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Journal of Film Studies ›› 2026, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (1): 97-105.

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Rethinking the Relationship between
Subjective Images and Narrative Structure in
French Impressionist Cinema

  

  • Online:2026-03-10 Published:2026-04-08

Abstract:

French Impressionist Cinema is characterized by
its extensive use of subjective imagery, yet this tendency often
conflicts with the characteristics of classical Hollywood narrative
forms (such as linear causality and psychological transparency).
By analyzing how subjective images generate both ‘suspense’—
a delay in narrative progression—and ‘overflow’—an expansion
of visual expressivity beyond strict narrative motivation—and
examining the expansive potential of this ‘liquid spirit’, we
can identify the semi-independent characteristics of subjective
imagery within classical narratives. This semi-independence
challenges simplified classifications of Impressionist films
as melodramas and highlights that their narrative structures
operate as a dynamic process of revealing and reflecting the
characters’ internal worlds. Therefore, the semi-independent
nature of Impressionist subjective imagery carries avant
garde implications: it functions as a variation of the ‘cinema of
attractions’ and implies a transition from the predominantly
action-driven ‘movement-image’ toward a more contemplative
‘time-image’. In this sense, French Impressionist Cinema
foreshadows the emergence of modernist cinema forms after
World War II.

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