Cinéma du look () was a

French film The cinema of France comprises the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe, with prima ...

movement of the 1980s and 1990s, analysed, for the first time, by French critic Raphaël Bassan in ''La Revue du Cinéma'' issue no. 449, May 1989, in which he classified

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

, Jean-Jacques Beineix and

Leos Carax Alex Christophe Dupont (born 1960), best known as Leos Carax (), is a French film director, critic and writer. Carax is noted for his poetic style and his tortured depictions of love. His first major work was ''Boy Meets Girl (1984 film), Boy Me ...

as directors of the "look".

Style and origins

These directors were said to favor style over substance, spectacle over narrative.Austin, Guy. ''Contemporary French Cinema: An Introduction'', Manchester University Press, 1999, pp. 119–120, 126-128. It referred to films that had a slick, gorgeous visual style and a focus on young, alienated characters who were said to represent the marginalized youth of

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

's France. Themes that run through many of their films include doomed love affairs, young people more affiliated to peer groups than families, a cynical view of the police, and the use of scenes in the

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (, , or , ), short for Métropolitain (), is a rapid transit system serving the Paris metropolitan area in France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architectur ...

to symbolise an alternative, underground society. The mixture of 'high' culture, such as the opera music of '' Diva'' and '' Les Amants du Pont-Neuf,'' and pop culture, for example the references to

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

in '' Subway'', was another key feature. A parallel can be drawn between these French filmmakers' productions and

New Hollywood The New Hollywood, Hollywood Renaissance, American New Wave, or New American Cinema (not to be confused with the New American Cinema of the 1960s that was part of Experimental film, avant-garde underground film, underground cinema), was a movemen ...

films including most notably

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

's ''

One from the Heart ''One from the Heart'' is a 1982 American musical romantic drama film co-written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raúl Juliá, Nastassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan, and Harry Dean Stanton, the film fo ...

'' (1981) and ''

Rumble Fish ''Rumble Fish'' is a 1983 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is based on the 1975 novel '' Rumble Fish'' by S. E. Hinton, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. The film stars Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Vince ...

'' (1983),

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

's '' Lola'' (1981), as well as television commercials,

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

s and the series ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...

''. The term was first defined by Raphael Bassan in La Revue De Cinema as an insult.

Key directors and key films

Jean-Jacques Beineix

*'' Diva'' (1981) *'' The Moon in the Gutter'' (1983) *''37°2 le matin'' (English: '' Betty Blue'') (1986)Betty Blue: The Look of Love, Current, The Criterion Collection
/ref>

Luc Besson

*'' Subway'' (1985) *''Le Grand bleu'' (English: '' The Big Blue'') (1988)Look Again: A Celebration of Cinema Du Look on Vimeo
/ref> *'' Nikita'' (1990)

Leos Carax

*'' Boy Meets Girl'' (1984) *'' Mauvais Sang'' (1986) *'' Les Amants du Pont-Neuf'' (1991)

References

Bibliography

External links

''"Window Shopping"? -- Aesthetics of the Spectacular and Cinéma du Look''
by Patricia Allmer, Loughborough University, 2004

by Will da Shaman, Netribution Film Network, 2000
Guy Austin, ''Contemporary French Cinema: An Introduction''
A Review by J. Emmett Winn, see Austin pages 5 and 6
''Essays on Luc Besson : Master of Spectacle'' (review)
by William Brown, 2009
''The Cinéma du look and fantasy films''
by Guy Austin, in ''Contemporary French Cinema'', Manchester University Press, 1996, p. 119
''Diva, Jean-Jacques Beineix''
in ''The Cinema of France'', by Phil Powrie, p. 154, Wallflower Press, 2006
''Luc Besson : The Cinema du Look or the Spectacle-Image''
in ''Cinema after Deleuze'' by Richard Ruston, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012, p. 132 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cinema du look Movements in French cinema 1980s in film 1990s in film Postmodern art