Contents

Note on Notes,  x

Preface,  xiii

Acknowledgments,  xxiii

PART ONE: 1907–1914

Before the Canon  3

Selected Texts  33

Georges Méliès, “Cinematographic Views” (1907),  35

Rémy de Gourmont, “Epilogues: Cinematograph” (1907),  47

Adolphe Brisson, “Theater Column: L’Assassinat du Duc de Guise” (1908),  50

Jules Romains, “The Crowd at the Cinematograph” (1911),  53

[Louis Feuillade], ‘‘Scènes de la vie telle qu’elle est” (1911),  54

Victorin Jasset, “An Essay on Mise-en-scène in Cinematography” (1911),  55

Ricciotto Canudo, “The Birth of a Sixth Art” (1911),  58

Abel Gance, “A Sixth Art” (1912),  66

Yhcam, “Cinematography” (1912),  67

Louis Haugmard, “The ‘Aesthetic’ of the Cinematograph” (1913),  77

René Doumic, “Drama Review: The Cinema Age” (1913),  86

Maurice Raynal, “Cinema Column: Fantômas” (1914),  89

Leopold Survage, “Colored Rhythm” (1914),  90

PART TWO: 1915–1919

Photogénie and Company  95

Selected Texts  125

Jacques de Baroncelli, “Pantomime, Music, Cinema” (1915),  125

Colette, “Cinema: The Cheat” (1917),   128

Paul Souday, “On the Cinema” (1916),  129

Emile Vuillermoz, “Before the Screen” (1916),   131

Emile Vuillermoz, “Before the Screen: Les Frères corses” (1917),  132

Colette, “Film Criticism: Mater Dolorosa” (1917),  136

Louis Delluc, “Beauty in the Cinema” (1917),  137

Louis Delluc, “Antoine at Work” (1917),  140

Philippe Soupault, “Note 1 on the Cinema” (1918),  142

Louis Delluc, “Notes to Myself: La Dixième Symphonie” (1918),  143

Marcel L’Herbier, “Hermes and Silence” (1918),  147

Emile Vuillermoz, “Before the Screen: Hermes and Silence” (1918),  155

Louis Delluc, “The Crowd” (1918),  159

Louis Aragon, “On Decor” (1918),  165

Emile Vuillermoz, “Before the Screen: La Dixième Symphonie” (1918),  168

Louis Delluc, “Cinema: The Cold Deck” (1919),  171

Jean Cocteau, “Carte Blanche” (1919),  172

Marcel Gromaire, “A Painter’s Ideas about the Cinema” (1919),  174

Blaise Cendrars, “The Modern: A New Art, the Cinema” (1919),  182

Henri Diamant-Berger, “The Scenario” (1919),  183

Henri Diamant-Berger, “The Decoupage” (1919),  183

Louis Delluc, “Cinema: The Outlaw and His Wife” (1919),  188

André Antoine, “A Proposal on the Cinema” (1919),  189

PART THREE: 1920–1924

Cinégraphie and the Search for Specificity  193

Selected Texts  224

Louis Feuillade, “Introduction,” Barrabas [1920] and Les Deux Gamines [1921],  224

Emile Vuillermoz, “Before the Screen: Aesthetic” (1920),  223

Louis Delluc, “Cadence” (1920),  228

Léon Moussinac, “Cinema: Broken Blossoms” (1921),  229

Jean Epstein, “Magnification” (1921),  235

Jean Epstein, “The Senses 1 (b)” (1921),  241

Lionel Landry, “El Dorado” (1921),  246

Léon Moussinac, “Cinema: Fièvre, L’Atlantide, El Dorado” (1921),  249

Louis Delluc, “From Orestes to Rio Jim” (1921),  233

Elie Faure, “The Art of Cineplastics” (1922),  238

Lionel Landry, “Caligarism or the Theater’s Revenge” (1922),  268

Blaise Cendrars, “On The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari” (1922),  271

Fernand Léger, “La Roue: Its Plastic Quality” (1922),  271

Emile Vuillermoz, “La Roue” (1923),  274

René Clair, “La Roue” (1923),  279

Léon Moussinac, “On Cinegraphic Rhythm” (1923),  280

Robert Desnos, “Dream and Cinema” (1923),  283

Louis Delluc, “Prologue” (1923),  283

Ricciotto Canudo, “Reflections on the Seventh Art” [1923],  291

René Clair, “Coeur fidèle” (1924),  303

Germaine Dulac, “The Expressive Techniques of the Cinema” (1924),  305

Jean Epstein, “On Certain Characteristics of Photogénie” (1924),  314

PART FOUR: 1925–1929

The Great Debates  321

Selected Texts  349

Jean Epstein, “For a New Avant-Garde” (1925),  349

Jean Goudal, “Surrealism and Cinema” (1925),  333

Paul Ramain, “The Influence of Dream on the Cinema” (1925),  362

Jacques Feyder, “Visual Transpositions” (1925),  364

René Clair, “Rhythm” (1925),  368

René Clair, “Pure Cinema and Commercial Cinema” (1925),  370

Henri Chomette, “Second Stage” (1925),  371

Fernand Léger, “Painting and Cinema” (1925),  372

Henri Fescourt and Jean-Louis Bouquet, Idea and Screen: Opinions on the Cinema, vol. 1 (1925),  373

Henri Fescourt and Jean-Louis Bouquet, Idea and Screen: Opinions on the Cinema, vol. 3 (1926),  384

Pierre Porte, “Pure Cinema” (1926),  383

Germaine Dulac, “Aesthetics, Obstacles, Integral Cinégraphie” (1926),  389

Robert Desnos, ‘Fantômas, Les Vampires, Les Mystères de New York” (1927),  398

Abel Gance, “My Napoleon” (1927),  400

Emile Vuillermoz,”Napoléon” (1927),  401

Emile Vuillermoz, “Abel Gance and Napoléon” (1927),  403

Jean Prévost, “The Cinema: Metropolis” (1927),  408

Antonin Artaud, “Cinema and Reality” (1927),  410

Jean Epstein, “Art of Incidence” (1927),  412

Léon Moussinac, “Cinema: Social Expression” (1927),  414

Léon Moussinac, “Eisenstein” (1928),  417

Léon Moussinac, “The Question of the ‘Avant-Garde’ Film” (1928),  420

Jean Epstein, “Fragments of Sky” (1928),  421

Jean Epstein, “Approaches to Truth” (1928),  422

Léon Moussinac, “Technique and the Future” (1929),  423

Robert Desnos, “Avant-Garde Cinema” (1929),  429

Robert Aron, “Films of Revolt” (1929),  432

Index,  437