We can usually expect something fresh and different to emerge fromAustralia, and this study is no exception." -- AmericanCinematographer"An important contribution to cinemahistory. . . especially impressive in its analysis of the French cinema industry, in terms of both mode of production and personnel, and in its analysis of the Frenchtechnological base." -- Richard AbelFrom 1930 to 1960, France produced some of the most famous films ever made, such as Jean Vigo's Z rode conduite and Jean Cocteau's Orph e. Here Colin Crisp investigates this criticalperiod and details the extraordinary ingenuity of French filmmakers, who workedunder economic and technological constraints that affected both the production andthe consumption of films.