The final part of the ‘Poetic
Realism’ trilogy looks at the various film movements that have been inspired by
Poetic Realism, which should be rightfully considered as the ‘Golden Age’ of
French Art Cinema.
Film Noir - ' The stuff that dreams of made of '
Film Noir was a genre, or some might put it, a style that
predominated many American films from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Rather
than stating that these films were about crime, washed-up characters, or the
femme fatales, these films were really about characters surviving in an amoral
and almost circumstantial universe.
The relationship between Poetic Realism and Film Noir is a
contentious one. While the two movements touched on similar thematic elements,
inherent contradictions seemed to emerge on their stylistic aspects. The genre
of Film Noir was indeed originated from several contradictory styles – that of
German Expressionism, the classical Gangster genres and melodramas, and also
the burgeoning Neorealism movement. Such a diverse sets of influences provided
Film Noir a perspectivism that could not easily reduced to very simpler themes.
For many, Poetic Realism represented a form of stylized realism – adding poetic
elements to the more realistic themes. Thus, it would be fair to say that
Poetic Realism and Film Noir were based on rather different stylistic concepts
– naturalism for Poetic Realism, expressionism for Film Noir. A circle should
represent a nice analogy to distinguish between the two. Poetic realism was
about closing the circle; and Film Noir was tearing that imaginary circle
apart.
The world views presented in Poetic Realist films and Film
Noirs were easier to reconcile. Both types were cruising in the melancholic stream,
and the storylines were signified by a lack of optimism. The doomed lovebirds
in Poetic Realist films and the desperate underdogs in Film Noirs were both
consumed by fatalistic beliefs, and their fates were in no way lifted up by the
worsening surroundings they were being ‘thrown’ into (to borrow Heidegger’s
jargon here). The greasy streets of Poetic Realism would just lead one into the
gritty subways of Film Noirs.
Italian Neorealism
Italian Neorealism was considered as a major film
movement in Italy
The representatives included Roberto Rossellini,
Vittorio De Sica, and a young Luchino Visconti, before his now famous ‘Viscontian’
style was developed in the 1950s. Adopting approaches of Poetic Realism,
Neorealist films touched on the life of common people, and favored real
location shooting and used more amateur actors. The themes could often be
related to contemporary social issues, such as poverty and crime, and the
characters too often could not act against their doomed fate. A prime example
was De Sica’s ‘Bicycle Thieves’, for which a strong realism was established by
depicting the common lives of people, and illustrating the labyrinthine town
streets and dinky shops. It was a bittersweet story, as fate seemed to shed no
pity on the impoverished ‘father-and-son’ duo, by robbing them of their
bread-winning tool. A decade later, Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (1966)
demonstrated again the essence of the Italian Neorealist
School
French New Wave
The movement of French New Wave was defined by 2 periods, signified
by distinct preoccupations. The first period was defined by Bazinian Realism,
advocated by Andre Bazin, and this championed the use of techniques that
enhanced the realism of the work. Directors like Renior, Wyler and Mizoguchi
were championed. The second period of the movement, pioneered by the younger
`Cahiers du Cinema' critics, Godard and Truffaut to name a few, placed their
focus on auteurship of a work, whether the director could instill original
signatures to their films, even under the influence of studio control. The
masters were Vigo ,
Renoir, Welles, Hitchcock, Ray and others.
Poetic Realism addressed many of the ideals of the French
New Wave. The focus on topics relevant to accessible real lives nodded to the
Realism criterion treasured by Bazin. More, Bazin was particularly impressed by
techniques that could heighten the realism of the scene, and the use of deep
focus and plan séquence by Renoir, Mizoguchi and Wyler was thus well regarded
by Bazin. Poetic Realists came as a diverse group of filmmakers, and each of
them had their preoccupations and artistic signatures. This addressed the
Auteur theory proposed by the younger New Wave members, as they in particular
praised Vigo and Renoir for instilling their original stylistic elements into
their work, through the use of mise-en-scène, and henceforth they acted as the
true ‘author’ of their work. Of course, the emphasis on real location shooting,
use of non-professional actors and focus on fragmentary and ambiguous nature of
real lives, could also be nicely attributed to the cinematic realism of the
1930s.
Final Words
Like many artistic movements, Poetic Realism possessed
inherent contradictions. Yet it was the synthesis of conflicting styles that
provided the subtle beauty that were evident in many of the Poetic Realist
films. This movement has given rise to some of the most influential filmmakers
ever committed to cinema, and its influence will still be felt for the future
years to come.
-THE END-
Poetic Realism - (3/3)
by Ed Law
15/3/2015
Film Analysis - 37
