A2 Film StudiesUnit FM4 Varieties of Film Experience

Issues and Debates

Section A: World Cinema

b) International Film StylesSURREALISM

World CinemaIn order to understand surrealism as an example of an international film style we need, first of all, to have an understanding of what we mean by world cinema.

How would you define world cinema?

It’s a term used in English-speaking countries to refer to the films and film industries of non-English-speaking countries. The word ‘world’ has often been interchanged with ‘foreign’.

Film as Art 1

In AS Film Studies you studied films (American and British films) as commercial products. You focused on how they are produced, distributed and exhibited for the primary purpose of making profit.

You also looked at the significance of the all-important audience to film distributors who have to skillfully market star personnas and freshen up old genres to keep pleasing them.

Film as Art 2 In A2 Film Studies and particularly in this topic

we will be looking at film as art rather than film as a commercial product.

Our starting point is to understand what we mean by art. How would you describe art?

The expression of human creative skill, often in a visual form, producing works that are appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

Film as Art 3 It’s very difficult to describe art precisely.

Different people have very fixed ideas about what it is or should be.

However, the best way to think about film as art is to think of films where film makers have been more interested in the process of crafting film and on experimenting with form and style rather than commercial appeal.

Film as Art 4 Additionally, looking at film as an art form

rather than a commercial practise, helps us to focus on the ways that film makers use the medium of film to communicate messages to audiences and the idea that some films can be so powerful in their effect on audiences that they can change the way they think – and even bring about social or political change.

Film as Art 5 Historically, art (painting, drawing etc) existed

before film was invented so what is so exciting about surrealism is that it was the first film ‘movement’ to develop out of an art ‘movement’.

What is an art movement?

Film as Art 6 An art movement is a tendency or style in art

with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a restricted period of time, (usually a few months, years or decades). Art movements were especially important in modern art (1870s onwards and esp. first part of 20th Century) when each consecutive movement was considered as a new avant-garde.

Film as Art 7 The most significant development in art

happened in the 1870s when impressionism emerged as a shocking and radical style of art.

The period between the 1870s and 1960s is now referred to as ‘modernist’ and modernism was characterised by shocking departures from long-established rules and conventions.

Modern art was characterised by a rejection of traditional realist art – the kind of art in which subjects, objects and places were depicted as realistically as possible.

Film as Art 8 So, modern art (and modernism generally) was

pre-occupied with non-realism. Non-realism can also be referred to as abstract

or conceptual. Abstract art uses metaphors and symbols to

suggest ideas and concepts. The invention of photography was one of the

influencing factors in the move away from realism (in art) towards non-realism. Can you think why this would be?

Realism and Non Realism Before we can understand surrealism (in art

and film) we first need to understand the difference between realism and non-realism.

This is because surrealism is an extension of the idea of non-realism.

To achieve this understanding we will look at two paintings. Then we will be ready to understand surrealism in its historical context – as a type of art (then film) that evolved during the modernist period (when the concept of ‘reality’ itself was being questioned).