Chronicle of a Summer (1961)
"Chronique d'un été (Paris 1960)" (original title)

Directors:

Edgar Morin, Jean Rouch

Stars:

Angelo, Régis Debray, Jacques

Cast

Credited cast:
Angelo	...	Himself
Régis Debray	...	Himself (as Régis)
Jacques	...	Himself
Jean-Pierre	...	Himself
Landry	...	Himself
Marceline Loridan Ivens	...	Herself (as Marceline)
Edgar Morin	...	Himself
Marilù Parolini	...	Herself (as Mary-Lou)
Jean Rouch	...	Himself
Sophie	...	Herself

Storyline

---

Plot Keywords:

loneliness | bikini | bullfight | labor | cannes film festival | 

---

Taglines:

The key work of the controversial new school of CINEMA-VERITE

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

20 October 1961 (France)

Also Known As:

Chronicle of a Summer

Filming Locations:

Ramatuelle, Var, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argos Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Cinéma! Cinéma! The French New Wave (1992)

User Reviews

Cinéma vérité

By 1960 the documentary had evolved with new sound equipment and lighter cameras. In a direct line from the ideas of Flaherty and Vertov, Canadian filmmakers as Michel Brault had made significant shorts as "Les raquetteurs" (1959), while in the United States Robert Drew created his seminal work, "Primary" (1960.) All this activity helped the launching of "cinéma vérité" in France, with this film manifesto made by anthropologist Jean Rouch and sociologist Edgar Morin. With a "caméra vivant" (living camera) and the question "Are you happy?", they went out to the streets of Paris to make a survey, showing passages in the life of students, workers and migrants (including Joris Ivens' future wife), with a short escapade to the St. Tropez beach, and a final confrontation of the creators and subjects with the footage and the idea of constructing objective pieces of reality on film. Rouch and American Frederick Wiseman believed in a kind of documentary open to emotional spaces and fantasy (as opposed, for example, to Richard Leacock's more naturalistic approach), and eventually changed the tone of their works, while the movement finally identified with the concept of "direct cinéma", developed by Canadians and American filmmakers.