The illusion of love may survive the sight of a dingy bedroom, but inevitably one awakens. Jean Renoir's 1931 film, La Chienne, features Michel Simon as, Legrand, a lowly cashier with a hobby as a painter. Legrand is a man that initially appears introverted and shy. His meek personality is tied to his passionless marriage
French cinema in the 1920's was an experimental cauldron fueled by a desire to elevate film into the art world. A priority was also established to combat the influx of films from the United States. The economy of post war France was poor and France was hit again at the end of the 1920's by
La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc recounts the historic trial of Joan of Arc, a patron saint of France. This historical drama is based on actual records from the trial. Carl Theodor Dreyer's direction and set design, Renée Jeanne Falconetti's acting, and Rudolph Maté's arti direction all contributed to an unconventional and timeless piece of film
Continue reading ➞ Passion de Jeanne d’Arc, La (The Passion of Joan of Arc) (1928)
Ménilmontant tells the story of two young sisters in the Paris neighborhood of Ménilmontant. The film begins with the murder of their parents, orphaning the two young women. The young women grow up and end up falling for the same boy. Jealousy over the boy ends up pushing the sisters apart and on different paths.
Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí's Un Chien Andalou has become famous for its unsettling, disjointed, and, at times, disturbing film challenging bourgeoise film of the time. It has become a forerunner for the avant-garde film genre and milestone in pushing the boundaries in the early film era. The opening sequence where a woman gets her
Continue reading ➞ An Andalusian Dog (Un Chien Andalou) (1929) – Short Film
