Week 2

Question 1

When was sound introduced to film?

Answer 1

1927

Question 2

When was the golden age of French cinema?

Answer 2

The 1930s

Question 3

French cinema of the 1930s was inspired by what?

Answer 3

“Populist literature”; a literary movement that included Pierre MacOrlan and Francis Carco

Question 4

What epitomized French excellence of the 1930s?

Answer 4

The 1937 World’s fair in Paris

Question 5

For the film industry, the 1930s was an era of _________

Answer 5

reorganization

Question 6

The first French regulatory body of cinema was formed during the first months of WWII and was called _______; it was later renamed to ______ in 1946.

Answer 6

COIC; CNC

Question 7

The Cinematographie was invented in ______

Answer 7

1895

Question 8

What did the inclusion of sound do for films?

Answer 8

It meant film production speed had to be standardized (24 images/ second), which improved production quality. It also allowed viewers a deeper look into the characters, and as a result actors began to be idolized

Question 9

What was the first talking movie released to the public?

Answer 9

Alan Crossland’s “The Jazz Singer”, starring Al Jolson, released by Warner Brother’s studios on October 6th, 1927 in NY.

Question 10

What French group developed sonorization, but were too late with their international marketing?

Answer 10

Guamont Studios

Question 11

Why did silent film studios have to be reorganized when sound was introduced?

Answer 11

To accommodate the introduction of the sound booth and sound operator

Question 12

In what year were the first French studios equipped with sound?

Answer 12

1929; the Epinay studio with the German method and Billancourt with the American method

Question 13

What was the final film of the silent era?

Answer 13

L’Argent; mid-January, 1929

Question 14

What was the first French talking motion picture?

Answer 14

The Queen’s Necklace by Tony Lekain (1929, Guamont Studios); however, some believe that it was The Three Masks by Andre Hugon (1929, Pathe-Cinema Studios)

Question 15

Who took advantage of the advent of sound?

Answer 15

Authors, playwrights, songwriters, and music hall singers

Question 16

What was the challenge for actors with the advent of sound?

Answer 16

Learning to talk well in films; some actors’ careers were halted by this, including Abel Gance and Marcel L’Herbier

Question 17

Who resented the advent of sound, but was one of the first to use it resourcefully?

Answer 17

Rene Clair; he along with Julien Duvivier became prominent French directors of the 1930s.

Question 18

Who supported the advent of sound, but struggled with the requirements of the new medium?

Answer 18

Jean Renoir (didn’t direct from 1928-1931), Gance (particularly his film End of the World), and L’Herbier

Question 19

Many say that Avantgarde cinematography ended around 1930, but what avantgarde film was after this time?

Answer 19

Luis Bunuel’s “The Golden Age” (1930), which actually motivated extremists to destroy the theater on opening night

Question 20

French cinema may have been slow with the ‘talkies’, but what French talkies had success?

Answer 20

Avant-garde filmmaker Rene Clair’s “Under the Roofs in Paris” in Epinay (1930), his “The Million”, “Freedom for Us”, and “Bastille Day” (1932).

Question 21

Describe the history of Rene Clair

Answer 21

First an assistant to filmmaker Jacques de Baroncelli, he learned about the Surrealist experience as well as the more popular musical-comedy genre. Then he moved to England and completed The Ghost Goes (1935) West and Break the News (1938). Then he went to Hollywood during WWII and filmed The Flame of New Orleans (1941) and 3 others. Then he returned to France and became one of the biggest advocates for popular entertainment and did big-budget musical productions. His early talkie period masterpiece is The Million, starring Rene Lefevre and Annabella, which was adapted from a vaudeville sketch by Georges Berr and Marcel Guillamaud.

Question 22

What was the major difference between American and German film markets in the 1930s onward?

Answer 22

American studios focused on a large number of motion pictures for instantaneous local screenings, while the German market (and to some extent the European market) worked towards a ‘prestigious product’ to promote abroad. French films at this time were largely adaptations of plays or narratives

Question 23

The first World War began as a local war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia in _______. It grew
into a war involving 32 countries. The Allies included Britain, France, Russia, Italy and the
United States. These countries fought against the Central Powers which included Germany,
Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.

Answer 23

1914

Question 24

What was the formal start of WWI?

Answer 24

Archduke Ferdinand, of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated by a Serb on June 28, 1914. This was
the formal start of the war, although the countries had problems with each other before that.

Question 25

Describe the two conventions that impacted WWI

Answer 25

the 1864 Geneva Convention stipulated
that wounded men who fell into enemy hands should be provided with medical care; the 1899
and 1907 Hague Conventions set out that prisoners of war should be treated humanely and
outlined a range of regulations, intended to standardize prisoner treatment and protect captives
from abuses.

Question 26

List the durations of WWI and WWII

Answer 26

WWI: 1914 to 1918; 4 years
WWII: 1939 to 1945; 6 Years

Question 27

Describe the use of close-ups in Renoir’s “The Grand Illusion”

Answer 27

Because Renoir rarely uses close-ups in the film, when he does use them, the viewer’s attention is immediately captured (Macdonald, 98). The most defined use of the close-up was during the scene with Maréchal and Elsa, when love is developing. Yet, again focusing on the larger picture that is not about individuals per se but interactions and relationships, this close-up is cut-short with Elsa’s laugh and we return to deep focus.

Question 28

Describe the use of length of shot in Renoir’s “The Grand Illusion”

Answer 28

Rejecting the montage, Renoir uses long shots without any cutting. Cinematically, the purpose of the long take is to connect the actors to one another and locate them in the environment. This creates intimate relationships of collective groups. The longest single shot in the film is the tunnel digging scene, which is 117 seconds (O’Shaughnessy, 36-37).
The significance of Renoir’s length of shot is apparent when compared to other film makers of that time. In his two hour film, Renoir uses 352 shots excluding credits and end titles, compared to Duvivier’s Pepe le Molco, which was said to have long takes but had 452 shots in only one hour and 40 minutes (Macdonald, 26). Of course, when Renoir does increase the cuts, it is done deliberately for emotional and narrative impact.

The most clear use of increased cuts was during the escape scene, when the audience was on edge and anxious as to the success of the effort and what would happen to de Boëldieu. An excellent break down of each shot in Renoir’s film can be found in Nicholas Macdonald’s 1972 book, In Search of La Grande Illusion: A Critical Appreciation of Jean Renoir’s Elusive Masterpiece (233-242).

Question 29

Describe the use of camera mobility in Renoir’s “The Grand Illusion”

Answer 29

Throughout the film there is rich rhythm and tone by Renoir ‘s variation of the lengths and compositions of each scene. This ebb and flow is also made possible through the effective use of panning, tracking camera, shot-reverse, and tilting shots. Another interesting camera technique that Renoir uses is to introduce each new scene by focusing close-up on an object or person and then back-tracking so can put in context of relationships and interactions going on in scene. By combining this camera fluidity with composition and carefully choreographed acting, Renoir brings forth the inner feelings and emotions of the characters.

Question 30

Describe the use of editing in Renoir’s “The Grand Illusion”

Answer 30

While Renoir influenced French New Wave, you will not find many jump cuts in Renoir’s film, e.g. two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly to give effect of jumping forwards in time. Favoring fluidity and naturalism, Renoir typically chooses to change time periods by ellipses. This is not to say that Renoir does not employ any jump cuts at all. A notable exception can be seen in the Prologue when the German guard arrives to take Maréchal and de Boeldieu into captivity.

Question 31

Give an example of deep focus Renoir’s “The Grand Illusion”

Answer 31

Renoir blocks the action with the German guards in the foreground, the prisoners and more guards in the middle and buildings in the background, keeping everything in sharp focus.

Question 32

Give an example of shallow focus Renoir’s “The Grand Illusion”

Answer 32

As de Boëldieu comments on marching soldiers in the first frame, Renoir gives us a close-up of his smiling face. A German soldier is visible but is slightly out of focus. The camera then tracks backward so in the second frame we can see all of the French prisoners working on their costumes for the concert. Renoir lets us now see more fully all of the soldiers marching that were referenced in prior frame. Yet, though the marching soldiers are visible in the window’s frame, they are still slightly out of focus.

Question 33

Give an example of camera tracking in Renoir’s “The Grand Illusion”

Answer 33

In the film, as Elsa tells Maréchal and Rosenthal about her brothers and husband who have died in the war, the camera tracks across their pictures and finally settles on an empty dinner table far too big for just Elsa and Lotte. The camera tracking is heartbreaking. And, we realize why Elsa is so happy to finally have Maréchal at her table.

Question 34

Give 4 basic facts about WWII

Answer 34

WWI was also known as THE GREAT WAR and famously “THE WAR TO END ALL WARS”.
It was a global military conflict that took place mainly in Europe between 1914 & 1918.
It was a total war which left great devastation, millions dead and shaped the modern world.
The results of World War I would be important factors in the development of World War II; 21 years later

Question 35

How do you think soldiers from the allied countries got along in the POW camps despite the differences in language, ethnic background, social classes, and political beliefs?

Answer 35

They had a shared hatred for being held captive and shared want to go back to their homes

Question 36

How do the types of combat in WWI differ from WWII? And from present day wars?

Question 37

Explain how the camera is an invisible witness.

Answer 37

-In the first shot of the film, the three men stand in a semicircle, making it feel as though the camera is an invisible 4th person in the circle.

Question 38

How are the following themes developed in The Grand Illusion:

1) The prison camp as a microcosm
2) The barriers and boundaries: language, social class, geography

Answer 38

21) The prison camp is a microcosm because the three main characters represent three different classes of society; Boeldieu is an aristocrat by name, Rosenthal comes from a wealthy banking family, and Maréchal is working class. They discuss at one point how each class would normally die of different diseases, but not during a time of war. Their personalities are also reflective of their respective classes, which occasionally caused conflict in the group (Boeldieu got special treatment because of his last name, and ends up sacrificing himself because he realizes the era of aristocrats is over)
2) Language is illustrated as a barrier when Maréchal attempts to tell the incoming prisoners about the attempted escape hole still in their room, but they’re unable to understand them because they don’t speak the same language.

Question 39

Why is The Grand Illusion a war story without battles?

Answer 39

There are no battles in this film, only the story of men fighting for their freedom out of duty, and other men fighting against the men’s freedom out of duty

Question 40

Explain the title: how many grand illusions?

Answer 40

1) The first reference to a grand illusion is when one man is washing another’s feet and one says “The war will be over by then. That’s an illusion”. This is a reference to the fact that the war being over soon was an illusion.
2) When the men are looking at women’s clothes and one says “don’t look at me, you’ll ruin the illusion”. This is a precursory hint of the illusion Maréchal creates when he meets the German widow and envisions a life with her that cannot happen with the war.
3) The end of the movie where Maréchal was discussing going back for the German woman he fell in love with and says, “We’ve got to end this damn war, and make it the last” and the Rosenthal says “what an illusion”

Question 41

Describe the characters:
de Boeldieu (Fresnay)
Maréchal (Gabin)
Rosenthal (Dalio)
von Rauffenstein (von Stroheim)

Answer 41

de Boeldieu (Fresnay): Frenchman with an aristocratic last name, gets shot by von Rauffenstein (who aimed for his leg as so not to kill him, but shot his abdomen)
Maréchal (Gabin): Working-class Frenchman who escapes the German prison and falls in love with the woman who gives them shelter (Elsa); he escapes to Switzerland but vows to go back for her.
Rosenthal (Dalio): A generous and somewhat wealthy middle class Jewish man, he escapes to Switzerland with Maréchal (but injures his leg in the process). He frequently cooked for the group when they were imprisoned.
von Rauffenstein (von Stroheim): German who presides over the captured Frenchmen at Wintersborn, he feels a sense of comradeship with them but is obligated to shoot them if they try to escape. Cuts a flower after shoots Boeldieu when he fakes an escape and he passes away.