André Bazin
A critic who believed film's essence was reality, he championed directors and inspired the French New Wave with his humanist theories.
1918–1958 (age 40)·French film critic·Birthday: April 18·The Greatest Generation
Biography
André Bazin didn't just review movies; he argued for their soul. Writing in the aftermath of World War II, he positioned cinema as the art form uniquely suited to capture the ambiguity and depth of human existence. He was skeptical of manipulative editing, championing instead the long take, deep focus, and the integrity of time and space on screen—techniques he saw in his idols like Jean Renoir and Orson Welles. In 1951, he co-founded Cahiers du cinéma, a magazine that became a thunderous forum for his ideas and a training ground for young firebrands like François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Bazin's writing, collected in volumes like 'What is Cinema?', provided the intellectual bedrock for the French New Wave. He died of leukemia at just forty, but his belief that cinema should 'reveal' rather than 'impose' forever changed how films are made and discussed.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
André was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When André Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
André's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the seminal film magazine Cahiers du cinéma, which became the central organ of French film theory.
- Authored the influential essay collection 'What is Cinema?', which laid out his realist film theory.
- Mentored and directly influenced the directors of the French New Wave, including François Truffaut, who dedicated 'The 400 Blows' to him.
Did You Know?
He was a lifelong Catholic, and his humanist film philosophy was influenced by personalist theology.
Despite his towering influence, he never learned to drive and was known for his chaotic, disorganized personal style.
He helped establish film clubs and cinémathèques to preserve and screen classic films in post-war France.
“The cinema substitutes for our gaze a world more in harmony with our desires.”
