in America In recent times, the amount of French and Russian actors looking English-speaking roles in American films has increased. It can be argued that this is the case because English-speaking films have a bigger target audience than their foreign counterparts. There are approximately 107 countries in the world where English is spoken by a majority. It is far more likely for a talented French or Russian actor to receive fame and recognition on a large scale if they are awarded roles in English-speaking films. Marion Cotillard is a French actress who is currently enjoying success on the international stage. After winning an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2007, Cotillards fame has continued to rise in Hollywood. She has recently starred in a string of commercially successful, big budget American films such as Public Enemies and Inception, and is currently filming Contagion alongside Hollywood favorites Matt Damon and Kate Winslet. In contrast, currently, there is a distinct lack of Russian presence in American cinema. In the 1920s, when the Russian Empire was replaced by the Soviet state, the United States was shaken by the first wave of Russian immigration. However, during the 1970s and 1980s a strange situation occurred when non-Russians were hired to play Russian roles in films. When it was spoken, the language was spoken badly. This has begun to change over the last thirty or forty years. This is because several Russian born actors began to keep residence in Hollywood. A lot of Russian actors are severely limited in Hollywood. This is mostly due to the language barrier. Their accent does them no favors either (Russian Actors). They are usually given small roles as extra or sinister characters. 4.4 Directors A notable Russian directors is Timur Bekmambetov. He has directed such films as Night Watch (2004) and its sequel Day Watch (2006). He continued on to direct one of Hollywoods biggest films of 2008; Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, was an immediate success. It earned $80 million at the international box office in its first day of release. The film went on to earn more than $51 million in America alone (Gusyatinsky 2008). Due to its Russian director, Wanted was also popular in Russia, and was the most popular Universal Pictures release of 2008. Although his success is large, Timur Bekmambetov is one of very few Russian directors to make it big in America. 5. Modern Changes in Film 5.1 French French box office attendance was subjected to a steady decline during the 80s. However, in 2001, the French box office saw its highest numbers in 20 years (Temple and Witt, 2004: 263). While this can be attributed to the popularity of big-budget American cinema available to the younger, widely English-speaking generation, there is also evidence of rising popularity of home-grown films. Le Fabuleux Destin dAmelie Poulain (better known by its English title, Amelie) is a 2001 French romantic comedy directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. It tells the story of a shy waitress, played by Audrey Tautou, who embarks on a journey of self-fulfillment by helping others, while still being unable to conquer her own confidence issues. It is a simple tale of Amelies life and eventual success with love that is presented whimsically, with a distinct feeling of simplicity and spirit. It received a significant amount of recognition from European and American audiences. The film itself was nominated for five Ac ademy Awards, including Best Art Direction and Best Original Screenplay. At home in France, Amelie won four Cesar Awards, including Best Film and Best Music. differences from New Wave, success abroad, etc. 5.2 Russian Ostrov (2006) is a biographical film that tells the story of a fictional 20th century Eastern Orthodox monk. The films protagonist, Anatoly, is captured on a ship by Nazis and forced to shoot his friend in order to save his own life. He is rescued by Eastern Orthodox monks, and joins their monastery. Years later, Anatoly has discovered he has the gifts of clairvoyance and healing. People visit him for cures and advice, and although his life is now devoted to helping others, he is still consumed by the guilt of killing his friend. One day, a man visits with his daughter who is possessed by a demon. Anatoly exorcises the demon before finding out the man is, in fact, the friend Anatoly believed he had killed. The man forgives Anatoly as he had save his daughter. This story is drastically different to the war epics that Russian film is traditionally known for. 5.3 Wider Acceptance of Eccentricities It can be observed that in both modern French and modern Russian cinema, there has been a wider departure from the traditional content and topic of films, to more widely accepted films with unusual content. Le Fabuleux Destin dAmelie Poulain is a whimsical tale of a young woman living in France. The films is narrated in a very fast-paced manner, that symbolizes the main characters playful outlook on life. It is humourous and optimistic in its script that deals with love. The film is dominated with sepia tones and bright greens; a colourful palette to reflect the characters colourful outlook on life, while still reflecting the Paris of the time the film is set in. The spiritual and easy tale is not one that was meant to be taken too seriously. This film provided the French cinema-going public with an eccentric fairy tale to lose themselves in. This is the last sentence, followed by a blank line. 5.4 Digital Developments This is the first sentence. There is no blank line before it. This is the last sentence, followed by a blank line. 6. Conclusions From the careful study of French and Russian cinematic history and a detailed look at a number of representative films, a number of conclusions can be drawn from this essay. Firstly, both France and Russia experienced separate periods of important development of film production methods. Frances New Wave movement sought to challenge the boundaries of classical film through rebellion and disregard of traditional film techniques and styles. Russias Soviet Montage Theory was developed to give order to the technique of montage so it could be utilized properly in films. At first glance, and through deeper analysis, there are obvious opposing differences in each movement as the Russians attempted to standardise the art form of film while the French tried to free it from tradition. However, there are also subtle similarities in the movements, particularly in the common use of certain production techniques such as cuts, only used in styliscally different ways. Bibliography: Ebert, R. (2009) La Belle Noiseuse film 2011, available: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090412/REVIEWS08/904129997/1023 . Gusyatinsky, Yevgeny (2008) Timur B, available: http://rbth.ru/articles/2008/07/28/bekmambetov.html Monaco, J. (1976) The New Wave, Oxford University Press. Metallic (2004) War and Peace 2011, available: http://www.epinions.com/review/mvie_mu-1023094/content_129942589060 . Neupert, R. J. (2007) A History of the French New Wave Cinema, University of Wisconsin Press. (2005) Russian Actors, available: http://russianamericanbusiness.org/web_CURRENT/articles/8/1/Hollywoods-Russian-Roots . Taylor, R., Wood, N., Graffy, J., Iordanova, D. (2000) The BFI Companion to Eastern European and Russian Cinema, London.