French Cinema from its Beginnings to the Present (2002) Rémi Fournier Lanzoni

After realizing that I've really enjoyed the last several French films I've seen, I decided I wanted to read more about French cinema. I was looking for a book that would serve as a good introduction to the historical and intellectual origins, trends and philosophies of French film. 

About the first half of the book is quite good, laying a solid foundation by discussing the birth of French cinema and its influences on life and culture. Lanzoni also examines non-cinematic historical and cultural trends, making logical connections between life and film. Yet as the book progresses, it gets bogged down in far too much political history. That would be fine if that history translated directly into the consequences and repercussions of French film, but often that is not the case. 

Lanzoni also tends to pick a handful of films to illustrate historical trends, which is understandable, since the chosen films are generally the most famous and most available. But the reader should be aware that all of the films discussed contain complete synopses with spoilers. 

The treatment of French World War II cinema, post-war cinema and the New Wave is good, the last of which could've been expanded into a separate book. (But I'm sure there are many books on the French New Wave already out there, so we can excuse not going into a lot of detail here.) In fact, the pre- and post-WWII chapters are the most fascinating in that Lanzoni shows us how the actual hardships of the war led directly to important trends in filmmaking.   

Unfortunately, later chapters dwell on political events that do have significance to French film, but the level of detail is far too much for readers who, after all, want to read about the cinema. The films represented here seem to be simply the most popular without giving us enough reasons as to why they were popular, why the culture was ready for them, and why they were well-received. 

I was looking for a good introduction to French film. This one isn't bad, and I'll keep it as a reference, but my search will definitely continue. 

3/5