Réalisme Poétique

Poetic Realism

   Réalisme poétique or poetic realism is a name given to a trend or current in French cinema starting in the 1930s and leading to the Nazi Occupation. It is often called a movement or school, but it was less coherent than either of those terms might suggest. Sometimes referred to as "populist" cinema, poetic realism was influenced and to some degree inspired by the political ideas of the Front Populaire, and indeed, several filmmakers associated with the current were members of the party. While it is not a coherent movement, there are several underlying tendencies that unite the films associated with poetic realism. First of all, as the name suggests, these were realist, often darkly realist, films, sometimes adapted from the works of realist writers, sometimes written for the screen. Secondly, in a more naturalist vein, directors associated with the current had a strong interest in the working classes, and working-class characters figure prominently in these films. Thirdly, the films associated with the current often use stark images and chiaroscuro lighting, where light and dark take on symbolic effect. Finally, the films depict Paris or some other large city. They focus on working-class areas, notably the banlieues. In that regard, the current followed on from the influence of early directors such as Louis Feuillade and René Clair, and would influence later French waves, including the Nouvelle Vague or New Wave and the cinéma de banlieue. Many critics also feel that the current influenced both Italian neorealism and American film noir. One difference from both the later and earlier currents is that, although the films associated with poetic realism feature the city, they were typically shot on sound stages and in studios.

   Directors whose films exhibit characteristics associated with poetic realism include Marce Carné, Pierre Chenal, Julien Duvivier, Jean Grémillon, and Jean Renoir. Some of the best-known films associated with the current include Grémillon's La Petite Lise (1930), Guele d'amour (1937), and Remorques (1939), Chenal's La Rue sans nom (1933), Le Dernier tournant (1933), and Crime et chatîment (1934), Carné's Le Quai de brumes (1938), L'Hôtel du nord (1939), and Le Jour se lève (1939), Duvivier's La Bandera (1935), La Belle équipe (1936), and Pepé leMoko (1937), and Renoir's La Grande illusion (1937), La Bête humaine (1938), and La Règle du jeu (1939). The actor most closely associated with poetic realism is Jean Gabin, who starred in many of the films cited as examples. Although a later director, Jacques Becker also shows tendencies derived from poetic realism. Marc Allegret also shows some characteristics of poetic realism in his works, and his brother, Yves Allegret, has been seen as having revived certain aspects of the vein after the war. Jacques Feyder is considered an important influence on the current, although only his La Kermesse héroïque (1935) is typically named among films belonging to the vein. Some critics point to the influence of Jean Vigo, who is also sometimes included in the list of poetic realism directors.