Abel Gance and the End of Silent Cinema

This book explores the creation and destruction of Abel Gance's most ambitious film project, and seeks to explain why his meteoric career was so nearly extinguished at the end of silent cinema. By 1929, Gance was France's most famous director. Acclaimed for his technical innovation and visual imagination, he was also admonished for the excessive length and expense of his productions. Gance's first sound film, La Fin du Monde (1930), was a critical and financial disaster so great that it nearly destroyed his career. But what went wrong? Gance claimed it was commercial sabotage whilst critics blamed the director's inexperience with new technology. Neither excuse is satisfactory. Based on extensive archival research, this book re-investigates the cultural background and aesthetic consequences of Gance's transition from silent filmmaking to sound cinema. La Fin du Monde is revealed to be only one element of an extraordinary cultural project to transformcinema into a universal religion and propagate its power through the League of Nations. From unfinished films to unrealized social revolutions, the reader is given a fascinating tour of Gance's lost cinematic utopia.

First monograph dedicated to Abel Gance's career during the transition to sound (and only the second monograph on Gance in the last 30 years) Draws on extensive investigation of primary sources Features previously unseen archival material Offers critical reconstitution of La Fin du Monde, revealing for the first time its original design Provides insight into Gance's unrealized artistic and political projects during 1910s-30s

Autorentext
Paul Cuff is an Associate Fellow in the Department of Film and Television Studies, University of Warwick, UK. He has produced work on Abel Gance, Sherlock Holmes, Buster Keaton, and Spike Milligan. His first monograph, A revolution for the screen: Abel Gance's 'Napoléon', was published in 2015.

Inhalt
Preface: The sublime and the ridiculous.-Part I: Overcoming the past.- Introduction.- 1. In the shadow of war.- 2. Towards utopia.- 3. Prophets of the future.- 4. Cinema and the life of space.- Summary: Part I.- Part II: Impossible dreams.- Introduction.- 5. Artistic integrity and industrial change.- 6. A history of incompletion.- Summary: Part II.- Part III: The marvels of ruins.- Introduction.- 7. Passion and performance.- 8. Fighting to be heard.- 9. The world on fire.- Summary: Part III.- Conclusion: "Why have I been only what I am?".