Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film
For many theorists, art cinema, at least in the restricted
sense, is defined through narrative and textual qualities that run counter to the body of conventions associated
particularly with the Hollywood studio picture but also
characteristic of the conventional cinemas in many countries. The traditional qualities of the linear narrative with
a finite ending, clarity of plot, such unobtrusive use of
film techniques as camera movement and editing, the
underlining of thematic and narrative points through
repetition, sharply delineated characters and empathetic
character identification techniques were jettisoned by the
art film. In their place came oblique, non-linear, and
episodic narration strategies, a commitment to ‘‘realism,’’
both in terms of surface detail and complex character
definition, thematic ambiguities, and overt displays of
cinematic style. Whereas mainstream films concentrated
on character behavior, action, and plot, art films tended
to delve into character psychology and sensibility, to
investigate the drama of the interior. The narrative economy and speed of the classical film gave way to the temps
mort (dead time) of the art film. Although thematically
broad, it is possible to argue that art cinema as part of its
‘‘realist’’ project often focuses upon the existential problems of the bourgeois intelligentsia, which constitute a
meditative mirror for the supposed audience of urban
intellectuals. In addition, unlike the authorial anonymity
associated with mainstream filmmaking, art films are
assumed to possess a strong, identifiable authorial presence. That is, the films are expressions or constructs
traceable to the director, and as such they are the centerpiece of the critical discourses that focus upon the art
film.