| Film d'art | |
|---|---|
 A still fromLa Dame aux Camélias (1911) byAlbert Capellani, with actressSarah Bernhardt. | |
| Years active | Late 1900s–early 1910s |
| Location | France |
| Major figures | |
| Influences | French theatre |
| Influenced | Narrative cinema |
Film d'art (French for "art film") was an influentialfilm movement orgenre that developed in France prior toWorld War I and began with the release ofL'Assassinat du duc de Guise (1908), directed byCharles Le Bargy andAndré Calmettes of the Comédie Française for the Société Film d'Art, a company formed to adapt prestigious theatre plays starring famous performers to the screen.[1] The success ofL'Assassinat du duc de Guise inspired other companies to make similar films, initiating thefilm d'art movement.[1] Among them werePathé, which started afilm d'art division called Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et des Gens de Lettres (SCAGL).[2] Examples offilms d'art include Calmettes'sLa Duchesse de Langeais (1910) andLa Dame aux Camélias (1912), andAlbert Capellani'sNotre-Dame de Paris (1911) andLes Misérables (1913).[2]
The movement was the most serious attempt to relate cinema to forms ofhigh culture such as literature and theater, since up to that time cinema was seen as a simple popular entertainment characterized by spectacle.[2] Despite its high intellectual aspirations,film d'art was characterized by its limited narrative execution, as the works were simply filmed theatrical productions.[1] Despite its technical limitations and short-lived popularity, the movement was highly influential and instrumental in the rise offeature films andnarrative cinema, as opposed to thecinéma d'attractions (English: "cinema of attractions").[1] The movement created a demand for more developed storylines and greater production values, and also made the practice of listing credits more widespread, as they advertised the presence of well-known stage actors.[2] The influence offilm d'art resulted in the birth of narrative cinema in other countries, as in the case of Argentina with the work ofMario Gallo.[3]
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