Cahiers Beyond Cinema?

Cahiers was originally just that, a movie magazine anchored in the present, which strove to reflect its times. From the beginning, the magazine questioned the merits of this split between cinema and television.

The title of the magazine, from issue no. 1 to no. 49, demonstrates this openness: Revue du cinéma et du télécinéma (Cinema and Telefilm Magazine). This approach was confirmed in the decades that followed, with an avid curiosity for all forms of audiovisual creation, no matter how diverse.

Cahiers has been writing regularly about television since the 1960s. In issue no. 112 (October 1960), an article by Eric Rohmer appeared on a television broadcast of the Rome Olympic Games, titled Photogénie du sport (Photogenic Sport).

Issue no. 118 (April 1961) was also dedicated entirely to television. The cover —a television screen shattering — was created by the designer Rosy (Maurice Rosy).

In the 1980s, Cahiers took a keen interest in new images. The news section of the magazine included several articles and reports on video creation, electronic images, and, of course, television.

During this decade, two special issues were dedicated to video creation, approached from both an esthetic and technological perspective : Vidéo art explorations (Video Art Exploration, 1981) and Où va la vidéo? (Where Has Video Gone? 1986).

Issue no. 404 (February 1988) featured a mosaic cover, which illustrated fragmented images (a mix of cinema, television, and video images) discussed in the theoretical outcomes section. A thumbnail of a television screen announced a text written by Pascal Bonitzer.

The 2000s and 2010s raised many more questions about the boundaries between cinema and television, with an increasing interest in series, particularly American ones. Mad Men, The Wire, and Breaking Bad were watched and commented on by the editorial team with the same commitment as cinema releases.

With this celebration of Twin Peaks and its creator, Cahiers affirmed its loyalty to a director and his vision; a vision that marked and saw in the 21st century (particularly with Mulholland Drive voted best movie of the year in 2001, then best movie of the 2000s by the magazine).