Bücher von Martin O'Shaughnessy

An analysis of all Jean Renoir's sound films, including those he made in Hollywood. Giving an account of critical debates concerning Renoir, and focusing on areas such as gender, nation and ethnicity, the book asks us to rethink our understanding of Renoir's political commitment.

Since 1995 there has been a widespread return of commitment to French cinema taking it to a level unmatched since the heady days following 1968. But this new wave of political film is very different and urgently calls out for an analysis that will account for its development, its formal characteristics and its originality. This is what this book provides. It engages with leading directors such as Cantet, Tavernier, Dumont, Kassovitz, Zonca and Gudiguian, takes in a range of less well known but important figures and strays across the Belgian border to engage with the seminal work of the Dardenne brothers. It shows how the works discussed are helping to reinvent political cinema by finding stylistic and narrative strategies adequate to the contemporary context.