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
Alfred Hitchcock's 1929 film, Blackmail, follows Alice (Ondra), as she ditches her police detective boyfriend, Frank (Longden), and goes on a date instead with a local artist, Mr. Crewe (Ritchard). Unfortunately, their date concludes with Mr. Crewe attempting to rape Alice. In the struggle, Alice is able to get her hands on a knife and
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)
In the United States, the 1920's saw a major rise in the quality of films as well as in attendance in the box office and acceptance as an art form. Film length also increased on average. The short film barrage from the previous decade was replaced with fewer and more purposeful films, on average. There
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.
