Issue 153

The Knowledge: French Cinema

26th February 2007

Born at the dawn of the twentieth century, French cinema is where it all started for the world of film. The brainchild of the Lumiere Brothers, who began showing simplistic scenes in 1895, the French film market has gone from strength-to-strength becoming, synoymous with innovation, controversy and people running around in the buff.

From the iconic faces of Gerard Depardieu and Monica Belluci to the skilled hands of Luc Besson and Francois Truffaut, French film has been adding a certain va-va-voom to the cinema world at large. From the gritty realism to the New Wave craze, to the stereotypical smoke-filled, slow-moving art piece, chances are you have seen at least one in your life time.

If not then you are more than likely to have seen something that French producers Studio Canal have had their hand in from Bridget Jones to Ali G Indahouse. That's not to say French film has 'gone Hollywood', remaining as it has, true to its roots as it looks set to continue shocking, evolving and amazing for years to come with their own je ne sais quoi.

Chris Sloley