About
Born in Warsaw in 1897, Jean Epstein studied medicine in Lyon, where he served as secretary to Auguste Lumière. He directed his first film in 1922 and became a major figure of French Impressionist Cinema. An influential theorist, he developed the concept of photogénie in works such as Bonjour Cinéma (1921). His most famous film, The Fall of the House of Usher (1928), is an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe. He also made a celebrated series of poetic documentaries on the Breton islands, including Finis Terræ (1929) and Le Tempestaire (1947). He was also a novelist, publishing two novels. He died in Paris in 1953.
* 1897-03-25 — † 1953-04-02
Major works
- Bonjour Cinéma (1921)essay
- La Chute de la maison Usher (1928)film
- Finis Terræ (1929)film
- Le Tempestaire (1947)film
- Chanson d'Armor (1934)film
Key milestones
- 1928The Fall of the House of Usher was the first film acquired by Henri Langlois for the Cinémathèque Française.
- 1934Chanson d'Armor is recognized as the first film in the Breton language.
- 1926Luis Buñuel served as assistant director on Mauprat (1926) and The Fall of the House of Usher (1928).
Themes
photogénieImpressionist cinemaBreton islandsliterary adaptationethnography and avant-garde
Sources: harvardfilmarchive.org · viennale.at · anthologyfilmarchives.org