| Poetic realism | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1930s–1940s |
| Location | France |
| Major figures | Jean Renoir,Jean Grémillon,Jean Vigo,Jacques Feyder,Jacques Prévert,Pierre Chenal,Marcel Carné |
| Influences | French Impressionism |
| Influenced | Italian neorealism,French New Wave |
 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in French.Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Poetic realism (French:Réalisme poétique) was afilm movement inFrance of the 1930s. More a tendency than a movement,poeticrealism is not strongly unified likeSoviet montage orFrench Impressionism but were individuals who created this lyrical style. Its leadingfilmmakers werePierre Chenal,Jean Vigo,Julien Duvivier,Marcel Carné, and, perhaps the movement's most significant director,Jean Renoir. Renoir made a wide variety of films influenced by the leftist Popular Front group and even a lyrical short feature film.[1] Frequent stars of these films wereJean Gabin,Michel Simon,Simone Signoret, andMichèle Morgan.
Poetic realism films are "recreated realism", stylised and studio-bound, rather than approaching the "socio-realism of the documentary".[2] They usually have a fatalistic view of life with their characters living on the margins of society, either as unemployed members of the working class or as criminals. After a life of disappointment, the characters get a last chance at love but are ultimately disappointed again and the films frequently end with disillusionment or death. The overall tone often resembles nostalgia and bitterness. They are "poetic" because of a heightenedaestheticism that sometimes draws attention to the representational aspects of the films. Though these films were weak in the production sector, French cinema did create a high proportion of such influential films largely due to the talented people in the industry in the 1930s who were working on them. The most popular set designer wasLazare Meerson. Composers who worked on these films includedGeorges Auric,Arthur Honegger,Joseph Kosma, andMaurice Jaubert. Screenwriters who contributed to many of the films includedCharles Spaak andJacques Prévert.[1] The movement had a significant impact on later film movements, in particularItalian neorealism (many of the neorealists, most notablyLuchino Visconti, worked with poetic realist directors before starting their own careers as film critics and directors) and theFrench New Wave.
Forerunners of the poetic realist movement include:
Poetic realist works from leading filmmakers of the mid-to-late 1930s/mid-to-late 1940s include:[3][4]
| Films by year (Films (A–Z)) |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Production companies and studios |
| |
| Awards | ||
| Personnel | ||
| Movement | ||
| Other | ||
