Beginning with the early days of silent cinema, this module takes a chronological survey of key films and cultural vogues in French cinema across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Cinema will be seen to be not only a product of the history and thought of the periods studied but also influential in its effect on society and culture(s). The in-depth study of at least one film per epoch will reveal the historical preoccupations of the time and the technical and ideological questions being raised by cinema professionals and critics referring to cinema both as an art form and a social commentary. 

• Demonstrate knowledge of the history, techniques and theories of French cinema across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries
• Discuss a range of key French films.
• Engage with and evaluate theoretical texts and ideas about societal-anthropological and artistic-linguistic vogues in French cinema
• Analyse the films in relation to cultural history and cultural theory
• Use a technical vocabulary in relation to French cinema
• Produce a critical, concise and nuanced argument orally and in writing about cultural vogues in French Cinema

You will attend a weekly lecture and a film screening or watch the film(s) in your own time. This will enable you to gain an overview of the key topics covered by the module and to become familiar with a corpus of twentieth and twenty-first century films. You will participate in weekly seminars where readings will be set for discussion. Preparation of the texts for the seminar will enable you to become familiar with theories in French cinema. You will develop skills in analysing these texts and learn to draw on these ideas to discuss them in relation to the studied films. For one of the seminars, you will work in pairs to prepare a presentation that brings together one or more of the films, the historical moment in which it is produced and cinema theory of the time. This will develop your abilities to synthesise, analyse and present your knowledge of the materials and topics. The 1500 word essay (written in French or in English) submitted at the end of the semester and the exam will require you to apply your knowledge of the history and of theoretical writings in French cinema to your analysis of the films.

Subject-specific intellectual skills

In this module, you will gain knowledge of the culture(s) of French cinema during the twentieth and twenty-first century. You will critically engage with some major theoretical ideas in French cinema through the reading of texts of André Bazin, Jean Epstein, Christian Metz, Roland Barthes, Jean-Luc Godard, Gilles Deleuze, Jacques Rancière amongst others. You will acquire knowledge of a key corpus of French and Francophone films including Jacques Tati, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean Rouch, Catherine Breillat, Xavier Dolan and others. You will be able to analyse these films in respect of your knowledge of the history and theory of French cinema and to synthesise and present this analysis in oral and written formats.

Generic intellectual skills

Through watching the selected films and reading about cinema history and theory, you will learn about twentieth century French history, culture and society more generally. You will develop tools in the critical analysis of cultural artefacts – of both written and audio-visual materials in French.  

You will practice:

• gathering, organising and drawing on evidence from a range of sources
• synthesizing information to generate a reasoned argument showing evidence of critical judgment
• the ability to reflect on your own learning and to respond to constructive feedback
• managing and evaluating your personal learning journey

Personal transferable skills

In the seminars and assessments you will practice:

• Effective, fluent and reasoned communication of ideas
• Independent working skills – time-management, self-organisation, initiative-taking
• Collaborative working  - working with others in joint critical evaluation of ideas for the achievement of common goals
• Effective selection and use of materials and information technologies for retrieving information and presenting balanced and convincing findings

Pair Presentation (10 - 15 mins): 10%

Essay (1500 words; December): 40%

Exam (2-hours; Autumn Semester Exam Period): 50%

The seminar presentation in pairs or small groups will enable students to learn to work collaboratively, to develop and design materials for oral presentation and to structure and put together an informative analysis and résumé of the week’s readings and film(s).

The essay in English gives the students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding and ability to compose and argument synthesising the themes and films covered by the course. The essay requires students to show their independent learning through bringing in arguments based on broader research on the topic. There will be the option for students to create their own essay title. This option will give students greater freedom to develop independent work on a topic of their choice.

The exam enables students to demonstrate their knowledge of topics covered by the Cultures of French Cinema course and develops their skills by requiring them to write informatively, creatively and concisely in time- and resource-limited conditions.

In the event of failing the module students will be able re-sit the exam during the summer re-sit period for a maximum grade of 40%. 

1. 1. Qu’est-ce que le cinéma?
2. 2. Le cinéma muet – 1895 -1920s
3. 3. 1930s, cinema and surrealism
4. 4. Wartime cinema
5. 5. The post-war era and the 'hatred of cinema'
6. 6. The nouvelle vague 1
7. 7. Le cinéma direct / vérité
8. 8. The nouvelle vague 2
9. 9. Le cinéma du quotidien
10. 10. Cinema of ‘sensation’
11. 11. Ce que le cinéma fait à la littérature et vice-versa.
12. 12. Exam and essay preparation

Students will be asked to prepare a seminar presentation as part of the module. There will be a free choice in relation to which period, films and theoretical texts students wish to use in their presentation. Equally, there be a range of essay titles on which the students may choose to write. 

Powrie, Phil. Reader, Keith. 2002. French Cinema – a student’s guide. London: Arnold.

Bessy, Maurice. Chirat, Raymond. 1994. Histoire du cinéma français : encyclopédie des films. Pygmallion.

Doulin, Jean-Luc. Fremaux, Thierry. 2014. Le Cinéma français. La Martinère Eds De.

Graff, Séverine. 2011. ‘”Cinéma verité” ou “cinéma direct” : hasard teminologique ou paradigm théorique?’ Décadrages : Cinéma à travers champs (18) 31-46. 

Higbee, Will. Leahy, Sarah. 2010. Studies in French Cinema: UK Perspectives: 1985-2010. Intellect.

Jeancolas, Jean-Pierre. 1999. Histoire du cinéma français. Nathan.

Parkinson, David. 2014. Les grandes idées qui on révolutionné le cinéma. Dunod.