"To a great extent, the story of French filmmaking is the story of moviemaking. From the earliest flickering images of the late nineteenth century as well as the many important technical innovations - which in France sometimes preceded, and often paralleled, the work of Edison and early British, German, and Russian inventors and artists - through the silent era, the Surrealist influence, the Nazi Occupation, the glories of the New Wave, on into the 1990s and beyond, Remi Lanzoni examines a large number of the world's most beloved films against the backdrop of their often turbulent times." "A final chapter considers the increasingly competitive business dynamic of contemporary French filmmaking as well as French television, the digital and high-definition revolution, and all the latest artistic and popular trends. This sweeping history is further enhanced by some ninety stills and other artwork, including rare, archival photographs of the personalities who have created, and still do, a grand international tradition."--BOOK JACKET.