| Pierre Batcheff and Stardom in 1920s French Cinema Contributor(s): Powrie, Phil (Author), Rebillard, Eric (Author) |
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ISBN: 0748621970 ISBN-13: 9780748621972 Publisher: Edinburgh University Press OUR PRICE: $137.75 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: January 2009 Annotation: Pierre Batcheff was a prominent cinema star of the 1920s, a French Valentino best-known to modern audiences as the protagonist of the avant-garde classic, "Un chien andalou" (1929). Unlike other stars, Batcheff moved within intellectual circles, especially the Surrealists. This biography places the silent screen star within the context of 1920s popular cinema and its male stars. Batcheff's life exemplifies the tensions between "popular" and the "intellectual" as cinema& mdash;the subject of intense intellectual interest across Europe& mdash;became categorized somewhere between commercialism and "art." Major films studied in detail include: "Le Double amour" (Epstein, 1925), "Feu Mathias Pascal" (L'Herbier, 1925), "Aducation de prince" (Diamant-Berger, 1927), "Le Joueur d'A(c)checs" (Bernard, 1927), "La SirA]ne des tropiques" (EtiA(c)vant and Nalpas, 1927), "Les Deux timides" (Clair, 1928), "Un chien andalou" (BuAuel, 1929), "Monte-Cristo" (Fescourt, 1929), and "Baroud" (Ingram, 1932). |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Asian - General - Performing Arts | Film - History & Criticism - Performing Arts | Radio - History & Criticism |
| Dewey: 791.430 |
| LCCN: 2009483915 |
| Physical Information: 0.8" H x 6.5" W x 9.3" (1.32 lbs) 272 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Asian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This book is the first major study of a French silent cinema star. It focuses on Pierre Batcheff, a prominent popular cinema star in the 1920s, the French Valentino, best-known to modern audiences for his role as the protagonist of the avant-garde film classic Un chien andalou. Unlike other stars, he was linked to intellectual circles, especially the Surrealists. The book places Batcheff in the context of 1920s popular cinema, with specific reference to male stars of the period. It analyses the tensions he exemplifies between the 'popular' and the 'intellectual' during the 1920s, as cinema - the subject of intense intellectual interest across Europe - was racked between commercialism and 'art'. A number of the major films are studied in detail: Le Double amour (Epstein, 1925), Feu Mathias Pascal (L'Herbier, 1925), Éducation de prince (Diamant-Berger, 1927), Le Joueur d'échecs (Bernard, 1927), La Sirène des tropiques (Etiévant and Nalpas, 1927), Les Deux timides (Clair, 1928), Un chien andalou (Buñuel, 1929), Monte-Cristo (Fescourt, 1929), and Baroud (Ingram, 1932).Key features: *The first major study of a French silent cinema star.*Provides an in-depth analysis of star performance.*Includes extensive appendices of documents from popular cinema magazines of the period. |