European art cinema
Encyclopedia
European art cinema is a branch of cinema
that was popular in the 1960s
. The formal system that this cinema uses is based on the classical Hollywood cinema
; particular a rejection of all tenets and rules of classical Hollywood cinema.
. At this time it was new to the even broader field of art cinema
.
system is not necessarily abandoned but instead is not needed. The cause and effect driven narrative
, as well as the goal-oriented protagonist is also not needed. Instead, we may have the protagonist wander around aimlessly for the whole movie, with nothing of real importance happening to drive him from one activity to the other.
We have for Hollywood, a narrative transitivity, which is "a sequence of events in which each unit follows the one preceding it according to a chain of causation; this chain is usually psychological". The 'tale over teller' mantra of the classical Hollywood cinema is closely linked to the editing form that classical Hollywood cinema takes, and the rules they impose. For example, the 180 degree rule
is followed since crossing the 180 degree line will cause a disturbance or a jarring effect on the viewer, thus calling attention away from story and to the teller. Jump cuts are avoided, since they can cause an ellipsis of the spatial or temporal kind. It is the job of classical Hollywood cinema to get the audience lost and absorbed into the story of the film; that is for the film to be pleasurable. Contrast this to European cinema whose task it is to be ambiguous, utilizing an open-ended (and sometimes intertextual) plot, causing the audience to ask questions themselves whilst introducing an element of subjectivity.
Another reason they differ in terms of ‘realism’ is because in Hollywood classical we have characters in full make up all the time, even when just coming out of bed. Art cinema strives for a representation of the 'truth' and may not have characters in costume or make up.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
that was popular in the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. The formal system that this cinema uses is based on the classical Hollywood cinema
Classical Hollywood cinema
Classical Hollywood cinema or the classical Hollywood narrative, are terms used in film history which designates both a visual and sound style for making motion pictures and a mode of production used in the American film industry between roughly the 1910s and the early 1960s.Classical style is...
; particular a rejection of all tenets and rules of classical Hollywood cinema.
History
The European art cinema gained popularity in the 1960s, rising with notable filmmakers such as Jean-Luc GodardJean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
. At this time it was new to the even broader field of art cinema
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
.
Differences from classical
The continuity editingContinuity editing
Continuity editing is the predominant style of film editing and video editing in the post-production process of filmmaking of narrative films and television programs...
system is not necessarily abandoned but instead is not needed. The cause and effect driven narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
, as well as the goal-oriented protagonist is also not needed. Instead, we may have the protagonist wander around aimlessly for the whole movie, with nothing of real importance happening to drive him from one activity to the other.
We have for Hollywood, a narrative transitivity, which is "a sequence of events in which each unit follows the one preceding it according to a chain of causation; this chain is usually psychological". The 'tale over teller' mantra of the classical Hollywood cinema is closely linked to the editing form that classical Hollywood cinema takes, and the rules they impose. For example, the 180 degree rule
180 degree rule
In filmmaking, the 180° rule is a basic guideline that states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line...
is followed since crossing the 180 degree line will cause a disturbance or a jarring effect on the viewer, thus calling attention away from story and to the teller. Jump cuts are avoided, since they can cause an ellipsis of the spatial or temporal kind. It is the job of classical Hollywood cinema to get the audience lost and absorbed into the story of the film; that is for the film to be pleasurable. Contrast this to European cinema whose task it is to be ambiguous, utilizing an open-ended (and sometimes intertextual) plot, causing the audience to ask questions themselves whilst introducing an element of subjectivity.
Another reason they differ in terms of ‘realism’ is because in Hollywood classical we have characters in full make up all the time, even when just coming out of bed. Art cinema strives for a representation of the 'truth' and may not have characters in costume or make up.