Of all world cinemas, Hollywood excepted, France has had the most consistent record of production and popularity. French cinema is, as Ginette Vincendeau argues and demonstrates in this book, a popular art, combining audience appeal with art house and film festival attraction. While there have been books aplenty on either French cinema's history, or individual directors and occasionally stars, hitherto little has been published to stand alongside this book, which explores all three, providing a map with which to delve deeper into French cinema. Ginette Vincendeau is an internationally known and respected authority on this cinema, who combines fine intelligence and analytical depth with passion for her subject and an ability to share her enjoyment in it. Extending from early cinema to the present, bringing together both published and newly minted writings with a fresh Introduction, her book invites readers to dip in according to particular interests or to read it right through as a substantial introduction to the thrust of French cinema's history. Providing a taster for the first time reader and a substantial read for the filmgoer and the student, this is a fitting tribute to a great cinema by a top scholar and writer.