The representation of colonials and natives in French colonial cinema from 1918 to 1945

Abstract

In spite of having an empire that was second only to Britain's by 1914, the French people remained mostly unconvinced by and mistrustful of the colonial idea. There is no better proof of this than the French colonial films between 1918 and 1945 which depicted the empire in a particularly unattractive way while seemingly advocating the colonial cause. The paradox is all the more surprising given that the negative image that emerges from the films made in France around the colonial theme was not the manifestation of an anti-colonialism subtly disguised to avoid governmental censorship, but the mere expression of the general feeling of the French about their colonies. The lack of Gallic enthusiasm for the empire translated on screen into an intrinsic mistrust for what was regarded as the epitome of danger and despair.