The Cinema of Eric Rohmer—Irony, Imagination, and the Social World

Eric Rohmer exemplified the French cinema auteur; he produced, directed, and wrote his film scripts, and largely controlled casting and location choices as well. In looking at Rohmer's films, Jacob Leigh (media arts, Royal Holloway, U. of London, UK) explores auteurship, the analysis of bodies of work that require hundreds of people to make as the products of a single creative mind. Leigh looks at each of Rohmer's almost two dozen feature films, analyzing the finished work in great detail. Through historical research and analysis, the author also looks at how they compare with the films Rohmer intended to create, and the primary ideas behind his creative choices. In his analysis, Leigh compares Rohmer's work to that of artists from Fritz Lang to Anton Chekov. The book will be best for readers with some academic background in film studies. It will be of use to readers interested in the films of Eric Rohmer, French New Wave cinema, or cinema and media studies from an auteur perspective. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Dr. Jacob Leigh is Lecturer in the department of Media Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK.