Alain Resnais, director of 'Hiroshima mon amour' (1959) and 'L'Annee derniere a Marienbad' (1961), has transformed the representation of memory, fantasy and desire in modern cinema. This illuminating introduction to his work, extending from his earliest documentaries to the musical films of the last decade, traces the evolving patterns of his filmmaking, its changing reflections on mortality, guilt, chance and human doubt. Exploring questions of the time-image, of trauma, of the senses, this volume sets Resnais' films in the context of important current debates in film theory, and provides a concise account of critical discussions of his work in France and beyond. Yet it also offers a highly personal and detailed engagement with individual images and scenes in Resnais' films. A passionate and partial defence of Resnais' work, old and new, this volume stands apart in its attention to the more tangible and moving pleasures of his films, their pathos, rigour and visual beauty.
About the AuthorDiana Holmes is Professor of French at Keele University Robert Ingram is Associate Dean in the School of Languages and European Studies at the University of Wolverhampton
Book InformationISBN 9780719064074
Author Emma WilsonFormat Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Manchester University PressPublisher Manchester University Press
Series French Film Directors SeriesDimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 12mm