Part 3 - Formal Traits of French Impressionism - Editing
Devices of Editing
Until 1923,
1)camera devices for achieving photogénie
2) and expressing subjectivity were the main distinguishing traits of Impressionism.
The 10 examples we just saw were about camera work and expressing subjectivity
Now:::
3)In that year, however, two films appeared that experimented with quick editing to
explore characters’ mental states.
Gance’s La Roue
(which premiered in December of 1922 but was released in February of 1923) contains several scenes with very fast cutting.
1)In one sequence, many short shots convey the overwrought emotions of the hero, Sisif.
2)A railway engineer, he has fallen in love with Norma, a woman whom he has raised from a
child and who thinks she is his daughter.
3)He is driving the train on which she is riding into the city to be married.
4)In despair, he opens the throttle of the train, planning to crash it and kill himself and
everyone aboard.
5)A long series of shots, gradually decreasing in length, suggests the train’s dangerous
acceleration,
6)Norma’s growing anxiety, and
7)Sisif’s anguish.
La Roue (Abel Gance, 1922) = The Wheel
Norma is saying goodbye to her goat (i guess establishing that she is a country girl) and the leaves in the garden and her "father" is motioning to say goodbye and he's crying.
She shakes her head that she doesn't want to go and there are multiple close-ups of a pansie.
one at a time.
Intertitle: Sisif had waited for the day when he would himself drive the E 108 express to take Norma to the big city.
First shot to establish the train
Another cool shot different angle - like a telescope view
Back home Norma - clips a piece of a leave to remember home.
A cool telescope view of them walking to the train station.
The telescope lens starts to close in to change scenes
Another angle of the train - conductor looking at his watch
Close up of train guy blowing whistle - nice way to build tension between two scenes
Rushing to get on train - cutting to train guy making rushing motions with arms
One last meaningful look at goat that keeps jumping up wanting to come with her.
Nice train scenic pictures and father looking sad.
He tries pulling the goat home but he won't move
Intertitle:
During a stop, Sisif heard a voice from the past calling: "CHILD STEALER!"
Different telescopic views of equipment ahead that the conductor is looking at - one looks like a big eye on a tower.
Intertitle:
"You're laughing, bastard! Do you think she'll escape me --- no. you one-eyed drunk; she'll not arrive alive in his arms ---"
(NOTE; INTERESTING DARK TWIST)
Beautiful shot of Norma - camera must be high up
Cool shot of the wheels in motion - don't know how they got that.
They keep cutting between disturbed conductor, Norma and these wheels going
faster.
The guy shoveling the coal is lucking worried
Back to Norma
Back to conductor
Close up of Conductor going mad.
Intertitle:
"The Man of the Wheel and the Rose of the Rail are made to die together. A bit of courage and it will be over quicky."
(NOTE: THE INTERTITLE IS PLACED ON TOP OF THE TRAIN TRACKS MOVING. NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE)
The coal man is getting worried - nice shot with the lighting - wonder if this is on a set.
Conductor keeps making faces - like he's gone mad.
Back to concerned coal guy
Back to crazed conductor
Back to Norma looking sad
Conductor flips a switch and the wheels start going faster.
Shot of the wheels - the music picks up
A close up of the speedometer which is moving faster to full speed.
Back to conductor - multiple times
Back to train wheels - multiple times
Speedometer - multiple times.
Conductors face
Different angle of the train with steam gushing out
Intertitle: "I'm feeling cheerful, Machefer, so you can have a drink --- To her health!"
Coal man drinking
Picture of tracks - music pumping up the anxiety - telescoping to one rail.
Speedometer now at full speed.
Parts of train shaking
Norma looks scared.
Scenery is flying past - sound good to show this
Coal man shot of putting in more coal
Going through a dark tunnel
Nice shot of steam stack - wonder how they got it.
Repeats of the things above - quicker cuts between
Music reaching a crescendo
to 30 second cuts between all of them.
Keep focusing also on Norma - starting to get a clue
Conductor with eyes closed praying
Now cuts with just second cuts between all
A quick cut to what looks like a penny was smashed on the rail - as kids do
Intertitle:
But even in his alcoholic daze, Machefer (coal guy) thought he had heard the detonator of a stop signal go off.
(NOTE: THE SOUND IS LIKE THE FLIGHT OF THE WINGED MONKIES)
Intertitle:
This time, he was sure of it. They'd just run past a stop signal!
Coal Man now getting cut into sequence - he sees conductor praying
He jumps over to stop the train switch
The conductor is realizing that train is slowing.
Conductor close up
Coal man close up - like they're staring at each other.
I think this is a new guy - the switch man on the ground...or could be conductor
I think it is the conductor - starting to look defeated
Yes, he clasps his head in his hands
Coal guy is looking at him sternly - like I'm in charge now
Intertitle: Paris: City of the inimitable tower of the Great Gallows and of the Wheel ---
Blaise Cenrars (quote of his)
Coming into the Paris - railway station.
Very slow drumbeats now
End of clip
Epstein’s Coeur Fidèle,
1)which appeared in the autumn of 1923,
2)also drew upon fast editing.
3)We have already seen how the moving camera in the carnival scene helps suggest the
heroine’s unhappiness.
4)The editing enhances this effect.
5)As in La Roue’s train scene,
6)details appear in a series of about sixty brief shots of the objects around the
whirling-swings ride.
7)Most of these shots are well under one second,
8)and many are only two frames long.
9)One brief segment, for example,
10)shows the man the woman actually loves looking on from the ground,
11) a quick long shot of the ride and crowd (4.33),
12)then quick flashes of two frames each of the heroine and her thuggish fiancé.
After the release of La Roue and Coeur Fidèle,
fast rhythmic editing became a staple of Impressionist filmmaking.
Music has calmed down to more of a slow beating drum.
In L’Inondation,
1)Louis Delluc filmed a character walking along a country road
with the sun opposite the camera,
2)transforming the landscape into one of the film’s many lovely compositions.
L’Inondation (Louis Delluc, 1924)
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