''Chronicle of a Summer'' (French original title: ''Chronique d'un été'') is a 1961 French documentary film shot during the summer of 1960 by sociologist Edgar Morin and

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

and filmmaker Jean Rouch, with the technical and aesthetic collaboration of Québécois director-cameraman Michel Brault. The film is widely regarded as structurally innovative and an example of '' cinéma vérité'' and direct cinema. The term "cinéma vérité" was suggested by the film's publicist and coined by Rouch, highlighting a connection between film and its context, a fact Brault confirmed in an interview after a 2011 screening of ''Chronique d'un été'' at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. In a 2014 '' Sight & Sound'' poll, film critics voted ''Chronicle of a Summer'' the sixth-best documentary film of all time.

Synopsis

The film begins with Rouch and Morin discussing whether it is possible to act sincerely on camera. A cast of real-life individuals are then introduced and led by the filmmakers to discuss topics related to French society and working-class happiness. At the movie's end, the filmmakers show their subjects the footage and have them discuss the level of reality that they thought the movie achieved.

Production

''Chronicle of a Summer'' was filmed in Paris and

Saint-Tropez , INSEE = 83119 , postal code = 83990 , image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg , image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Al ...

, France. Rouch used synchronized sound, using a

16 mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...

camera connected through

pilottone {{for, pilot tones in telecommunications, Pilot signal Pilottone (or Pilotone) and the related neo-pilottone are special synchronization signals recorded by analog audio recorders designed for use in motion picture production, to keep sound and vi ...

with a prototype of Nagra III, a transistorized tape recorder with electronic speed control developed by Stefan Kudelski.

Cast

All cast members appear as themselves. * Jean Rouch * Edgar Morin * Marceline Loridan-Ivens * Marilù Parolini (as Mary Lou) * Angelo * Jean-Pierre Sergent * Jean (worker) * Nadine Ballot (student) * Régis Debray (student) * Céline (student) * Jean-Marc (student) * Landry (student) * Raymond (student) * Jacques (office workers) * Simone (office workers) * Henri (artist) * Madi (artist) * Catherine (artist) * Sophie (One cover girl) * Véro (young girl, uncredited) * Maxie (Jacques' wife, uncredited) * Jacques Rivette (cameo, scene deleted)

References

External links

*
''Chronicle of a Summer: Truth and Consequences''
an essay by Sam Di Iorio at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

1961 documentary films 1961 films French documentary films French avant-garde and experimental films Self-reflexive films Films directed by Jean Rouch Films produced by Anatole Dauman 1960s French-language films 1960s French films {{France-documentary-film-stub

Synopsis

Production

Cast

See also

References

External links