I watched
this remarkable 1927 Jean Epstein silent film to learn something about French
Impressionism, an avant-garde film movement that developed in France in the
1920s and had great influence on later European cinema. I tried to look at it
with humility and curiosity, but without letting its stature as a Highly
Significant Silent Movie interfere in any way with my enjoyment of it.
What struck me most was the wide variety of techniques employed, which I will
attempt to illustrate in the following, and by the attention to eyes and gazes.
A scene at a park focusing on the interplay of looks between two love rivals
and the woman they compete for had me totally spellbound. Eyes are also essential
to immerse the viewer into the characters' psychology, which is the main focus
of most Impressionist films.
