la la Land

Film critic Mark Kermode presents a fresh and very personal look at the art of cinema by examining the techniques and conventions behind some classic genres: romcoms, heist movies, coming-of-age stories, science fiction and horror. In each episode, Mark uncovers the ingredients needed to make a great genre film and keep audiences coming back for more. How do you stage, shoot and edit a gripping car chase or orchestrate the shock moment in a horror movie? What is the secret to sizzling on-screen chemistry?

Land ("La Terre") is the battleground, the thing that divides families and changes lives in the epic French silent, La Terre (1921). Based on Emile Zola's novel, La Terre recounts the tale of two families living in the French countryside whose lives are dramatically altered by the land they stand to inherit. Old Fouan (Armand Bour) and his wife decide to divvy their one possession – their land – up between their sons in exchange for the sons' promise to look after them in their retirement. But slowly, Fouan's corrupt sons rob him of his pension and he is soon shuttling between their homes in search of a safe refuge as his health declines.