The Phenomenological Aesthetics of the French Action Film
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Les Sensations fortes: The phenomenological aesthetics of the French action film DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Matthew Alexander Roesch Graduate Program in French and Italian The Ohio State University 2017 Dissertation Committee: Margaret Flinn, Advisor Patrick Bray Dana Renga Copyrighted by Matthew Alexander Roesch 2017 Abstract This dissertation treats les sensations fortes, or “thrills”, that can be accessed through the experience of viewing a French action film. Throughout the last few decades, French cinema has produced an increasing number of “genre” films, a trend that is remarked by the appearance of more generic variety and the increased labeling of these films – as generic variety – in France. Regardless of the critical or even public support for these projects, these films engage in a spectatorial experience that is unique to the action genre. But how do these films accomplish their experiential phenomenology? Starting with the appearance of Luc Besson in the 1980s, and following with the increased hybrid mixing of the genre with other popular genres, as well as the recurrence of sequels in the 2000s and 2010s, action films portray a growing emphasis on the importance of the film experience and its relation to everyday life. Rather than being direct copies of Hollywood or Hong Kong action cinema, French films are uniquely sensational based on their spectacular visuals, their narrative tendencies, and their presentation of the corporeal form. Relying on a phenomenological examination of the action film filtered through the philosophical texts of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Paul Ricoeur, Mikel Dufrenne, and Jean- Luc Marion, in this dissertation I show that French action cinema is pre-eminently concerned with the thrill that comes from the experience, and less concerned with a ii political or ideological commentary on the state of French culture or cinema. The spectacular visuals of Luc Besson set the tone for the genre, while the narrative of the action-heritage film hybrid led it through its next phase, until finally arriving at the superiority of corporeal movement through sequential films in the mid-2000s and 2010s. By addressing basic and fundamental human experiences of vision, story-telling, and movement, these films invite a new appreciation of French cinema, apart from the typical moniker of the emotionally-driven “art cinema” while still evoking the concepts of the artistic endeavor. iii Acknowledgments I would like to send the greatest dedication to my most enthusiastic friend and partner, Annagiulia Bobbio, for her continued support and also her constant reminder of the larger picture. Without her, this could not have been accomplished. I would also like to thank my advisor, Margaret Flinn, for her unflinching approval despite the many wrong paths and pirouettes performed in the process. This project could not have been completed without the generous commentary of Patrick Bray, as well as the pointed feedback of the members of the Dissertation Workshop. Finally, I would like to thank the department of French and Italian at The Ohio State University for their financial support throughout the process. iv Vita May 2004…………………………………B.A. Microbiology, Miami University May 2013…………………………………M.A. French, Ohio State University August 2013 – Present……………………Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of French, Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: French and Italian Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization: Film v Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... iv Vita .................................................................................................................................v Introduction: Les sensations fortes and French action film ...............................................1 Chapter 1: Luc Besson, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and the action spectacle……………...45 Chapter 2: The action-historical hybrid, Paul Ricoeur, and narrative…………………...97 Chapter 3: Mikel Dufrenne and the phenomenology of corporeal movement ............... 154 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 218 Filmography ................................................................................................................ 223 Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 227 vi Introduction: Les sensations fortes and French action film Cette opposition entre des genres cinématographiques qui constitueraient « une forme d’expression culturelle collective » et des genres manipulateurs et réducteurs recoupe un clivage, plus fondamental, de la culture contemporaine entre deux positions, l’une valorisant les productions en série de la culture de masse, l’autre les dévalorisant comme des objets pauvres et aliénants. Ces deux attitudes entraînent deux conceptions antagonistes de la fonction sociale du genre (expression de « vérités » sociales/encadrement idéologique contraignant), mais aussi […] deux manières d’envisager le genre comme processus de communication (médiation utile/blocage de l’interprétation). Elles reflètent l’ambivalence essentielle des productions stéréotypées de la culture de masse. - Raphaëlle Moine, Les Genres du cinéma La vie quotidienne ne me donne guère accès à moi-même, elle me dispense en effet d’en avoir le désir et même le besoin. Car j’ai passé un accord tacite avec moi: je ferai comme si j’avais accès à moi-même, mais je me dispenserai de le vérifier trop souvent, en sorte de pouvoir mieux vaquer, l’esprit libre, à mes affaires du monde. Puisque je suis ici (ou plutôt là), pourquoi m’embarrasser de le confirmer? Je me suppose suffisamment assuré de la fidélité de moi-même à moi-même pour ne pas aller à chaque instant la constater. Ainsi s’écoule le cours des choses: trop sûr de moi pour jamais aller voir si j’y suis, je ne m’occupe que du reste des étants. Puisque je suis bien gardé par un autre moi-même, je peux m’oublier. Je traverse ainsi ma vie en état de séparation de corps et de pensée d’avec moi-même. Je ne suis sans moi – sans soi. Mais, justement, suis-je vraiment assuré de pouvoir à volonté accéder à moi? - Jean-Luc Marion, De surcroît 1 A burgeoning trend in French cinema is the homegrown production of action films, commonly following the Hollywood model of blockbuster productions. For some popular critics and critical scholars, this signals a state of instability for the French cinema production model, and brings discomfort to the industry’s proponents and supporters. As for the production of action genre films themselves, though, France has arguably been producing proto-action films since the beginning of cinema itself, from the purportedly frightening movement of L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat (Lumière 1895), to Abel Gance’s remarkable tracking shots and derring-do stunts of the titular hero in Napoléon (1927), to Jean-Paul Belmondo’s physical comedy feats in any number of Philippe de Broca’s films.1 The action sequence has thus always been present in French films, yet the generic moniker of “action” has remained elusive. There is a hesitance to label a film as “action” simply because of what that entails. One reason the label has been so contentious is because of critical reception that is anything but friendly to perceived Hollywood-style genre vehicles, in which of course action plays an outsized role. One issue of CinémAction has a particularly revealing title: “Quelle diversité face à Hollywood?”2 The editors also begin by asking the question: “quel modèle alternatif à Hollywood?”, and subsequent section titles for their inquiry vary from “Un problème Hollywood?” to “Le système Hollywood: fondements d’une hégémonie,” or “Reproduire Hollywood? l’expérience européenne” and “Résister à 1 For instance, L’homme de Rio (1964), Les Tribulations d’un Chinois en Chine (1965), Le Magnifique (1973), L’Incorrigible (1975), or a later film starring Daniel Auteuil in the comedic-action role, Le Bossu (1997). 2 CinémAction is a triannual periodical that often features in-depth analyses and collaborative scholarship, and which has been published since 1978. 2 Hollywood: experiences et perspectives”. Each subsection has its own contention about Hollywood cinema and its production system, yet the proposed solution – stated again in the editors’ introduction – presumes too much about the dominance of Hollywood cinema: Quel que soit le médium choisi, cinéma ou télévision, l’essentiel est de préserver l’invention créatrice dans chaque œuvre. Plus les images viennent d’horizons divers, plus cette exigence est facile à faire respecter. Et cette diversité est d’autant plus indispensable en ces temps difficiles, car elle seule peut ouvrir le public, stimuler la curiosité, le rendre capable de formuler un jugement propre plutôt que d’accepter les a priori, les idées toutes faites. (13, emphasis added)3 A national system overwhelmed by Hollywood fare would result in a loss of creativity, these editors claim. Yet creativity does not only develop from a diversity of sources.4 If that were the case, Hollywood would be the least creative film system on the planet simply because