Minimalist cinema is related to the art and philosophy of minimalism.
In film, minimalism usually is associated with filmmakers such as Robert Bresson, Chantal Akerman, Carl Theodor Dreyer, and Yasujirō Ozu. Their films typically tell a simple story with straightforward camera usage and minimal use of score. Paul Schrader named their kind of cinema: "transcendental cinema". [1]
Currently a commitment to minimalist filmmaking can be seen in film movements such as Dogme 95, mumblecore, and the Romanian New Wave. Abbas Kiarostami, [2] Elia Suleiman, [3] and Kelly Reichardt are also considered minimalist filmmakers.
The Minimalists – Joshua Fields Millburn, Ryan Nicodemus, and Matt D'Avella – directed and produced the film Minimalism: A Documentary, [4] which showcased the idea of minimal living in the modern world.
This type of film includes the works of directors like:
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | The Passion of Joan of Arc [37] | Carl Theodor Dreyer |
| 1940 | Dots | Norman McLaren |
| 1946 | Paisan [38] | Roberto Rossellini |
| 1948 | Rope [39] | Alfred Hitchcock |
| 1949 | I Shot Jesse James [40] | Samuel Fuller |
| 1949 | Begone Dull Care [41] | Evelyn Lambart and Norman McLaren |
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Gerald McBoing Boing [42] | Robert Cannon |
| 1953 | Monsieur Hulot's Holiday [43] | Jacques Tati |
| The Tell Tale Heart [44] | Ted Parmelee | |
| Tokyo Story [45] | Yasujirō Ozu | |
| 1954 | Billy Boy [46] | Tex Avery |
| 1955 | The Big Combo [47] | Joseph H. Lewis |
| Ordet [48] | Carl Theodore Dreyer | |
| 1956 | A Man Escaped [49] | Robert Bresson |
| Invasion of the Body Snatchers | Don Siegel | |
| The Red Balloon [50] | Albert Lamorisse | |
| 1957 | 12 Angry Men [51] | Sidney Lumet |
| 1958 | Elevator to the Gallows [52] | Louis Malle |
| Murder by Contract | Irving Lerner | |
| 1959 | Plan 9 from Outer Space [53] | Ed Wood |
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Surogat [54] | Dušan Vukotić |
| 1962 | An Autumn Afternoon [55] | Yasujirō Ozu |
| Eegah [56] | Arch Hall Sr. | |
| 1963 | Winter Light [57] | Ingmar Bergman |
| 1964 | Diamonds of the Night [58] | Jan Němec |
| Fail Safe [59] | Sidney Lumet | |
| Red Desert [60] | Michelangelo Antonioni | |
| 1966 | Au hasard Balthazar [61] | Robert Bresson |
| 1967 | Mouchette [62] | |
| Playtime | Jacques Tati | |
| Wavelength [63] [64] | Michael Snow | |
| 1968 | The Fly [65] | Vladimir Jutrisa and Aleksandar Marks |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey [66] | Stanley Kubrick | |
| Surface Tension [67] | Hollis Frampton | |
| 1969 | Bambi Meets Godzilla [68] | Marv Newland |
| Lemon [69] | Hollis Frampton |
