Cinéma Militant: Political Filmmaking and May 1968

By Paul Douglas Grant

Book Overview

This history covers the filmmaking tradition often referred to as cinéma militant , which emerged in France during the events of May 1968 and flourished for a decade. While some films produced were created by established filmmakers, including Chris Marker, Jean-Luc Godard, and William Klein, others were helmed by left-wing filmmakers working in the extreme margins of French cinema. This latter group gave voice to underrepresented populations, such as undocumented immigrants ( sans papiers ), entry-level factory workers ( ouvriers spécialisés ), highly intellectual Marxist-Leninist collectives, and militant special interest groups. While this book spans the broad history of this uncharted tradition, it particularly focuses on these lesser-known figures and works and the films of Cinélutte, Les groupes medvedkine, Atelier de recherche cinématographique, Cinéthique, and the influential Marxist filmmaker Jean-Pierre Thorn. Each represent a certain tendency of this movement in French film history, offering an invaluable account of a tradition that also sought to share untold histories.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231176678
• ISBN13: 9780231176675
• Release Date: June 2016
• Publisher: Wallflower Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.1"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher