10/11/2014 Situationist International Online

http://www.cddc.vt.edu/sionline/si/resnais.html 1/3
presituationistarchive
situationistinternationalarchive
postsituationistarchive
situationistchronology
protagonists
terminology
links
news&updates
sitesearch
notes&sources
contact
textarchives>situationistinternationaltexts>
Ci nemaAfterAl ai nResnai s
InternationaleSituationniste#3(December1959)
TranslatedbyReubenKeehan
THESOCALLED"NEWWAVE"ofdirectorscurrentlyattemptingtorevitalize
Frenchcinemacanbedefinedfirstofallbyitscompleteandnotoriouslackof
artisticinnovation,quitesimplyatthestageofintention.Tospeakinless
negativeterms,itischaracterizedbyanumberofspecificeconomicconditions
whosedominanttraitiswithoutadoubttheimportanceinFranceofacertain
schoolofcinemacriticismthatrepresentsasortofmoralsupportbyno
meansinsignificantintheuseoffilm.Thesecriticshavelearnttoemploythis
supporttotheirdirectadvantageascinematicauteurs.Thisistheonlything
thatunifiesthem.Thepraisetheyheaponaproductionthatotherwise
completelyescapesthemisonlyforthebenefitoftheirownworks,which
consequentlybecomecheapertomakepreciselybecause,forawidesectionof
thepublic,thisgameofpraisecanreplacethepainfullyexpensiveattractionsof
thestarsystem.Thus,this"newwave"expresseslittlemorethanthevested
interestsofthisparticulargroupoffilmcritics.
Intheconfusionthathasalwayssurroundedthem,ascriticsandasfilmmakers,
AlainResnais'Hiroshimamonamouriscarriedalongwiththerestofthis
famouswave,andismetbythesamesortofadmiration.Thesuperiorityof
Resnais'filmiseasytorecognize,butitseemsthatveryfewpeopleare
concernedwithdefiningitsexactnature.
Atalenteddirector,Resnaishasalreadymadeseveralimpressiveshortfilms
(NuitetBrouillard),butitisHiroshimathatrepresentsaqualitativeleapinthe
developmentbothofhisworkandoftheworldwidecinematicspectacle.Ifwe
aretoputasidethosecinematicexperimentsthatremainmarginalatbest(for
example,intermsofcontent,someofJeanRouch'sfilmsorintermsofformal
investigation,thoseofthelettristgroupcirca1950:Isou,Wolman,Marco
interestinglyenough,theresemblanceofResnais'worktothatofIsouin
particularhasneverbeenmentioned),Hiroshimaseemslikethemostoriginal,
mostinnovativefilmsincetheinventionoftalkies.Notdiscountingamasteryof
thepoweroftheimage,Hiroshimareliesonthepreeminenceofsound:the
importanceofthedialogueproceedsnotonlyfromanunusualquantityoreven
quality,butfromthefactthatthedevelopmentofthefilmisdeterminedfarless
whatitscharactersdothanbywhattheysay(totheextentthattheyprovidethe
imageswiththebulkoftheirmeaning,asisthecasewiththelengthyjourney
throughthestreetsthatconcludesthefirstsequence).
TheconformistpublicknowsthatResnaisisokaytolike,andthuslikeshimjust
asmuchasitdoessomeonelikeChabrol.Throughavarietyofdeclarations,
Resnaishasmadeitclearthatheistravelingawellwornroadthroughthe
investigationofcinemabasedontheautonomyofsound(bydefiningHiroshima
asa"longshortfilm"withacommentarybyacknowledginghisinterestafewof
Guitry'sfilmsandbyspeakingofhistendencytowardcinematicopera).
Nevertheless,Resnais'modestyandpersonaldiscretionhavehelpedobscure
theproblemofthemeaningoftheevolutionthatherepresents,insuchaway
thatcriticsaretornbetweenequallyinadequatereservationandpraise.
ThemosttypicalanddeludedobjectioninvolvesdissociatingResnaisfrom
MargueriteDurasbyhailingthedirector'stalentwhilelamentingthe
10/11/2014 Situationist International Online
http://www.cddc.vt.edu/sionline/si/resnais.html 2/3
pretentiousnessofthescript.Butthefilmiswhatitispreciselybecauseofthis
useoflanguage,whichispreciselywhatResnaiswanted,andwhichis
preciselywherehisscriptwriterhassucceeded.Denouncingratheraccurately
the"retrospectiverevolution"ledbythepseudomodernismoftheliteraryand
cinematic"newwaves"inArtsmagazine(26859),JeanFranoisRevelmakes
themistakeoflumpingResnaisinwiththislotbecauseofhiscommentary,"a
pasticheofClaudel."Revel,whohaslongbeenappreciatedfortheintelligence
ofhisattackswithouteverhavingtopointoutwhathewasaimingat,
demonstratesasuddenweaknesswhenitcomestodistinguishingwhatis
reallynewaboutsuchfashionabletrash.AccordingtohisarticleinArts,he
prefersthepatheticallyconventionalcinemaofBernardAuberts'Tripesau
soleil,simplybecauseofitssympatheticcontent.
Resnais'apologistsspeaksofreelyofgeniusbecauseoftheprestigious
mysteryoftheterm,whichsparesthemfromhavingtoexplainHiroshima's
objectiveimportance:theappearancein"commercial"cinemaoftheself
destructionthatdominatesallmodernart.
Thefilm'sadmirersdotheirbesttofindadmirablelittledetailswhereverthey
can.EveryoneendsupgoingonaboutFaulknerandhissenseoftiming(on
thatpoint,wemightaddthatAgnesVarda,whohasabsolutelynogoodpoints,
oweseverythingtoFaulkner).Infact,thereasontheyinsistonthefragmented
rhythmofResnais'filmissothattheydon'thavetoseeanyofitsdestructive
aspects.Inthesameway,theytalkofFaulknerasaspecialistanaccidental
specialistofthedissipationoftime,accidentallyencounteredbyResnais,so
thattheycanforgetthetimethathasalreadypassed,andmoregenerallythe
literaryworksofProustandJoyce.ThetimingtheconfusionofHiroshima
isnottheannexationofcinemabyliterature:itisthecontinuationincinemaof
themovementofallwriting,andfirstofallpoetry,towarditsowndissolution.
ThereisalsoatendencytoexplainResnaisasmuchbyhispersonal
psychologicalmotivationsasbyhisexceptionaltalentsbothofcoursehaving
rolesthatwewon'tgointoheretherebyleadingtotalkthatthethemeofall
hisfilmsismemory,justasthatofeveryHawksfilm,forexample,ismale
bonding.Butatthesametimethereisablissfulignoranceofthefactthat
memoryisthemostsignificantthemeoftheappearanceofthephaseof
immanentcriticisminart,ofitsbringingitselfintoquestion,ofitsdissolving
contestation.Thequestionofthemeaningofmemoryisalwayslinkedtothe
questionofthemeaningofapermanencetransmittedbyart.
Themostsimpleaccessofcinematothemethodoffreeexpressionisatthe
sametimealreadywithintheperspectiveofthedemolitionofthismethod.As
soonascinemaenricheditselfwiththepowersofmodernart,itfounditself
encompassedbythetotalcrisisofmodernart.Atthesametimethatthisstep
broughtcinemaclosertoitsfreedom,italsobroughtitclosertoitsdeath,tothe
proofofitsinadequacy.
Incinema,theclaimofafreedomofexpressionequaltothatofotherarts
masksthegeneralfailureofexpressionattheendofallmodernarts.Artistic
expressionisinnowayanactualselfexpression,arealizationofitslife.The
proclamationof"auteurfilm"isalreadypastitsusebydatebeforereallyhaving
gonebeyondpretensionandpipedream.Cinema,whosepotentialisfargreater
thanthatofothertraditionalarts,istooheavilyboundupinmoralandeconomic
chainstoeverhavethecapacitytobefreeunderpresentsocialconditions.And
whenthecomingoverthrowofsocialandculturalconditionsallowsthe
possibilityofafreecinema,manyothertheatersofoperationwillnecessarily
havebeenintroduced.Itisprobablethatatthattimethefreedomofcinemawill
largelybesuperseded,forgotteninthegeneraldevelopmentofaworldwhere
thespectacleislongerbedominant.Thefundamentaltraitofthespectacleis
themiseenscneofitsownruin.TheimportanceofResnais'film
10/11/2014 Situationist International Online
http://www.cddc.vt.edu/sionline/si/resnais.html 3/3
conceived,ofcourse,outsideofthishistoricalperspectiveistoaddanew
confirmationtothis.