Why French Cinema is So Great
January 9th 2012 -
French cinema has a long and illustrious history. In fact, this is where movies as we know them began, way back with the Lumière brothers in the late 19th century.
Things have clearly moved on since their first public showing of 50 second films. I am sure that their movies of workers leaving a factory wouldn’t look that great these days but can you imagine the sensation it caused back then? Just imagine sitting down and seeing something as historic as the very first films.
Anyway, that was then and this is now, and if we want to find out why modern French cinema is so good we need to consider the popularity of this media in France. You may be a touch surprised to find out that it sells more cinema tickets every year than every other country except the USA and India. France also produces more films every year than any other European country, with nearly 250 seeing the light of day in 2010. In fact, it is also one of the few remaining countries in the world where non Hollywood films get the lion’s share of the market, thanks to its traditionally strong local film industry.
Another fact which I only just found out is that the highest density of film theatres in the world is in Paris. I went there a couple of years ago and don’t recall seeing any but then I was probably too busy taking pictures of that big tower thing, finding cinemas in Birmingham (my hometown) thankfully isn’t a problem for me.
Lots of Famous Actors
The French film industry has been strong for a long time now and all you need to do is think about the number of French actors and actresses you know. Think of names such as Gérard Depardieu, Juliette Binoche, Marcel Marceau and Noel Roquevert. Ok, so I don’t know who the last guy was either but apparently he made loads of movies.
The French Government has also acted to protect the country’s film making industry in a way which has undoubtedly helped it continue to thrive. However, I feel that one of the top reasons why it has continued to be a success is because it offers a genuine alternative to Hollywood blockbusters.
Because French directors work with far smaller budgets than their US counterparts they tend to eschew those special effects which bore me so much these days. You are unlikely to see cities get blown up, massive computer generated armies of zombies wage war or other special effects like these in a Gallic movie, and that is no bad thing.
When you get bored of apocalyptic science fiction films and never ending car chases then turning to French produced films will give you a different kind of experience. There is far more emphasis on characterisation, dialogue and plot than in most of the bland blockbusters of recent years. Add in the French style and sense of humour and you have a cocktail which makes a very refreshing change from most of the movies on offer right now. Is it certainly worth giving it a look next time you fancy something different.
Tags: Actors Actresses, Actors And Actresses, Countries In The World, Famous Actors, Film Theatres, First Films, French Actors, French Actresses, French Cinema, French Film Industry, French Government, GéRard Depardieu, Hollywood Films, Illustrious History, Juliette Binoche, Marcel Marceau, Market Thanks, Media In France, Seeing The Light, Sensation