European film of the twentieth century: ways of promoting national and cultural identity

Among the most important problems of the modern globalizing world a special place belongs to the crisis of national and cultural identity. A research of the possible mechanisms of preservation of cultural identity by means of motion picture art can bring a serious contribution to the resolution of conflicts between homogenization and localization of cultures. Along with other art forms in the 20th century the motion picture art assumes the role of an artistic and figurative embodiment and statement of cultural originality. However, mechanisms of self-determination of national cinematographies are subject to serious conceptualization as this problem has not been thoroughly studied in modern humanitarian knowledge. This article is an attempt to present key results and ways of development of cinematographies of the countries of Europe aimed at the preservation of national and cultural interests and uniqueness. For this purpose factors are given that complicate or help to preserve national and cultural identity by means of film language. At the same time the main stages of development of the European film space in the context of the complex opposition of unification tendencies and aspiration to preserve the specifics of national cinema are considered. Results of the analysis of the film process of the first half of the 20th century show the specifics of self-determination of the European cinematographies in the conditions of compelled balancing between economic interests and creative searches, in opposition to the Hollywood standards unifying the film language. The European film space at this stage is formed by film directions and schools of different countries with France, Germany and Italy as undisputed leaders. Since the second half of the 20th century the viability of national European cinematographies is caused by such factors as freedom from the Hollywood hegemony and comfortable economic and working conditions promoting the development of the auteur film. National and cultural originality is embodied in the auteur film. At the same time, the inconsistent policy of the "Common European Home" encouraging the development of national cinematographies yet provoking the formation of the supra-ethnic all-European model of cinema initiates new forms of uniformity. In these conditions the originality expression for separate cinematographies becomes a problem. As a whole the analysis allows to indicate the efficiency of the efforts of European countries' national cinematographies self-determination in the 20th century. Own interests (institutional, economic and production, art and esthetic) are defended in permanently severe conditions.

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