Schwartz (Spectacular Realities
) makes a sociological analysis of the interplay between French iconography and the American film industry. Mostly, she looks at the influence of French culture, from the belle epoque till today, on American movies such as Gigi
, An American in Paris
and Moulin Rouge
. She notes the huge influence of the Cannes Film Festival, which serves as the major locus of global distribution, effectively “de-centering” Hollywood as the sole power broker. Finally, she zeroes in on the career of Brigitte Bardot as a quintessential image of 1960s France, an actress who seized attention by trumpeting sexuality. Ironically, what you won't find is any real discussion of French filmmakers, such as Truffaut and Godard. The latter is dismissed as too intellectual and his appeal short-lived; hence, the directors' significant influence on contemporary American filmmakers is ignored. Instead, the USC professor cites Mike Todd's Around the World in Eighty Days
as an example of the globalization of filmmaking, specifically highlighting location shooting as the imperative for big-budget movies. Schwartz is passionate about the subject, but her writing can be dense; its primary audience is academia. (Jan.)
