Abel Gance (1889-1981)

Quotation

With the creation of J’Accuse (1919), a new epoch in the life of Able Gance and in the history of the French cinema begins. It is nearly impossible to convey the extraordinary experience one undergoes in seeing the original J’Accuse; one comes away from it with the impression that Gance himself must have gone through the same kind of rapid evolution which he prophesized for mankind. - James M. Welsh and Stephen Philip Kramer; Cinema Journal, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Spring, 1975), pp. 55-67

Books

Please browse our Amazon list of titles about Abel Gance. For rare and hard to find works we recommend our Alibris list of titles about Abel Gance.

Research

Films: Abel Gance
COPAC UK: Abel Gance
Library of Canada Search Form
Library of Congress: Abel Gance
Other Library Catalogs: Abel Gance

Biographical

Despite parental pressure to pursue a 'respectable' career, Abel Gance was addicted to the theatre, and made his acting debut at the age of 19. He started acting in films in 1909 because he needed the money - he was deeply unimpressed with the film medium at that point. But he continued acting, then screenwriting, and finally made his first film in 1911. But at that point he considered his masterpiece to be a five- hour play, 'Victoire de Samothrace', which was due to be produced when World War I broke out. Ill-health kept him out of the army, and he returned to film-making. His work became more experimental and adventurous, often landing him in trouble with his producers. But the enormous success of his films allowed him to become even more innovative.

His first major masterpiece was J’Accuse (1919), a monumental anti-war statement, and ten years later he made Napoleon (1927), his most famous and controversial film, incorporating just about every film technique ever invented and several that were brand new, notably the final scenes where the screen tripled in width, blending widescreen panoramas with intricate multiple image sequences. Tragically, extreme length (six hours) and expensive screening requirements meant box- office disaster, and Gance would never regain such heights, although he continued to direct (and tinker with his previous films) for over thirty more years. Fortunately, he lived long enough to witness the triumphant rediscovery of Napoleon (1927), and was planning a new epic based on Christopher Columbus when he died, aged 92. [Adapted from IMDb]

Books from Alibris: Abel Gance