Jean Epstein
Encyclopedia
Jean Epstein was a French filmmaker, film theorist, literary critic, and novelist. Although he is remembered today primarily for his adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's
The Fall of the House of Usher
, Epstein directed three dozen films and was an influential critic of literature and film from the early 1920s through the late 1940s. He is often associated with French Impressionist Cinema
and the concept of photogénie.
Epstein started directing his own films in 1922 with Pasteur, followed by L'Auberge rouge and Coeur fidèle
(both 1923). Film director Luis Buñuel
worked as an assistant director to Epstein on Mauprat (1926) and La Chute de la maison Usher (1928). Epstein's criticism appeared in the early modernist journal L'Esprit Nouveau.
During the making of Coeur fidèle
Epstein now chose to film a simple story of love and violence "to win the confidence of those, still so numerous, who believe that only the lowest melodrama can interest the public", and also in the hope of creating "a melodrama so stripped of all the conventions ordinarily attached to the genre, so sober, so simple, that it might approach the nobility and excellence of tragedy". He wrote the scenario in a single night.
Epstein had been much impressed by Abel Gance
's recently completed La Roue
, and in Coeur fidèle he sought to apply its techniques of rapid and rhythmic editing as well as the innovative use of close-ups and superimpositions of images. These techniques are most apparent during the first half of the film: the opening sequence establishing Marie's situation in the harbour bar through a series of close-ups of her face, her hands, the table and glasses that she is cleaning; the use of images of the sea and the port, either intercut or superimposed, to convey the yearnings of Jean and Marie; and the film's most celebrated sequence at the fairground in which a highly complex series of rhythmically assembled images charts the tension of the relationship between Marie and Petit Paul. The later scenes of the film are relatively conventional in the techniques employed and depend more upon situation and action than upon photography and processing of the images.
First influenced by German expressionism
in the 1920s, Jean Epstein finds his own way by discovering Brittany
. He then expresses himself through documentaries of islands such as Finis Terræ
filmed in Ouessant, Mor vran (The sea of the crows, in Breton
) filmed in Sein
, L'Or des mers filmed in Hoëdic
, Le Tempestaire
filmed in Belle Île
. Chanson d'Armor is known as the first Breton-speaking film in history. His two novels also take place in Breton isles: L'Or des mers in Ouessant and Les Recteurs et la sirène in Sein.
In August 2005, his films La Glace à trois faces (1927) and Le Tempestaire (The Tempest) (1947) were restored and re-released on the DVD collection Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and 1930s
.
Epstein died in 1953 from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in September 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine. It was slightly revised in 1840 for the collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque...
, Epstein directed three dozen films and was an influential critic of literature and film from the early 1920s through the late 1940s. He is often associated with French Impressionist Cinema
French Impressionist Cinema
French Impressionist Cinema, also referred to as the first avant-garde or narrative avant-garde, is a term applied to a group of French films and filmmakers of the 1920s....
and the concept of photogénie.
Career
Epstein was born in Warsaw, Poland, to a French-Jewish father and Polish mother. After his father died in 1908, the family relocated to Switzerland, where Epstein remained until beginning medical school at the University of Lyon in France. While in Lyon, Epstein served as a secretary and translator for Auguste Lumière, considered one of the founders of cinema.Epstein started directing his own films in 1922 with Pasteur, followed by L'Auberge rouge and Coeur fidèle
Coeur fidèle
Cœur fidèle is a 1923 French drama film directed by Jean Epstein. It has the alternative English title Faithful Heart. The film tells a melodramatic story of thwarted romance, set against a background of the Marseille docks, and experiments with many techniques of camerawork and...
(both 1923). Film director Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
worked as an assistant director to Epstein on Mauprat (1926) and La Chute de la maison Usher (1928). Epstein's criticism appeared in the early modernist journal L'Esprit Nouveau.
During the making of Coeur fidèle
Coeur fidèle
Cœur fidèle is a 1923 French drama film directed by Jean Epstein. It has the alternative English title Faithful Heart. The film tells a melodramatic story of thwarted romance, set against a background of the Marseille docks, and experiments with many techniques of camerawork and...
Epstein now chose to film a simple story of love and violence "to win the confidence of those, still so numerous, who believe that only the lowest melodrama can interest the public", and also in the hope of creating "a melodrama so stripped of all the conventions ordinarily attached to the genre, so sober, so simple, that it might approach the nobility and excellence of tragedy". He wrote the scenario in a single night.
Epstein had been much impressed by Abel Gance
Abel Gance
Abel Gance was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. He is best known for three major silent films: J'accuse , La Roue , and the monumental Napoléon .-Early life:...
's recently completed La Roue
La Roue
La Roue is a French silent film, directed by Abel Gance, who also directed Napoléon and J'accuse!. It was released in 1923. Originally 32 reels in length , the current reconstruction runs 20 reels...
, and in Coeur fidèle he sought to apply its techniques of rapid and rhythmic editing as well as the innovative use of close-ups and superimpositions of images. These techniques are most apparent during the first half of the film: the opening sequence establishing Marie's situation in the harbour bar through a series of close-ups of her face, her hands, the table and glasses that she is cleaning; the use of images of the sea and the port, either intercut or superimposed, to convey the yearnings of Jean and Marie; and the film's most celebrated sequence at the fairground in which a highly complex series of rhythmically assembled images charts the tension of the relationship between Marie and Petit Paul. The later scenes of the film are relatively conventional in the techniques employed and depend more upon situation and action than upon photography and processing of the images.
First influenced by German expressionism
German Expressionism
German Expressionism refers to a number of related creative movements beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s...
in the 1920s, Jean Epstein finds his own way by discovering Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. He then expresses himself through documentaries of islands such as Finis Terræ
Finis Terræ
Finis Terræ is a 1929 French silent drama film written and directed by Jean Epstein. The story centres on a group of men who harvest seaweed off the coast of Brittany, and the problems which arise when one of them gets an infected thumb. The film's title is the old Latin name of the region...
filmed in Ouessant, Mor vran (The sea of the crows, in Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
) filmed in Sein
Sein
Sein can mean:* île de Sein, an island of Bretagne* Île-de-Sein, a commune of Bretagne* Raz de Sein, a stretch of water in Bretagne* Sein, a character in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Strikers...
, L'Or des mers filmed in Hoëdic
Hoëdic
Hoëdic is an island off the south coast of Brittany in north-western France. Its bigger "twin sister" island is Houat.Administratively, Hoëdic is a commune in the Morbihan department.-References:* * -External links:* *...
, Le Tempestaire
Le Tempestaire
Le Tempestaire is a 1947 French short drama film written and directed by Jean Epstein. The title translates as "The storm tamer". The story revolves around a woman who is worried for her fiancé, who is out at sea during a storm...
filmed in Belle Île
Belle Île
Belle-Île or Belle-Île-en-Mer is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the département of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is 14 km from the Quiberon peninsula.Administratively, the island forms a canton: the canton of Belle-Île...
. Chanson d'Armor is known as the first Breton-speaking film in history. His two novels also take place in Breton isles: L'Or des mers in Ouessant and Les Recteurs et la sirène in Sein.
In August 2005, his films La Glace à trois faces (1927) and Le Tempestaire (The Tempest) (1947) were restored and re-released on the DVD collection Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and 1930s
Avant-garde (dvd collection)
Avant-Garde is a DVD-series with experimental films released by Kino International.-Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and 1930s:Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and 1930s is a 2-disc, 6-hour DVD collection, released in August 2005 by Kino International which includes the following...
.
Epstein died in 1953 from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Filmography
|
Finis Terræ Finis Terræ is a 1929 French silent drama film written and directed by Jean Epstein. The story centres on a group of men who harvest seaweed off the coast of Brittany, and the problems which arise when one of them gets an infected thumb. The film's title is the old Latin name of the region... (1929) |
Le Tempestaire Le Tempestaire is a 1947 French short drama film written and directed by Jean Epstein. The title translates as "The storm tamer". The story revolves around a woman who is worried for her fiancé, who is out at sea during a storm... (1947) |
Literary and film theory
- Bonjour, cinéma. Paris: La Sirène, 1921.
- La Poésie d'aujourd'hui, un nouvel état d'intelligence. Paris: La Sirène, 1921.
- La Lyrosophie. Paris: La Sirène, 1922.
- Le Cinématographe vu de l'Etna. Paris: Les Écrivains réunis, 1926.
- La Photogénie de l'impondérable. Paris: Corymbe, 1935.
- L'Intelligence d'une machine. Paris: J. Melot, 1946.
- Le Cinéma du diable. Paris: J. Melot, 1947.
- Esprit de cinéma. Genève: Jeheber, 1955.
- Écrits sur le cinéma, 1921-1953: édition chronologique en deux volumes. Paris: Seghers, 1974–1975.
Fiction
- Les Recteurs et la sirène. Paris: Fernand Aubier/Éd. Montaigne, 1934.
- L'Or des mers. Paris: Librairie Valois, 1932.
Film scenarios
- "La chute de la maison Usher," L'Avant scène du cinéma, nos. 313-314 (October 1983).
See also
- Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and 1930sAvant-garde (dvd collection)Avant-Garde is a DVD-series with experimental films released by Kino International.-Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and 1930s:Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and 1930s is a 2-disc, 6-hour DVD collection, released in August 2005 by Kino International which includes the following...
Translations of Epstein's writings
- Nicole Brenez and Ralph Eue, eds., Bonjour Cinéma und andere Schriften zum Kino. Wien: Österreichisches Filmmuseum/SYNEMA, 2008.
- Valentina Pasquali, ed., L'essenza del cinema: scritti sulla settima arte. Torino: Fondazione scuola nazionale di cinema, 2002.
Studies of Epstein
- Jacques Aumont, ed., Jean Epstein: cinéaste, poète, philosophe. Paris: Cinémathèque française, 1998.
- Vincent Guigueno, Jean Epstein, cinéaste des îles. Paris: Jean Michel Place, 2003.
- Prosper Hillairet, Cœur fidèle de Jean Epstein. Crisnée: Yellow Now, 2008.
- Pierre Leprohon, Jean Epstein. Paris: Seghers, 1964.
- Stuart Liebman, Jean Epstein’s Early Film Theory, 1920-1922. PhD Dissertation: New York University, 1980.
- Trond Lundemo, Jean Epstein: intelligensen hos en maskin. Stockholm: Cinemateket, Svenska Filminstitutet, 2001.
- Laura Vichi, Jean Epstein. Milan: Il castoro, 2003.
Sources
- eNotes
- This article draws in part on the :fr:Jean Epstein article in the French-language Wikipedia, which was accessed in the version of April 6, 2010.
External links
- Jean Epstein at Allmovie
- Le Cinéma du diable