Montage in the Films of Nicole Vedrès, Alain Resnais and Chris Marker, 1947-1957
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Historical Assemblages: Montage in the Films of Nicole Vedrès, Alain Resnais and Chris Marker, 1947-1957 Ivan Čerečina A thesis submitted in fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Sydney 2019 Thesis completed under the supervision of Dr. Susan Potter Department of Art History 1 This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge, the content of this thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged. Ivan Čerečina 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 11 AN AIR OF RENEWAL: DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING IN POST-WAR FRANCE ......................................................... 12 MONTAGE PERMITTED: AN AESTHETIC OF MONTAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF POST-WAR FRENCH CINEMA ........ 28 MONTAGE AS HISTORICAL METHOD: BENJAMIN’S HISTORICAL LEGIBILITY ........................................................... 50 OUTLINE .............................................................................................................................................................................. 60 CHAPTER 1. “LES NERFS D’UNE ÉPOQUE”: NICOLE VEDRÈS AND THE RENEWAL OF THE FILM DE MONTAGE TRADITION ........................................................................................................................... 68 THE PRE-WAR FILM DE MONTAGE TRADITION: THE SOVIET SCHOOL AND FRENCH MILITANT FILMMAKING ..... 74 ALTERNATIVE METHODS: MONTAGE ACCORDING TO JACQUES BRUNIUS AND ANDRÉ BAZIN ............................. 87 MONTAGE ON PAPER: VEDRÈS’ IMAGES DU CINÉMA FRANÇAIS ................................................................................... 97 PARIS 1900 TAKES SHAPE: ORIGINS AND CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENTS ........................................................... 106 FROM REFUSE TO RÉCIT: REVELATORY MONTAGE POETICS IN PARIS 1900 ....................................................... 123 PARIS 1900 AND ITS AFTERLIFE .................................................................................................................................. 138 CHAPTER 2. CRITICAL FUTURES: MONTAGE WITH AND AGAINST THE ARCHIVE ............... 140 AFTER HIROSHIMA: LA VIE COMMENCE DEMAIN ....................................................................................................... 143 FUTURE STRUGGLES: LES STATUES MEURENT AUSSI ................................................................................................. 165 MEMORIAL STAKES: NUIT ET BROUILLARD ................................................................................................................ 186 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................................................... 210 CHAPTER 3. CULTURAL RE-ANIMATION: FRAGMENTATION AND RE-ASSEMBLAGE IN ALAIN RESNAIS’ VAN GOGH AND GUERNICA .................................................................................................... 211 MONTAGE AS METHOD: MALRAUX AND REPRODUCIBILITY .................................................................................... 215 MONTAGE IN POST-WAR POPULAR EDUCATION: THE RE-ANIMATION OF CULTURE .......................................... 227 PIECING TOGETHER MYTH IN VAN GOGH ................................................................................................................... 241 A HISTORICAL RUPTURE: FRAGMENTATION AND DISCONTINUITY IN GUERNICA ................................................ 254 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................................................... 274 CHAPTER 4. TIME AND PLACE: MONTAGE IN EARLY MARKER ................................................... 278 MARKER AS WRITER AND EDITOR, AND FIRST CINEMATOGRAPHIC VENTURES, 1946-1954 ......................... 281 MONTAGE ON PAPER: MARKER AS EDITOR AT LES EDITIONS DU SEUIL, 1954-1958 ...................................... 293 PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE: MARKER’S EARLY TRAVEL FILMS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COLD WAR .............. 308 “THE PRICE OF THE PICTURESQUE”: DIMANCHE À PEKIN ........................................................................................ 314 “IN THE LAND OF THE DIALECTIC”: LETTRE DE SIBÉRIE .......................................................................................... 330 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................................................... 347 AFTERIMAGES: LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD .................................................................... 350 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................................... 359 FILMOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................ 382 CENTRAL CORPUS OF FILMS, IN ORDER OF RELEASE: ................................................................................................. 382 OTHER FILMS CITED: ...................................................................................................................................................... 382 APPENDIX 1. CITATIONS IN THEIR ORIGINAL LANGUAGE ........................................................... 387 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................ 387 CHAPTER 1 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 388 CHAPTER 2 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 390 CHAPTER 3 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 392 CHAPTER 4 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 394 APPENDIX 2. MONTAGE IN POST-WAR FRENCH FILM: A BIBLIO-FILMOGRAPHY FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ................................................................................................................................ 395 3 TABLE OF FIGURES FIGURE I: ADAMO, THE FALL OF ROBESPIERRE IN THE CONVENTION ON 27 JULY 1794. ............................................. 37 FIGURE II: DOUBLE-PAGE SPREAD FROM GEORGES BATAILLE'S DOCUMENTS JOURNAL. ............................................. 46 FIGURE III: DOUBLE-PAGE SPREAD FROM MARKER'S COLLAGE FOLDERS. ...................................................................... 46 FIGURE IV: DOK JOURNAL COVER DESIGNED BY CHRIS MARKER, PUBLISHED IN 1950. ............................................. 47 FIGURE V: EL LISSITSKY, KURT SCHWITTERS, 1924. ........................................................................................................ 47 FIGURE 1.1: POSTER FOR PARIS 1900. ................................................................................................................................ 71 FIGURE 1.2: CLASS DIVIDES IN ESFIR SHUB’S THE FALL OF THE ROMANOV DYNASTY (1927). ................................. 80 FIGURE 1.3: FINAL IMAGES OF GERMAIN DULAC’S LE CINÉMA AU SERVICE DE L’HISTOIRE ......................................... 83 FIGURE 1.4: ARCHIVAL PEDAGOGY: CONSECUTIVE IMAGES IN LA VIE EST À NOUS ........................................................ 85 FIGURE 1.5: JACQUES BRUNIUS, COLLAGE EN NEUF EPISODES (COLLAGE, 1942). ....................................................... 90 FIGURE 1.6: MONTAGE OF TEXT AND IMAGE IN IMAGES DU CINÉMA. ........................................................................... 100 FIGURE 1.7: DOUBLE-PAGE SPREAD FROM IMAGES DU CINÉMA FRANÇAIS. ................................................................. 104 FIGURE 1.8: OPENING SHOT OF PARIS 1900 AND CHÉRONNET'S PHOTO ALBUM. ..................................................... 108 FIGURE 1.9: A SEQUENCE ON WOMEN’S FASHION AND WORK IN PARIS 1900. .......................................................... 116 FIGURE 1.10: ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE BOOKENDS AN EARLY COMEDIC SKETCH ............................................................. 119 FIGURE 1.11: FOUR IMAGES FROM THE CRUCIAL TURNING POINT OF PARIS 1900. .................................................. 131 FIGURE 1.12: SOLDIERS LEAVING FOR THE FRONT AT THE END OF PARIS 1900. ...................................................... 135 FIGURE 1.13: A TRAIN DEPARTING TO AN EXTERMINATION CAMP. ............................................................................. 136 FIGURE 2.1: A SHOT FROM LA VIE COMMENCE DEMAIN ................................................................................................. 147 FIGURE 2.2: ORIGINAL CONTRACT FOR LA VIE COMMENCE DEMAIN ............................................................................ 148 FIGURE 2.3: ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE