Arguably a pioneer of the French New Wave (with Ascenseur pour l’échafaud, 1957) Louis Malle went on to enjoy an acclaimed yet provocative and versatile transatlantic career. This collection of original essays proposes to reassess his richly eclectic and boldly subversive oeuvre and redress the surprising critical neglect it has suffered over the years. It does so through a combination of transversal and monographic analyses that use a variety of critical lenses and theoretical tools in order to examine Malle’s documentaries as well as his fiction features (and, more importantly, the constant shuttling and uniquely persistent cross-pollination between those two cinematic approaches), illuminate the profound, lasting dialogue his films entertained with literature and theater, bring to the fore their sustained, albeit often oblique autobiographical thrust along with their scathing sociopolitical critique, and scrutinize the alternating use of stars and non-professional actors. In addition, the volume features an exclusive interview with the acclaimed playwright John Guare (a close friend and collaborator of Louis Malle’s who scripted Atlantic City) and is bookended by a foreword by Volker Schlöndorff and an afterword by Wes Anderson, two renowned filmmakers who articulate their admiration for, and the seminal influence of, their predecessor.

This critical analysis of the work of Louis Malle, director of 'Au Revoir les Enfants' and 'My Dinner with André', focuses on the most challenging aspects of his oeuvre, such as his portayals of Nazi-occupied France.

This is the first monograph on controversial French director Louis Malle to be published in English. Hugo Frey introduces Malle's work through a lucid analysis of his many masterpieces, including Le Feu Follet, Lacombe Lucien and Au revoir les enfants. He also traces the director's extended period of work in the USA, which resulted in powerful films such as Pretty Baby, Atlantic City USA and My Dinner with André. The book focuses on the most challenging aspects of Malle's oeuvre, his aesthetic vision, his youthful attraction to a form of right-wing pessimism, and his 1970s libertarianism. By rethinking Malle's portrayals of Nazi-occupied France, Frey demonstrates that he is of equal importance to contemporary historians as to film studies. This new appraisal is a nuanced study of an important film-maker, and a critical intervention in the debates which surround Malle's work.

Malle discusses his career and development as an artist, reflected in his direction of films and production of many documentaries. He talks about the recurrent themes of his work and the people he has worked with.

Chronicling one of the most popular national cinemas, this book traces the evolution of French filmmaking from 1895 - the year of the debut of the Cinematographe in Paris - to the present day. Williams offers a synthesis of history, biography, aesthetics and film theory.

The French New Wave cinema is arguably the most fascinating of all film movements, famous for its exuberance, daring, and avant-garde techniques. A History of the French New Wave Cinema offers a fresh look at the social, economic, and aesthetic mechanisms that shaped French film in the 1950s, as well as detailed studies of the most important New Wave movies of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Richard Neupert first tracks the precursors to New Wave cinema, showing how they provided blueprints for those who would follow. He then demonstrates that it was a core group of critics-turned-directors from the magazine Cahiers du Cinéma—especially François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, and Jean-Luc Godard—who really revealed that filmmaking was changing forever. Later, their cohorts Eric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, and Pierre Kast continued in their own unique ways to expand the range and depth of the New Wave. In an exciting new chapter, Neupert explores the subgroup of French film practice known as the Left Bank Group, which included directors such as Alain Resnais and Agnès Varda. With the addition of this new material and an updated conclusion, Neupert presents a comprehensive review of the stunning variety of movies to come out of this important era in filmmaking.

This is a critical study of Malle's life's work. It is approached non-theoretically on a film-by-film basis; each is examined as an individualistic and self-reverential exploration of its own subjects and themes.