Contemporary European Cinema

What does ‘Europeaness’ mean in terms of cinema aesthetics representation and institutional contexts? Does it make sense to talk of a distinct contemporary European Cinema?

This essay intends to analyse the notion of ‘Europeaness’ and deconstruct it in order to identify what it means in terms of cinema aesthetics, representation and institutional contexts. European Cinema tends to appear detached in comparison to more commercial cinema such as in Hollywood. Therefore the assignment intends to discuss the distinction of contemporary European Cinema.

“If Europe is to have a film industry worth anything at all, then we must have a philosophy, an aesthetic, a vision, a dream, a story of our own.”

Stephen Cleary (1995)

The misconception of a contemporary European Cinema can be generalised as art house; a more cultural type of cinema. These films appear to be subtitled, more sexually explicit and work using only a small financial budget. These common ideologies of European Cinema can be argued as accurate in some cases especially when making comparisons with Hollywood films. However, there is a lot more substance than being foreign with highly sexual content. This essay will explore this.

It is important to analyse Europe in terms of influencing factors such as politics, religion and race when making comparisons with traditional Hollywood films as they differ greatly between continents and are subsequently represented as such on screen.

“While Hollywood can be usefully described as a mode of production, as a specific practice against which the texts can be placed and examined, this is not the case with popular European Cinema….because different practices prevail in different countries and at different times.”

Dimitris Eleftheriotis (2002)

Europe as a signifier or fundamental essence should also be considered. Through the eyes of those in Hollywood, European Cinema is arguably united in its themes. Therefore constructing a crude binary for contrasting; cinema is either European or American, political or commercial, art house or popular.

In classic Hollywood narrative the protagonist has clearly defined characteristic traits. He knows his aim and strives to attain that goal. On the other hand the European protagonist has no clear definitions; in some cases there are no goals to be met as if he appears to wander aimlessly. This is true of the film Paris, Texas (1984) directed by Wim Wenders, who quite literally places his European protagonist in the middle of the desert. He personifies the concept by walking without purpose through the expanse.

A dominant concept of European Cinema has been that of art cinema. It can be defined as aesthetically innovative, socially committed and humanist in its outlook. As previously discussed, contemporary European Cinema can be considered more sexually explicit and therefore more daring in its approach. The humanist approach concerns films about ordinary people and the expression of their ‘real’ lives. European Cinema doesn’t align itself to superstardom and celebrity instead it foregrounds realism/and or visual style over classic narrative structures. The emphasis is on aesthetics over egos.

It is apparent that contemporary European Cinema challenges common conceptions in film. There is a tendency to challenge conventions in subject matter, narrative, mise-en-scene and ideology. Narrative differs from the water-tight conclusions often found in the cause and effect equation of Hollywood. There is a certain sense of randomness; peripheral events are often concluded with unhappy endings.

In terms of aesthetics European art films tend to be marked by realism with a particular emphasis on visual style. The realism is somewhat psychological and the sexual realism is raw. Sexual encounters are not glossed over romantic affairs and existentialism within characters also plays a part on the development of this aspect.

Visual style stresses the ‘Europeaness’ in the film with an importance placed on the look of the scene and sequences as opposed to the institutionalised Hollywood spectacle. Sequences are carefully constructed in order to represent more than just narrative. Hollywood tends to rely on action, explosions and special effects whereas European Cinema suppresses action in this sense.

Using the comparison with Hollywood there is arguably a distinct contemporary European Cinema. Wim Wenders has been quoted to have described a ‘European way of seeing’ when making and analysing this form. national identity can strengthen the argument.

“Both ‘La Haine’ (1995) and ‘Trainspotting’ (1996) are examples of films which contain particular conceptions of ‘Frenchness’, ‘Britishness’ and ‘Scottishness’, but these may well be essential components of their international appeal.”

Forbes, J & Street, S (2000).

These films are marked with ideas of national identity. Trainspotting (1996) is dominated with concepts of ‘Scottishness’ throughout the narrative, setting and language. It is a film representative of a particular life lead in Scotland. However, the representation in contemporary European Cinema doesn’t segregate films into categories of a Scottish film and a French film, but rather a more complicated model characterised by political, cultural and religious influence. In Trainspotting the cultural reference is drug use, in the Spanish film Ay Carmela (1990) there is a political representation of fascist dictator Franco’s reign, with many Spanish films characterised by political meaning from the ‘Franco era’.

The representation of separate nations and their identity contribute to the concept of European Cinema. Ideas of ‘Scottishness’ or ‘Britishness’ act as sub-headings to the European way of seeing. Scottish director Lynne Ramsay strengthens this idea of European Cinema as a whole, as opposed to smaller categories;

“I don’t want to be called the next Scottish filmmaker or the next woman filmmaker. If I come from any tradition it is a European Cinema as opposed to an American one.”

Lynne Ramsay (1999).

Although these representations identify a single nation it is an essential ingredient to the concept of ‘Europeaness’ as a whole.

This essay has outlined ‘Europeaness’ within contemporary cinema. Using the comparison of Hollywood cinema; aesthetics, representation and institutional contexts identify the structure of European film, therefore making the concept of a distinct European Cinema possible.