Unraveling French Cinema provides a much needed introduction to the complexities of French film for students, cineastes, and the movie-loving public. Looks at the differences between French and American national cinema Explores how French directors shape their films around two potentially divergent goals: the narration of a story and an elaboration of some theory about film itself. Demystifies the "difficulty" of French cinema, allowing the American movie-goer to enjoy films that are too often perplexing at a first viewing. Offers extended analyses of classic, New Wave, and contemporary French films including L'Atalante, Adele H., The Rules of the Game, and Cache.