Described by Deleuze as ‘one of the greatest modern auteurs’, Philippe Garrel is perhaps the most significant filmmaker to emerge in France after the New Wave. This study offers an overview of his work, exploring its intersections with avant-gardes including the Situationists, Surrealism, Arte Povera and the American Underground.

Introduction: Philippe Garrel, an irregular auteur1 Cinema and revolution 2 Cinema of the underground3 Narrative turn: Autobiography and the imaginary self 4 Dialogues 5 Past and future generations Conclusion FilmographySelect bibliographyIndex

‘This concise but wide-ranging book not only illuminates the work of one of the most distinctive French directors; it is a much needed introduction to post-New Wave French cinema and the underground film scene after May ’68.’ Dominique Jeannerod, Queen's University Belfast Described by Giles Deleuze as ‘one of the greatest modern auteurs’, Philippe Garrel is arguably the most significant filmmaker to emerge in France after the New Wave. In a career spanning more than half a century, he has written and directed dozens of films, including L'Enfant Secret (1979), J'entends Plus la Guitare (1991), Sauvage Innocence (2001) and Les Amants Réguliers (2004). His deeply personal cinema traces the troubled sentimental lives of couples while exploring the relationship between art and political struggle in a unique style defined by close-up portraiture and long-durational takes. Challenging the assumption that Garrel’s work exists in direct continuity with that of Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, this book identifies a more radical shift by observing the eclecticism of the influences that the director absorbs and exploits. It interprets his work with reference to contexts beyond French cinema, including avant-garde movements such as the Situationists, Surrealism, Arte Povera and the American underground. Acknowledging Garrel’s role as an unofficial historian of the so-called ‘post-New Wave’, it explores his relationship with other members of this loose film school, including Jean Eustache, Chantal Akerman and Jacques Doillon.