Sustaining cultures through cinematic space – the historical continuance of art and architectural traditions in 20 C Film

Abstract

This paper explores the idea of film as a medium that has been used to celebrate, develop and ultimately sustain cultural traditions in an age of globalization and technological and cultural change. It borrows ideas from the sector of heritage, namely intangible cultural heritage, and uses this to offer a framework for understanding the work of two key mid 20th century film directors, Jean Renoir and Yasujiro Ozu. Through a detailed analysis of the cinematography employed by both directors, their use of architectural space and the cultural traditions that they drew heavily upon, it explores examples how both directors used film as a medium for the reutilization of their particular cultural artistic traditions in a contemporary setting.