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Movies Forum Index » Silent Movies Forum » Re-discovering Abel Gance
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| Matt Barry |
 Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:15 am |
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Few filmmakers can claim such innovation over such a short period of time as
Abel Gance. Born to working class parents in Paris in 1889, he later shed
his working class roots, marking himself as a true artist of the cinema. For
many years, his filmography served only to tantalize film buffs, as so many
of his titles are either lost or unavailable. Following the reconstruction
of his 1927 masterpiece "Napoleon" in 1981, Gance returned to his position
as one of the cinema's foremost innovators.
But what of his other films? Among his silent films, perhaps the two most
well-known titles are "J'accuse", his 1919 pacifist epic, and "La Roue", a
melodrama taking place in the trainyards. For many years it has been
difficult to obtain copies of either of these films for viewing, and even
then, only in poor prints that did not do justice to the original. Thanks to
the restoration efforts of David Shepard, the films are now available on DVD
in splendidly restored editions. These two films were shown on Turner
Classic Movies on Sunday April 27th, 2008.
I will write separate reviews of the films as soon as I have the chance to
see them.
The evening's lineup of films also included a 1968 documentary directed by
Kevin Brownlow titled "The Charm of Dynamite", a fascinating look into
Gance's career and the making of his films. It featured large amounts of
behind-the-scenes footage taken on the set of his films, showing the
elaborate camera operations that had to take place in order to achieve the
distinct moving camera style that Gance perfected.
"La Roue" was a hugely innovative film in its time, causing Jean Cocteau to
write "There is filmmaking before and after 'La Roue' just as there is
painting before and after Picasso". It was clearly influential in its
editing style, which the Soviets would borrow to develop their theories of
montage. Akira Kurosawa claims he was inspired to go into filmmaking after
seeing "La Roue".
Gance was a huge admirer of D.W. Griffith, and like Griffith, was an artist
who was perhaps too big for the medium at that time. His ideas, the scope of
his productions, practically seemed beyond the capabilities of the medium.
He did, as Kevin Brownlow said, grab the infant medium by the hand and give
it a breathless rush through life. It would be at least thirty years after
"Napoleon" before the cinema had caught up with Gance's ideas from a purely
technical standpoint.
The opportunity to see these two films is an excellent way to begin
re-discovering the work of this master, and to examine more closely the
films that display his genius.
--
Matt Barry
View my films at: www.youtube.com/comedyfilm
Read my blog at: http://filmreel.blogspot.com |
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| StormChaser |
| Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:11 pm |
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In the book, The Parade's Gone By, there is a picture
of D.W. Griffith shaking Abel Gance's hand while holding
his hat astride his head as a gesture of respect.
The picture was taken after the premiere of J'ACCUSE
in Mamaroneck. N.Y.. |
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