Abstract
This chapter explores the ideological background to La Fin du Monde, in particular Gance’s view of cinema as a utopian art form that could overcome entrenched cultural divisions. Cuff follows the thematic link from Gance’s religious projects of the 1910s to Les grands initiés in the 1920s. The chapter relates how this series was to portray the life of religious prophets and culminate in La Fin du Monde. Cuff interrogates how Gance’s work continued to reflect his interest in apocalyptic destruction and utopian rebirth. Tracing the literary and mystical background to the filmmaker’s approach, Cuff examines the relationship between historical and fantastical narratives in Gance’s work and how the apocalyptic theme of La Fin du Monde embodies these ideas.
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Cuff, P. (2016). Towards Utopia. In: Abel Gance and the End of Silent Cinema. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38818-2_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38818-2_2
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