[ecrea] CFP Languages in European Cinema

Languages in European Cinema

Martin Barnier

Isabelle Le Corff

The European geopolitical space has been variable, more frequently 
defined by economic than by cultural considerations. In this early 
Twenty-First Century, European Cinema, reflecting this mutability, 
invites us to pay particular attention to the concepts which make it 
possible to identify and define this area. Academic publications focus 
for the most part on national cinemas and individual European 
filmmakers. /Les Cahiers de l’ Afeccav /proposes to study films that 
constitute the « European film heritage ». Once we accept that such a 
heritage does in fact exist, we must ask how it was created, and what 
exchanges have taken place. In every case, the construction of European 
film production involves linguistic choices at all levels (production, 
filming, distribution, reception). What is the impact of national and 
regional languages and of language specificities on this heritage?//

Its multiplicity of languages is one of the features of the European 
area that defines it, in opposition to the other great Western film 
production centre, North America. Does their abundance put a brake on, 
or does it , rather, bring dynamism to European production? How do the 
exchanges of programmes and films occur in Europe , given the constraint 
of language barriers? Are there dominant languages? Do regional 
languages play a part in European production? Language appears to be not 
only a national marker but also a social marker through accents (e.g., 
regional accents, rural accents, accents of first generation immigrants, 
suburban accents) or linguistic forms posed as assertions of 
transnational identity, of hybrid cultures. What roles do languages and 
accents play in the construction of stereotypes? How do these markers 
function in European film? What is the aesthetic impact of such markers?

As for production and distribution, how does European legislation 
interact with national legislations, and how does it influence the 
production of films, TV films and series? Are there language obligations 
in the production systems? Do co-productions inevitably lead to 
"europuddings" necessarily acted in English, then dubbed in different 
languages? What do programs such as MEDIA, or EUROPA really bring in to 
the global political will to preserve languages? How do these 
co-productions affect the choice of languages in films? How does the 
distribution of co-productions filmed in regional languages function on 
the European market?

Links established in the 1920s between the different European producers 
have grown with the generalization of sound movies. The historical 
aspect of this intra-European interaction also deserves to be revisited 
in linguistic terms. In the 1930s, prior to the development of dubbing, 
the shooting of a film simultaneously in several languages gave 
surprising results. /Les Chemins du Paradis/ was a huge success, just 
like /Die Drei von der Tankstelle/. The actors differ but the script 
remains the same. There are different nuances in the actors’ ways of 
performing and pronouncing their lines. These comparisons between 
French, Italian, German, English, Hungarian, Swedish films, etc. shot in 
multiple language versions during this period are rich in teaching about 
the contexts of production as well as the contexts of reception. For 
example, the German-Czech films made just before the "Sudeten Crisis" 
acquired a particular meaning according to the language in which they 
were played. In the 1950s, international films were made with actors 
from different countries to promote co-productions. There is an 
"international version" of /The Leopard /with each actor speaking in his 
mother tongue. The films are dubbed in the language of each country. 
What are the transformations involved by accents, linguistic 
idiosyncrasies of the same film seen in different countries?

Questions of reception within Europe are also important. How are 
transfers and exchanges organized? Do national audiences more readily 
accept certain languages than others in original language versions? With 
regard to original language versions, dubbing and subtitling, how does 
the meaning of dialogue evolve from one country to another? Are remakes 
essential to have films with strong local cultural colorations circulate 
within Europe? ( e.g., /Welcome to the Chtis/). Finally, can 
developments in the reception of European films be perceived both within 
Europe and outside Europe?

Proposals for contributions shall be submitted, in French or English to 
Isabelle Le Corff ((cils /at/ wanadoo.fr) <mailto:(cils /at/ wanadoo.fr)>) and Martin 
Barnier ((Martin.Barnier /at/ univ-lyon2.fr) 
<mailto:(Martin.Barnier /at/ univ-lyon2.fr)>) : the mandatory deadline is 
February 15^th , 2012. After review by the Editorial Board of /Les 
Cahiers de l’AFECCAV/, authors whose proposals have been selected will 
submit their contribution by June 1^st , 2012.

_Selective Bibliography_

CHION MICHEL, /Le Complexe de Cyrano, La langue française au cinéma/. 
Editions Cahiers du Cinéma, Essais. Paris, 2008.
DUROVICOVA NATASA, NEWMAN KATHLEEN (Edt), /World Cinemas, Transnational 
Perspective/, Afi Film Readers, 2009.
ELSAESSER THOMAS, /European Cinema : Face to Face with Hollywood/, 
Amsterdam University Press, 2005.
EVERETT WENDY (Edt), /European Identity in Cinema/, Intellect Books, 2005.
EVERETT WENDY, GOODBODY AXEL, /Revisiting Space : Space and Place in 
European Cinema/, Peter Lang, 2005.
FOWLER CATHERINE, /The European Cinema Reader/, Routledge, 2002.
GALT ROSALIND, /The New European Cinema : Redrawing the Map/, 2006.
KONSTANTARAKOS MYRTO(Edt), /Spaces in European Cinema/, Intellect Ltd, 2000
NACIFY HAMID, /An Accented Cinema : Exilic and Diasporic Filmmaking/, 
Princeton, N. J. 2001.