Question

Which French film critic is known for emphasizing the 'mise-en-scene' aesthetic as prioritizing choreographed movement within the scene rather than through editing?

• A. Jean-Luc Godard
• B. André Bazin
• C. François Truffaut
• D. Éric Rohmer

Answer 1

Answer:

B. André Bazin

• André Bazin was a highly influential French film critic and film theorist.
• He is widely recognized for his significant contributions to film criticism, particularly his emphasis on realism in cinema.
• Bazin championed the 'mise-en-scène' aesthetic, which he believed allowed for a more profound and realistic portrayal of reality on screen.
• He argued that depth of field and long takes, as opposed to montage, were crucial for preserving the ambiguity and complexity of real-life events.
• Bazin's critical approach often involved analyzing how the director used the entire frame—setting, props, actors' movements, and lighting—to convey meaning, rather than relying on rapid editing to assemble the narrative.
• His ideas significantly influenced the French New Wave movement, with many prominent directors like François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard being deeply inspired by his writings.
• Bazin's seminal work includes essays like 'What is Cinema?' (Qu'est-ce que le cinéma?), which remains a foundational text in film studies.
• His preference for 'mise-en-scène' over editing was a direct challenge to the Soviet montage theorists like Sergei Eisenstein, who believed editing was the primary creative force in film.
• Bazin's theoretical framework is often associated with the concept of 'indexicality,' the idea that film has a natural connection to the reality it records.