2 A cinema of the absurd
-
Sue Harris
Abstract
The narrative structures of Bertrand Blier's films vary from the episodic, frequently picaresque, yet largely linear, to the more complex and digressive reflections. The subversive approach to the notion of the dramatic catalyst is useful to begin a detailed analysis of Blier's style. One way of understanding the system of dramatic cohesion that unifies the action of Blier's films is to read it in terms of an 'absurdist' conception. Blier first experimented with this technique in Hitler, connais pas!, in which he used the narrative mechanism of the interview to allow eleven young people to talk about themselves and their experiences. The film at first appears to have ethnographic intentions consistent with the cinema-verite mode of film-making, exploring the views and preoccupations of a representative group of individuals, allowing its subjects to locate themselves, their emotions and their attitudes to life with respect to the various conditions of their lives.
Abstract
The narrative structures of Bertrand Blier's films vary from the episodic, frequently picaresque, yet largely linear, to the more complex and digressive reflections. The subversive approach to the notion of the dramatic catalyst is useful to begin a detailed analysis of Blier's style. One way of understanding the system of dramatic cohesion that unifies the action of Blier's films is to read it in terms of an 'absurdist' conception. Blier first experimented with this technique in Hitler, connais pas!, in which he used the narrative mechanism of the interview to allow eleven young people to talk about themselves and their experiences. The film at first appears to have ethnographic intentions consistent with the cinema-verite mode of film-making, exploring the views and preoccupations of a representative group of individuals, allowing its subjects to locate themselves, their emotions and their attitudes to life with respect to the various conditions of their lives.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of plates vi
- Series editors’ foreword vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction 1
- 1 ‘L’impossible Monsier B. B...’ 7
- 2 A cinema of the absurd 30
- 3 Festive madness 63
- Plates 98
- 4 Bending gender 106
- 5 A farewell to arms 130
- 6 Conclusion 146
- Filmography 153
- Select bibliography 158
- Index 162
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of plates vi
- Series editors’ foreword vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction 1
- 1 ‘L’impossible Monsier B. B...’ 7
- 2 A cinema of the absurd 30
- 3 Festive madness 63
- Plates 98
- 4 Bending gender 106
- 5 A farewell to arms 130
- 6 Conclusion 146
- Filmography 153
- Select bibliography 158
- Index 162
