This lecture offers a broad overview of political cinema as a genre, focusing on its subversive role in critiquing society, political ideologies, and power structures. Beginning with cinematographic production during the German occupation of France (1940–1944), we will explore major works that reflect the tumultuous political landscape of the French Fifth Republic: from Gaullism and postwar recovery to the May 1968 revolution and the shift toward neoliberalism in the 1980s.
Political cinema, closely tied to socio-economic realities, has undergone rapid evolution during periods of unrest, crises, and political instability. In such climates, major cinematographic collectives – such as Ciné-Liberté and the Dziga Vertov Group – emerged to create militant films that openly challenged established values. Many filmmakers gave voice to the working class, advocating for a more equitable and just society. Avant-garde artists, particularly those associated with the New Wave movement, rejected the rigidity of classical French cinema (derisively called “cinéma de papa”), using technological innovation to craft films that captured the spirit of rebellion and contestation among French youth in the 1960s and 1970s.
We will discuss and analyse the works of influential French directors, including Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean-Luc Godard, and Agnès Varda, as well as contemporary masters like Stéphane Brizé and Costa-Gavras.
This lecture will highlight the deep interconnectedness between art and politics, examining how cinema has served as both a reflection of and a force for political resistance and social change.
Dr Maša Uzelac has a PhD in French Studies from the University of Galway in Ireland. Her research interests include utopian and science fiction literature, particularly the intersections of literature, politics, and religion. Maša currently works as a tutor in French and Italian at Edge Hill University and the University of Liverpool.