Cinema du Look

Paper Summary:

The paper examines how snubbed by French film academics, lovingly received (generally) by the audiences, Cinema du look at first appears as a triumph of style over substance. It systematically identifies the main features of the cinema movement by referencing the works of three main directors (Besson, Beineix and Carax) and demonstrates how the movement is not simply a triumph of style over substance. It shows how beneath the surface of these films (and these directors) is an interconnected postmodern reflection of contemporary society.

From the Paper:

"Cinema du look, to some extent, can also be viewed as a return to the early days of cinema, where the spectacle of the movies was paramount. The "cinema of attractions" as it is known. What is on the screen is there to amaze and astound the viewer, to be pleasing to her eye. Science fiction movies and other spectacle movies like The Fifth Element (1997), which I would argue definitely shares qualities with other cinema du look texts (fantastic colors, the "Diva" who sings an operatic number, the lack of attention to characterization and a wafer thin story) are viewed as being in a formulaic genre. The history of French cinema, and accordingly the attitudes of French establishment film critics, is the history of the auteur, and may go some way to explaining the hostility met by cinema du look amongst the French critics of the time."

More papers on Cinema du Look:

• Comparison Essay # 27315 : "African Americans"
• Comparison Essay # 4018 : "The French Film Industry as a Reflection of French Society"
• Film Review # 110276 : "Jean-Pierre Jeunet"

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