French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Boillat, Cinéma, machine à mondes. Essai sur les films à univers multiples
Art and Visual Culture

Alain Boillat

Cinéma, machine à mondes. Essai sur les films à univers multiples

Geneva: Georg, "Emprise de vue", 2014

390 p. / 200 ill. — ISBN: 9782825710173 — 15.00 €

In this book, the author proposes a theoretical conceptualization of the co-presence of multiple worlds within a single film, examining various parameters (such as the heterogeneity of image textures, alternate editing practices, embedding typologies, serial expansion, etc.). This analysis is based on a corpus of recent fiction films, most of which belong to the science-fiction genre (Matrix, Dark City, Avalon, Resident Evil, Avatar, etc.). Stemming from filmology, the concept of "diegesis" is developed here in terms of its potential for autonomization—reflected in a world-building design that seems to dominate the video game era—as well as its links to narrative and an intermedial perspective. Comparisons between original films and their recent sequels or remakes (such as Tron and its sequel, or Total Recall and its remake), as well as between cinematic and literary works (particularly the short stories of Philip K. Dick and Daniel Galouye's Simulacron-3), serve as analytical tools to grasp the contemporary relevance of this issue, approached aesthetically within the context of digital imagery.

This publication marks the launch of the "Emprise de vue" series by the Geneva-based publisher Georg. Primarily dedicated to contemporary cinema, the series aims to explore the technological imaginations it reflects, the traditions it builds upon, and the formal challenges it raises.

Alain Boillat offers a theoretical study of contemporary films featuring multiple worlds, exploring how modern digital imagery shapes cinematic space and narrative structure. Examining a diverse corpus of science fiction works, including Matrix, Avatar, and Dark City, the essay investigates the concept of diegesis and its capacity for autonomization. The author connects these aesthetic developments to broader shifts in world-building design and intermedial practices characteristic of the video game era, drawing insightful comparisons between original films, remakes, sequels, and related literary sources by authors such as Philip K. Dick.

This rigorous volume serves as a foundational text for researchers, film students, and scholars interested in media theory, narrative structures, and the technological imaginations of contemporary cinema. By addressing complex questions of image texture, alternate editing, and serial expansion, Boillat provides valuable analytical tools for understanding how contemporary audiovisual works construct complex fictional universes. The study will particularly appeal to readers seeking a sophisticated, theoretically grounded approach to the formal challenges and aesthetic traditions of modern screen culture.

This book is available in open access on the publisher's website…