Chronicling one of the greatest and most popular national cinemas, Republic of Images traces the evolution of French filmmaking from 1895--the year of the debut of the Cinematographe in Paris--to the present day. Alan Williams offers a unique synthesis of history, biography, aesthetics and film theory. He brings to life all of the major directors, setting before us the cultures from which they emerged, and sheds new light on the landmark films they created. He distills what is historically and artistically unique in each of their careers and reveals what each artist has in common...