Modernist film is related to the art and philosophy of modernism as early modernist film came to maturity in the era between World War I and World War II, with characteristics such as montage and symbolic imagery, manifesting itself in genres as diverse as expressionism and surrealism (as featured in the works of Fritz Lang and Luis Buñuel)[1] while postmodernist film – similar to postmodernism as a whole – is a reaction to modernist works, and to their tendencies (such as nostalgia and angst).[2]

Aesthetics

Modernist cinema has been said to have "explored and exposed the formal concerns of the medium by placing them at the forefront of consciousness."[3] The auteur theory and idea of an author creating a work from their singular vision became a central characteristic of modernist filmmaking. It has been said that "To investigate the transparency of the image is modernist but to undermine its reference to reality is to engage with the aesthetics of postmodernism."[4][5] The modernist film has more faith in the author, the individual, and the accessibility of reality itself (and generally has a more sincere tone[6]) than the postmodernist film.

It also attempts to enlarge the film vocabulary against Hollywood's escapist entertainment and it's reliance on narrative trappings which dominates the medium.[7]

List of notable modernist films

20th century

21st century

List of notable modernist filmmakers

Sources:[105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123]

[124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139][140][141][142][143][144][145][146][147][148][149][150][151][152][153][154][155][156][157][158][159][160][161][162][163][164][165][166][167][168][169][170][171][172][173][174][175][176][177][178][58][59][179][180][181][182][183][184][185][186]

[187][66][188][189][190][191][192][193] [194][195][196][197][75][198][199][31][77][78][200][201][202][203][204][205][206][207][208][209][210][53][81][82][8]

See also

References

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  2. Betz, Mark (2009). Beyond the Subtitle: Remapping European Art Cinema. U of Minnesota Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-8166-4035-5.
  3. Woods, Tim (1999). Beginning Postmodernism. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-5210-1.
  4. Dragan Milovanovic (15 March 2009). "Dueling Paradigms: Modernist v. Postmodern Thought". American Society of Criminology.
  5. "Reading the Postmodern Image: A Cognitive Mapping," Screen: 31, 4 (Winter 1990) by Tony Wilson
  6. Olsen, Cameron (2021-09-11). "The Case for Douglas Sirk as the First Postmodern Filmmaker". Collider. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
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  10. Энциклопедия авангардного кино
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