27 Oct This movement in French cinema was popular in the late 30’s and showcased themes of naturalism, the value of a human life over political, religious, or social concepts, and individual human rights and perspectives

This movement in French cinema was popular in the late 30’s and showcased themes of naturalism, the value of a human life over political, religious, or social concepts, and individual human rights and perspectives. The Grand Illusion by Jean Renoir is among the most famous of this movement. 

2.In 1948, in the Cahier du Cinema, _____________ argued for a new kind of French cinema that placed the director at the fore… he wanted to see cinema grow beyond the strictures of the written word and become its own art form, and he believed the director could best accomplish this. His first major critical triumph was a film called 400 Blows in 1959, which explored many of the struggles he experienced growing up. In it, he established a number of aesthetic traits that would define much of his unique vision. These traits included a willingness to use handheld camera, embracing self -reflexive cinema, and longtakes dominated more by mood and theme and unconcerned with advancing plot.

3.One of the most significant ideas penned in the ‘Cahier du Cinema’, _______________ is the idea that some filmmakers have a style so unique that they can be considered the prime author of a film. Like a novelist who has total control of the written language in a book, this concept implies the filmmaker has total control of the cinematic language of his or her movie.

4.His first film, Breathless (1960) is also his most significant. Breathless had no script and very unusual shooting plan. _____________ would sketch out the general dialogue the night before, have his actor rehearse between takes, encourage them to improvise on camera, and even improvise the lines himself, telling the actors what to say from off camera in the moment. He brought this free form approach to the editing table as well, resulting in a few sequences that proved groundbreaking, particularly his use of jumpcutting. Common themes in his films related to the idea that love and obsession, or that characters under the spell of these powers can often slip into extreme and varied behavior patterns. Men in his films especially fell in love quickly, deeply, and were often doomed by it. 

5.A subset of the broader French cinema scene in the 50’s and 60’s came to be known as _______________. It’s partly in reference to their political views, but also connected to a particualr side of the Siene river, a cosmopolitan district in France out which many of these filmmakers operated. A major component of the overall New Wave movement, these filmmakers presented the world with their own brand of cinematic uniqueness. Typically, these films were more polished in their aesthetic – cleaner editing and smoother, more elegant camera work.

6.According to episode 9 of The Story of Film, “The satirical tone of [70’s American films such as MASH] was set by Buck Henry’s adaptation of the novel ________________.”  The episode goes on the describe this iconic and revolutionary film as “what the great audience of younger people recognized in the film was our generations sense of not being part of the generation older than we were and a little bit lost, which was just about everyone who didn’t know they were going to become a doctor or hoped they weren’t going to Vietnam. We all were Benjamin.”

7.According to episode 9 of The Story of Film, this 1977 masterpiece, _________________, achieves its greatness through the bold and innovative choices made its director. “[He] filmed in black and white, often shooting details of kids playing, and used great black music. The director goes on to explain how, “as a young kid, I saw things I wasn’t satisfied with, and putting in the school system and things like that, I thought it just killed a lot of kids…. and I wanted to write about that and make films about that.

8.According to episode 9 of The Story of Film, _______________, a brilliant example of cynical 1970’s American cinema, “was filmed with wide angle lens, bright lighting, and precise framing, like an MGM musical almost, except that the movie was about rape, incest, power, and greed. [the screenwriter] wrote an ending with some hope, but [the director – whose life had been defined by tragedy] made it much darker.” It was proper film noir.