Delluc, Louis

Born Oct. 14, 1890, in Cadouin, Dordogne; died Mar. 22, 1924, in Paris. French film director, scriptwriter, and theorist on cinematographic art.

Delluc’s theoretical views and his work as a director in many ways determined the aesthetics of the avantgarde. He emphasized the existence of deep contradictions between the artistic tasks of cinematographic art and the commercial aims of film enterprises and called for a creative use of cinematographic means of expression. He put forward the concept of photogenic quality in cinematography (cinematographic expressiveness). His film scripts were in themselves literary creations. In the films Silence (1920), Fever (1921), and Woman From Nowhere (1923), Delluc endeavored to convey the inner world and the peculiar rhythm of life of his heroes and the emotional atmosphere of an action. In order to promote the best productions of world cinema, Delluc created the cinema club. His ideas influenced the work of such French directors as G. Dulac, M. l’Herbier, J. Renoir, J. Feyder, and J. Epstein. In 1949 the French Association of Film Critics instituted an annual prize called the Delluc Prize for the best French film.