important contribution to cinema history... especially impressive in its analysis of the French cinema industry, in terms of both mode of production and personnel, and in its analysis of the French technological base."―Richard AbelFrom 1930 to 1960, France produced some of the most famous films ever made, such as Jean Vigo’s Zéro de conduite and Jean Cocteau’s Orphée. Here Colin Crisp investigates this critical period and details the extraordinary ingenuity of French filmmakers, who worked under economic and technological constraints that affected both the production and the consumption of films.

Hide more