French Cinema
France has always had a prominent role in the world of cinema, dating right back to the very first movies ever made. French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière, were among the earliest filmmakers and presented their first public screening at the Grand Café in Paris in 1895. They showed ten short films; each roughly lasting for around one minute. Other French filmmakers starting to make short films around this time include Étienne-Jules Marey, Charles-Émile Reynaud and Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince.
Before WWI France was the main producer and distributor of films, with Pathé Frères, the Gaumont Film Company and the Georges Méliès company leading the way. It wasn’t until after the war when France was suffering from lack of capital did the United States enter the market and make there lasting impact.
Pantheon Theatre in Paris
Today France is still one of the biggest contributors in the cinema industry. French films are known as some of the best films made and French directors have started to break into Hollywood and create blockbuster hits. The French are also still huge cinema goers. Paris has the largest amount of cinemas per inhabitants than any other city in the world. The cinemas show both mainstream and foreign films, with the main interest in French films.
Cafe des 2 Moulins from Amelie
Over the years, Paris has become an extremely popular location for films. The booming eras were the 1930’s, 1950’s and 1990’s, with both French and international films being made in Paris. A great film, “Amelie” by French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet shows the life of a girl in Paris. The film successfully portrayed the “feel” of Paris and also showed real locations in the city that fans and travelers can visit. Amelie became the highest grossing French-language film ever released in the United States.
Looking to the future, French films, actors and directors can only build in strength and continue their popularity rise. Their unique sense of humor and look on the world is loved around the world, as well as their beautiful locations like Paris to film in.
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