Coline Serreau

Coline Serreau became famous in 1985 with her third film, "Trois Hommes et Un Couffin", the most successful French film of the 1980s. She was already known in France for her contribution to feminist documentaries with the acclaimed "Mais qu'est-ce qu'elles veulent?", a series of interviews with French women made in 1975. She is key figure in French cinema and drama, with international success with "Romauld et Juliette" (1989) and "La Crise" (1992). This appraisal of her work situates her films within the social, cultural and political context of France since May 1968, and assesses the major impact of the women's movements on French society and culture. Politics and sexual politics, two key aspects of Serreau's films and plays, are examined. This book also considers the cultural influences of her work, and provides an overview of her films and filmic skills. Special attention is given as well to comedy, the cinematographic genre favoured by Serreau and the French audience, which is apprehended from a historical and gendered perspective.