Cahiers du cinéma Special Editions
How did Cahiers' special editions forge a legitimate path in the French cinematic landscape?
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The special editions contributed to a deeper reflection on cinema across a wide range of publications, including specialized collections, monographs on directors, theoretical essays, screenplays, etc.
Two years of friendship with Gallimard publishing house
In 1978, Cahiers began to publish special editions—often led by Jean Narboni and Alain Bergala—alongside the magazine. In 1980, they started a collaboration with Gallimard publishing house, whose landmarks included Roland Barthes' book Chambre claire (Camera Lucida).
They decided to found a fully autonomous publishing house in 1981, with the first book being Raymond Depardon's Correspondance New Yorkaise (Correspondence From New York) a daily image project commissioned by Libération newspaper.
Claudine Paquot, then editorial secretary, participated in this venture from the beginning, and became the special editions director and one of the pillars of Cahiers for 30 years. A real head-hunter, she didn't hesitate when placing her trust in new talent.
New collections, like monographs devoted to directors loved by Cahiers, took shape.
The Cahiers special editions also established collaborations with directors, movie critics, and cultural institutions to produce original pieces. They were innovative, publishing books exploring not just French cinema and Hollywood, but also lesser-known cinematography, contributing to a diverse perception of cinema.
In 2000, when Jack Lang—the then minister of national education in France—introduced the Arts à l’école (Arts in School) project, cinema was held in esteem. So Claudine Paquot created the Petits Cahiers (Little Cahiers) collection.
Cahiers also launched the Cinéastes au travail (Directors at Work) collection, created by specialists who conducted research based on archival documents, published as richly illustrated albums.
The same as with essays on literature or the fine arts, essays on cinema base their existence on the wealth of writing on the subject—its aesthetic, its history, its relationship with the world, the challenges in its future—in the same way as the magazine.
Since the change of ownership in February 2020, Cahiers du cinéma special editions have been embarking on a phase of renewal, eager to resume publishing cinematic works with more consistency. This new moment in the history of these legendary special editions can be seen as of October 2020, marking the re-release of three works by Éric Rohmer. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the director's birth, it was up to Cahiers du cinéma to revitalize his critical and cinematic works.
Then, in 2022, Jane Campion on Jane Campion was republished, followed by the comprehensive study Treize Ozu (Thirteen Ozu) in 2023. These publications are essential for rediscovering a body of work in which cinema is considered not just through movies, but also through the prism of critical writing that has shaped it over the decades.
Delve deeper
Discover Cahiers issue no. 669, which pays tribute to Claudine Paquot, who passed away in 2011.
