The Characteristics of French Impressionism’s films

According to Bordwell, David & Thompson, Kristin (2010), “films that are produced within a particular period and nation share significant traits of style and form.” There are several characteristics of French Impressionism’s films. Emotion of a character or film is important in order to make the audience feel the same way. As mentioned in the history part, the young generation thinks that cinema is a form of art. Art is another shape of expression, which communicate artists’ perspectives that consecutively produce experiences. Different experiences will evoke different kind of emotions. Nevertheless, the emotions or feelings are not directly portrayed in art but delivered through a suggestive manner to the audience. This type of film triggers the audience to have an immediate impression.

Other than that, Cinéma pur or pure cinema, film that signifying in and of itself through its plasticity and rhythms (René Clair, 1924) is also one of the characteristics. Cinema is treated as a “pure” medium where new inspirations had been introduce to the film makers. This characteristic focus more on the abstract visuals which film makers chose to create films that only emphasized on temporal form or graphics and usually without including a narrator. It is to leave more personal space for the audience to experience and understand the emotions behind the films. 

Next, we will also find trait such as Photogénie in French Impressionism’s films. The term Photogénie indicates things or objects are not merely photogenic but far more deeply interpreted from what they may seems like. Impressionist thinks that cinema is giving audience an opportunity to explore things that are far beyond the reality. It can present us the human souls and objects’ essence rather than just interpreting the object as the object. Also, Photogénie represents a film maker’s vision and expression where it cannot be found in reality. This often portrayed through different kind of camera movements. 

Film form of French Impressionism should be based on visual rhythm according to impressionists. This idea stems from the Impressionists' belief that emotions, rather than stories, should be the basis for films (Bordwell & Thompson, 2010, p. 91). The length of shots and attentive juxtaposition of the movements within the shots produces rhythm. By precisely applying visual rhythm in film, it can creates flows and enables visuals to narrate themselves so that audience can understand the emotions. There is one of the examples portrayed in the film L' Herbier's Rose-France. (Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1: Example from the film of L'Herbier's Rose-France. Frame divided into 3 images to centre the heroine as if a traditional triptych painting.

In French Impressionist film, the cinematography and editing is used to show the characters’ personal experience and optical impressions. The film interest falls on inner action instead of external physical behavior. The film normally uses the superimpositions to show a character’s thoughts or feelings (Bordwell & Thompson, 2009, p.465). This technique is used by dissolving two visuals cutting cross each other in a scene. For example, in the film La Roue (1922), there is a scene when the image of the heroine, Norma is overlapping with the image of smoke, which is a representation of fantasy of an engine driver who fell in love with Norma (Figure 1.2). Click here for the full movie 

Figure 1.2: In La Roue, the image of Norma is overlapping with the smoke, a representation of fantasy between the engine driver and her. (Bordwell & Thompson, 2009)

Another example in Menilmontant (1926), when the mother wanted to kill herself and her baby, the image is superimposed over the excitements of the city (Figure 1.3.1 & Figure 1.3.2).

Figure 1.3.1 (Menilmontant, 1926)

Figure 1.3.2: In Menilmontant (1926), the mother who was holding her baby and looking at the sea is superimposed over the busy city life, representing the deep considerations of leaving this city. 

Also, to suggest the subjectivity, filters and distorting lenses are used. A filter is placed on the lens to achieve a subjective effect, and distorting shots are established such as a shot into a curved mirror or shooting from an oblique angle to show dizziness. Distorted or filtered shots or camera movements are used to show the scene of characters who are drunk or feeling dizzy. For example, in El Dorado (1920), a man is drinking and the tipsiness is conveyed through a curved mirror.

Focusing is also one of the characteristics. There are scenes when the lens is thrown out of focus to show subjectivity. There are also scenes when the camera slowly focuses on the character’s expression by using close up shot. This is to show the character’s feeling in great detail. For example, in the film Menilmontant (1926), there is a scene when the girl character saw the man she loved had an affair, she was shocked and terrified. The scene was shot in a close up of her widely opened eyes. (Figure 1.4)

Figure 1.4: In Menilmontant (1926), the character could not believe her own eyes when she saw someone she loved betrayed her.

Mobile framing that is used in French Impressionist film shows the point of view of the characters. As French Impressionist film emphasizes the thinking or feeling of character, the frames usually changes all the time by varying the camera height, camera angle and camera distance, to show from the angle of the character. Besides that, the camera movement of French Impressionist film is smooth. To achieve a smooth camera movement, there is a series of technological innovation. They tie their camera to cars, wheels, or rollers in order to achieve a smooth camera movement. In L’Argent (1928), the camera is dropped straight to the crowd to show the traders’ excitement. (Figure 1.5.1 & Figure 1.5.2)

Figure 1.5.1 L'Argent (1928)（Bordwell & Thompson, 2008)

Figure 1.5.2: In L'Argent (1928), the camera is dropped from the top to the floor to create smooth camera movement (Bordwell & Thompson, 2008)

As French Impressionist focus on personal emotion and inner action, a lot of flashback is used to depict memories. Furthermore, they even insist to show the dreams, fantasies and mental states of characters (Bordwell & Thompson, 2008, p.451). For example, The Smiling Mme. Beudat (1923) shows how the main character imagines her fantasy life while trying to escape from the dull marriage.

In the aspect of editing, French Impressionist film uses point-of-view editing and rhythmic editing to depict the mental states. Point-of-view editing is used to show things from the angle of a single character. For example, the scene will start from a shot which the character is looking at something, then shifts to the object that the character is looking at. Rhythmic editing is usually used for violence scene, which the rhythm accelerates, and the shots get shorter and shorter (Bordwell & Thompson, 2008, p.451). In La Roue (1923), the number of frames decreases to suggest the train’s dangerous acceleration (Bordwell & Thompson, 2010, p.95).