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Evolution of Cinema Language

The document summarizes André Bazin's seminal essay "The Evolution of the Language of Cinema". Bazin discusses how the language of cinema has evolved since the advent of sound films. He believes early sound films overused techniques like montage and elaborate sets that hindered realism. However, the addition of sound increased cinema's ability to realistically capture reality. Bazin argues cinema's language was still developing between 1930-1940, with different national cinemas like French realism and Italian neorealism emerging to free cinema from Hollywood's influence.

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Ihjas Aslam
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512 views14 pages

Evolution of Cinema Language

The document summarizes André Bazin's seminal essay "The Evolution of the Language of Cinema". Bazin discusses how the language of cinema has evolved since the advent of sound films. He believes early sound films overused techniques like montage and elaborate sets that hindered realism. However, the addition of sound increased cinema's ability to realistically capture reality. Bazin argues cinema's language was still developing between 1930-1940, with different national cinemas like French realism and Italian neorealism emerging to free cinema from Hollywood's influence.

Uploaded by

Ihjas Aslam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE EVOLUTION OF THE

LANGUAGE OF CINEMA

FILM STUDIES
6TH SEM
EJZ
André Bazin (April 18, 1918-November 11,
1958).
 The film should represent a director personal vision ,which
lead to the auteur theory
 “The Evolution of the Language of Cinema” is a classic essay
of film criticism

 Bazin started to write about film in 1943 and was a co-


founder of the film magazine Cahiers du cinéma.

 He believed that the interpretation of a film or scene should


be left to the spectator.

 This particular essay was first published in the early 1950s,


Bazin starts with discussing the end
of silent film, which, he asks might
have been “the birth of a new
cinema”. In cinema between 1920
and 1940, he sees two trends:
“The essay advocates for realism in film
by saying that film can not only add to
reality, but can also, more importantly,
further reveal reality”—shaping the
spectators’ worldview.
He first discusses what was believed to make up
the language of cinema—image and montage. He
goes into detail with three types of montage:
parallel montage
“two actions taking place at a geographical
distance by means of alternating shots from
each”
accelerated montage
illusion of increasing speed of something by
using “a multiplicity of shots of ever-decreasing
length”
montage by attraction
creation of S. M. Eisenstein
“the reenforcing of the meaning of one image
by association with another image not
necessarily part of the same episode”
“ Montage”
the creation of a sense of meaning
not proper to the images
themselves but derived
exclusively from their
juxtaposition.”
“THE CAMERA CANNOT SEE
EVERYTHING AT ONCE BUT IT
MAKES SURE NOT TO LOSE ANY
PART OF WHAT IT CHOOSES TO SEE.”
Bazine feel that manipulation of the mage by
suggestive editing ,dramatic setts and lighting
can hinder the realism of film . But the
addition of sound increased the element of
realism
EXCERPT FROM ESSAY
• Cinema has the capacity to impose its
interpretation of an event on the spectator

– Soviet cinema used montage to the


maximum effect .
– The German school used sets and
lights.
• Montage does not have any role in
silent cinema.
ROBERT FLAHERTY
(Nanook of North 1922)
MURNAU (Nosferatu)
ERICH VON STROHEIM
“take a close look at the world,
keep on doing so, and in the end
it will lay bare for you all its
critial and ugliness
1930-40 CINEMA LANGUAGE
• Cinematic language grew up in the world. especially
in the US. Different kinds of cinemas were made.
• French cinemas (realism)
– Directors
– JACQUES FEYDER
– JEAN RENOIR
– MARCEL CARNE
– JULIAN DUVIVER
SPECIALTY

The content of all this film was capable of


pleasing a world wide public. The form was well
defined style of photography and editing
suitable to the subject matter
1940-50
• Growth of national schools- Italy and
England,
• Tried to free influence of Hollywood

 NEOREALISM
 HUMANISAM
“ART NOT FOR ART”

QUESTIONS?

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