October 22, 2025 • 34 mins
The source provides an overview of France's global influence across five key areas, emphasizing its historical, cultural, and scientific contributions to the world. It first highlights the country's significance in art and history by detailing the Louvre Museum, which is the world's most visited museum, housing masterpieces like the Mona Lisa. The episode then discusses France's scientific impact, noting its invention and global dissemination of the Metric System, a standardized measurement system used almost universally today. Culturally, France is recognized for its unparalleled record of winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and for its role as a pioneer in cinema, having hosted the first public film screening. Finally, the source asserts France's dominance as the world's leading wine producer, cementing its status in global gastronomy and agriculture.
Bonjour France is your weekly escape to the heart of French life. Join Author Adidas Wilson as we journey beyond the Eiffel Tower — from cobblestone streets in Provence to seaside cafés on the Riviera. Discover hidden villages, timeless traditions, and the art of living à la française.
Bonjour France is your weekly escape to the heart of French life. Join Author Adidas Wilson as we journey beyond the Eiffel Tower — from cobblestone streets in Provence to seaside cafés on the Riviera. Discover hidden villages, timeless traditions, and the art of living à la française.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the deep dive. Today, we are immersing ourselves,
really getting into a culture that's well mastered the art
of global influence. We're talking about a country whose name
just conjures up images of Romance, revolution and just unparalleled artistry.
We are, of course taking a deep look.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
At France, absolutely a place with layers upon layers of
history and impact.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Exactly and for you the learner, if you want to
grasp the core reasons behind France's enduring impact, our mission
today is pretty clear. We're diving deep into a stack
of sources, focusing on what we've sort of tagged as
the five Pillars of French global influence. We're aiming to
pull out those surprising facts, those deep historical nuggets that
explain how this nation just consistently sets the bar, whether
(00:44):
it's art, or science or even the lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
And I think it's really crucial to understand that France's
influence isn't just like a historical footnote stuck in textbooks.
It's very much alive. It's a continuous, living narrative. These
five pillars were discussing range from setting the global standard
for how we measure things to absolutely dominating the world
stage in literature and cinema, and they demonstrate this really
(01:12):
unique blend of deep historical tradition and honestly relentless innovation.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
That's a great way to put it. We're covering well
everything from the world's most visited museum to the very
system that underpins almost all modern scientific thinking. We'll explore
France's unmatched leadership in Nobel winning literature, its huge role
in defining fine wine, and it's pioneering status really in
the creation of modern cinema.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It's a sweep of influence that is, when you look
at it all together, truly staggering in its scope. It
touches so many parts of modern life. And to truly
appreciate the breadth of this impact, I think we have
to start with, well, the big one, the monumental physical
representation of French culture and history, a place that draws
millions every single year, the Louver Museum.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Okay, yeah, let's unpack this cultural cornerstone. The sheer scale
of the Louver. It's almost hard to wrap your head
around it, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It really is.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Our sources confirmed it is definitively the world's most visited museum.
Pulling in over nine million visitors just last year in
twenty twenty four, nine million. That's just it's a testament
to its singular cultural gravitational pull, right, and a pull that,
as you mentioned, stretches back nearly a millennium.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
And that's what makes it so endlessly fascinating. When you
walk into the loof today, you are literally stepping onto
ground whose purpose has fundamentally shifted over centuries, yet its structure,
its bones, are still rooted. Way back in the late
twelfth century. It didn't start as an art gallery at all, right.
It began as a fortress, a robust military structure under
King Philip the IID. The main function back then was defense,
(02:45):
protecting Paris from invaders coming up the scent Wait.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Hang on, a fortress's that's an incredible contrast to the peaceful,
you know, art focused institution it is today. Exactly. So,
how did a medieval defense mechanism morph into well, the
quit has said, symbol of global culture.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It was a slow burn, really a gradual transformation over centuries.
You had successive French monarchs, starting maybe with Charles the
Fifth in the fourteenth century, who began converting parts of
the fortress into a royal residence. They kept adding wings,
accumulating art and treasures. By the time the royal family
famously packed up and moved to Versailles in the seventeenth century,
(03:22):
the palace was already this immense storehouse of royal goodies.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Okay, so it was already packed with art, but still
private royal precisely.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
But the crucial moment, the real pivot, was the French Revolution.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Ah okay, the revolution, that makes sense. That must have
been the turning point from private royal hoarde to public institution.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Absolutely. The decision in seventeen ninety three to establish the
Mosaic Centraal Dessar Louver as a public museum was a
massive political statement. It wasn't just about art, it was ideology.
It effectively democratized culture. The people the nation were taking
ownership of the heritage that had previously been restricted to
the monarchy and the aristocracy.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
That's powerful, and.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
This act it really set a global standard for how
national art collections should be managed and displayed as a
public trust for everyone.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
And the sheer size of that public trust, yeah, it's
just staggering. Our sources note the museum holds over three
hundred and eighty thousand objects in total.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yeah, it's incredible, but.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Only about thirty five thousand are actually displayed at any
given time. Yeah, so the vast majority is kept in reserve,
in storage, or being studied. Exactly, what does that dichonomy
three hundred and eighty thousand collected versus thirty five thousand
displayed tell us about the French approach to cultural preservation.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Well, it speaks volumes about their commitment to rigorous preservation
and importantly research. That's another crucial piece of France's global
influence in this area. The collection spans almost the entirety
of record a human history, doesn't it, From ancient Mesopotamian
civilizations right up to the Italian Renaissance. In French neoclassical
works of the nineteenth century a huge sweep. So keeping
(05:01):
such a large reserve ensure as objects can be properly studied,
carefully restored, and rotated into displays. It maintains the integrity
of the objects and keeps the viewing experience fresh.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
You know. Yeah, that makes sense. Now, while the scope
is massive, we really can't talk about the louver without
touching on the let's call them the Big three the
icons that are truly global pilgrimage.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Sites, the superstars.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
The Mona Lisa is the obvious one, isn't it. Da
Vinci's ability to pack so much mystery into one portrait
still draws these unbelievable crowds.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
You practically have to fight your way to see it, right.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
But what about the other two key treasures mentioned, the
Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Why
do they hold such magnetic power?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Well, they both represent classical ideals, but in different ways.
The Venus to Milo is sort of the epitome of
ancient Greek artistic perfection. It's sensual, but also restrain almost
aloof it really anchors the Western idea of classic The
Winged Victory of Samothrace, though, that's different. It's a masterpiece
of Hellenistic art, much more dynamic, even though it's headless
(06:08):
and armless.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Right it's perched at the top of that grand staircase exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
It just captures movement and drama in raw energy. It's
this thrilling counterpoint to the quiet perfection of the Venus.
These aren't just statues, they are benchmarks. Curators worldwide look
to pieces like these Okay.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
So you have these ancient defining works. But here's where
the tradition meets well, the shock of the new. Right
right there in the main courtyard, you have that iconic
glass pyramid. I remember when IMP's design was unveiled back
in nineteen eighty nine. It was incredibly controversial. People hated it,
some loved.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Now massively controversial. There are huge debates.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Why was this very modern, almost jarring structure seen as
so essential for the Lows identity moving forward?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Because fundamentally it solved a modern problem access and scale.
The old entrances just couldn't cope. The pyramid and the
whole underground structure beneath it addressed the logistical nightmare of
getting while nine million visitors smoothly into a former royal
palace practical needs then practical, yes, but also symbolic Architecturally,
it served this profound purpose. It was a bold statement
(07:18):
that the Louver wasn't just stuck in the past. It
was embracing modernity, efficiency and a global accessible future that
blend ancient treasures housed within a contemporary, even controversial container.
That's pure French institutional innovation, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, it really is. So the Louver's global influence isn't
just about the art inside. It's about setting the standard
for museum operations, for cultural diplomacy too. The fact that
France is actively involved in projects like lending artworks and
expertise to the Louver Abu Dhabi that speaks volumes about
its soft power, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Precisely, it exports its cultural management model, its expertise. The
Louver is more than just a building. It's become a
global standard for art preservation, for education, and for international outreach.
It's constantly influencing how other major museums think about their
own roles in a globalized world. It's a symbol really
of the nation's commitment to beauty shared universally.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
That's a really powerful transition, actually, because we're moving now
from a commitment to cultural standards to a commitment to
well scientific and rational standards, a concept that literally shapes
your life every single time you measure anything. We're having
about the birthplace of the metric system.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Yes, and what's fascinating here is how the metric system
arose directly out of that same revolutionary spirit that you
opened the Louver to the public. France is the undisputed
birthplace of the standardized system of measurement, And it was
a development rooted in pure rationality that fundamentally changed science, trade,
and maybe even how we think about truth itself globally.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
The motivation is our sources really highlight was born directly
from chaos, wasn't it? Before the revolution in the late
eighteenth century, France was apparently crippled by this chaotic array
of regional measures.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Oh, it was chaos, utter chaos.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
I've seen figures suggesting there were over two hundred and
fifty thousand different units of measurement across France and Europe
at the time. How could anyone possibly conduct trade or
even have unified governance?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
It was incredibly difficult, bordering on impossible in some cases.
And it wasn't just confusing. It was a source of
massive economic friction and real social injustice. Landlords, merchants, they
could easily manipulate local weights and measures to cheat people.
So the Enlightenment ideals championed by the revolutionary leaders demanded
(09:34):
something better, something fair, exactly, a system that was universal, logical,
and crucially based on nature itself, not on something arbitrary
like the length of a king's foot or the size
of a local lord's field.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
So in seventeen ninety one the French Academy of Sciences
steps in, led by these great minds, people like Jean
Charles de Bordas and Piercing and Laplace, and they proposed
this universal system based on natural constants. This wasn't just
about making trade easier. It was a philosophical statement, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
It was profound, deeply philosophical. They made this incredibly ambitious
decision to root the definition of the fundamental unit, the meter,
in the earth itself. The original definition, the one they
set out to measure, was one ten millionth of the
distance from the north pole to the equator along the
meridian line that passed right through Paris.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Okay, that meridian definition, it sounds elegant, but actually executing
that measurement it must have been an absolute nightmare of
surveying and trigonometry, especially during the upheaval of the revolution.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
In War oh. It was an epic undertaking, absolutely heroic
in a way. The two main scientists tasked with the
Jean Baptiste Lombre and Pierre Micheg, spent six incredibly arduous
years from seventeen ninety two to seventeen ninety eight, measuring
the arc of the meridian between Dunkirk in the north
and Barcelona.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
In the south. Six years.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Yeah, and they faced everything, political chaos, terrible weather, suspicion
from locals who thought their weird instruments were for spying witchcraft.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
It was this incredible intellectual act of while almost defiance
against ignorance and chaos, securing a standard that was genuinely
immune to political whims based on the planet itself.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
And the structural brilliance that came out of this incredible
journey was the decimal structure right, the simple logical reliance
on powers of ten.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yes, that was the killer future.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
That ease of calculation, compared to the messy fractions and
conversions of the older imperial units like feet and inches,
pounds and ounces, that must have been key to its
eventual global spread.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Absolutely, it offered consistency and simplicity. So by seventeen ninety
nine the meter and the kilogram were officially adopted in France.
Now there was significant pushback. Initially, people were attached to
their local customs, their pints and leveley. It even led
to Napoleon temporarily allowing a transitional system called the measure
used well, which blended old names with metric values. Compromised
(11:53):
a temporary one, yeah, but the underlying efficiency of the
decimal metric system was just undeniable in the long run.
Pushed this standardization through trade, through its administration, and yes,
through colonization too. But mostly it's spread because it was
simply a superior system for science and commerce.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And the result today, well, it speaks for itself, doesn't it.
It is the official system in nearly every single country globally.
We always hear about the main exceptions of the US Liberia MEMMAR,
but even in those places, the metric system is absolutely
the operational backbone for science, medicine and any kind of
high precision industry.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Completely you can't do modern science without it. The metric
system forms the basis of the International System of Units,
the SI, which is the fundamental language of modern scientific
endeavor worldwide. But here's the real nugget of French scientific foresight.
I think we mentioned that the original physical prototypes, the
platinum iridium bar for the meter and cylinder for the kilogram,
(12:52):
stored safely in Sev near Paris.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Right, The historical artifacts. But those has been superseded now,
haven't they. They're not the official standard.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Anymore exactly, so that it's hugely significant. What's the importance
of France and the international community moving away from a
physical artifact standard to one based on universal physical constants?
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Okay, tell me more.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
This is a huge but often overlooked intellectual leap. It
was pioneered by the very spirit of the original metric system.
Those physical prototypes, however carefully kept, were still prone to
tiny changes, to decay, maybe even damage. They weren't truly
universal or eternal.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Right, they were just objects, just objects.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
So by twenty nineteen, the SI units were fundamentally redefined
using universal physical constants, things that are the same everywhere
in the universe always, So the kilogram is now defined
via the plant constant, the meter via the speed of
light in a vacuum. This move finally completes that original
revolutionary French vision, a system rooted not just in the Earth,
but in the immutable universal laws of physics itself. Wow,
(13:54):
it's an ultimate intellectual legacy of French rationality.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
When you say, that's incredible, truly universal. Okay, So moving
from that hard universal logic of measurement to the perhaps
more subjective, but equally profound intellectual depth of human expression.
Let's pivot, let's pitt to the world of words and thought.
Our next pillar reveals France's incredibly powerful intellectual heritage. It's
(14:18):
frankly unmatched dominance in literature.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
France really does sit atop the intellectual heap here historically,
and currently it holds the record by quite a margin
for producing more Nobel Prize winners for literature than any
other country, an astounding sixteen laureate since the prize was
first awarded back in nineteen oh one. And this isn't
just luck. It reflects a culture that actively prioritizes, discusses,
(14:42):
and even funds radical literary exploration.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Sixteen. That is a substantial lead, and the timeline shows
as continuous relevance, doesn't. It starts right at the beginning
with the very first laureate, Soliprudom in nineteen oh one.
He was known for his rather classical, off melancholic.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Poetry, quite traditional in form, which is.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
All the way to the most recent French winner, Annie
or No in twenty twenty two, celebrated for her incredibly
raw socially resonant and deeply introspective memoirs. That's a vast
spectrum of style and subject.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
And the variety is the key insight. I think French
literary soil has consistently produced thinkers who didn't just write well.
They challenged the very nature of narrative, of reality, of
the self, think of the philosophical weight of existentialism, articulated
so powerfully by Jean Paul Sarch who won, or rather
was awarded the prize in nineteen sixty four.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Right, we'll come back to that refusal.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Or the poetic surrealism and moral explorations of Andrejide back
in nineteen forty seven. He really pushed the boundaries of
personal morality and literature. Then you have someone like Patrick Modiano,
who won in twenty fourteen, known for his very unique,
almost haunting explorations of memory, identity and the shadows of
the occupation in post war France.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
This literary prowess, though, it isn't just about individual genius
popping up randomly, is it suggest it's deeply rooted in
the cultural soil that actively fostered major intellectual movements, things
like the Enlightenment, Romanticism, existentialism exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
These weren't just to abstract philosophical trends. They were lived, debated,
and driven by writers who challenged norms, experimented relentlessly with form,
and used literature to dissect society.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
And often these ideas weren't born in stuffy academic seminars,
but in a more dynamic setting. The famous French cafe.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Absolutely the cafe culture, especially in Paris, think of places
like Le de Magore or Cafet to Floor in such
from Mande Prey. They acted almost like decentralized universities. There
were places where writers, artists, philosophers could meet, argue, collaborate,
challenge each other. It created this intellectual pressure cooker, you know,
(16:46):
an environment essential for new, often revolutionary thought to bubble
up and take shape.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
That communal aspect seems vital. And what about the language itself.
French is often described, sometimes almost stereotypically, as the language
of diplomacy, of culture, of life. Does the actual structure
and maybe perceived elegance of the French language contribute to
its power as a medium for philosophical or literary expression.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I think it does. French is often valued, particularly by
its proponents, for its clarity, its precision. It's quite rigorous
grammatical structure. This lends itself beautifully. Some argue to constructing
complex philosophical arguments or drafting precise legal texts, and perhaps
that inherent demand for precision gives literary works a certain
(17:29):
gravitas when they tackle complex societal or psychological themes. There's
a tradition of analytical depth.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Okay, But speaking of gravitas and complexity, we have to
mention that famous anomaly. Jean Paul Sart, the quintessential mid
century French public intellectual. He famously refused the Nobel Prize
in nineteen sixty four. Indeed, what does that refusal tell
us about the sometimes unique relationship French intellectuals have with
official institutions and state validation. It seems counterintuitive to refuse
(17:58):
the biggest prize.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
There is a fascinating moment, isn't it. Sertra's refusal, his
stated reason was that a writer should not allow himself
to be transformed into an institution, really highlights a deep
seated tradition within French intellectual life, a tradition of radical independence,
sometimes outright anti establishmentarianism. It demonstrated, perhaps that for some
(18:20):
French thinkers, true artistic and intellectual integrity required rejecting even
the highest forms of global validation, the kind of purity
almost Perhaps this tension between institutional support on one hand
and fierce intellectual freedom, even rebellion, on the other, it's
really essential to understanding the dynamism of the French literary
(18:40):
landscape over centuries.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
And yet despite that rebellious streak, the institutional support is
massive and longstanding. We mentioned the Academy Frances earlier, found
it way back in sixteen thirty.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Five, ancient in institutional terms.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
It's not just some honorary society, is it. It's specifically
tasked with protecting and preserving the French language, constantly updating
the official dictionary. That kind of long term state back
commitment must nurture generations of writers.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
It certainly creates a framework, a sense of linguistic stability
and value. And maybe this very blend the institutional rigor
represented by the Academy and the radical descent embodied by
someone like Sartre is precisely what makes French literature so
consistently vibrant and often revolutionary.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And its reach is undeniable.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Undeniable French works are translated, studied, debated, imitated, and argued
with worldwide. They continue to shape literary traditions far far
beyond France's borders.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Okay, so let's move from the heights of philosophy and
poetry to something perhaps much more sensorial, something utterly fundamental
to the French national identity and arguably one of its
most successful global exports wine.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Yes, transition from the structure of language to you could
say the structure of the land itself.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
From literature to libations and the world of terroir and tradition.
Are absolutely clear on this. France is the world's leading
wine producer, not always in sheer volume, Italy sometimes produces more,
but crucially in terms of quality, global reputation, and importantly
setting the scandards that the rest of the world often follows.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
The production figures are still huge, though, around four point
five billion leaders in twenty twenty three, which is roughly
seventeen percent of global production. That's enormous, a massive amount
of wine. But as you said, it's about more than
just volume. It's the prestige regions like Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy,
the Rhone Valley. These names are practically synonyms for excellence globally.
(20:37):
Bordeaux alone, just as a specific example from the sources,
is home to over seven thousand wineries or chateau. That
scale is immense, yet the reputation somehow maintains its exclusivity.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
And that exclusivity, that reputation is incredibly hard earned. It
dates back millennia. Viticulture, the cultivation of grapevines, was introduced
to what is now France way back in the sixth
century BCE.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Wow that far back, yes.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
By Greek settlers around Marseille. Then the Romans spread it
further inland, and over the following centuries it was refined meticulously,
particularly by monastic orders in the Middle Ages. The monks
were incredible record keepers and experimenters. They perfected cultivation techniques
specific to their little patches of land. This deep, deep
history is literally integrated into the product itself. You taste
(21:20):
the centuries.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
And the true secret perhaps to the quality and the
distinctiveness of French wine. The word that France essentially gave
to the world of agriculture and food is.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Terwar ah terrowar.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Yes, it's often translated to simply as land or soil,
but it means so much more in the context of wine,
doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Oh, infinitely more. Terra war is this magnificent, almost mystical
concept that fundamentally changed how the world understood wine and
eventually other agricultural products too, like keys or coffee. It's
the unique, inimitable combination of several critical factors in one
peecific place. You've got the geology, the specific soil type,
its mineral content, drainage and the climate, the macro and
(22:01):
microclimate rainfall patterns, sun exposure, altitude, and crucially, the human factor.
The inherited traditional methods, the savoir fare of cultivation, pruning, harvesting,
wine making, all unique to that locality, passed down through generations.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
So it's nature plus nurtures specific to.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
One spot exactly. It's what ensures proponents argue that a
bottle of Champagne tastes like champagne and not just like
any sparkling wine, because it is the unique expression of
that specific piece of earth and the traditions tied to it.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
And this insistence on authenticity, on linking a wine to
its specific origin isn't just a matter of romantic pride,
is it. It's backed by pretty strict legal controls, specifically
the Applacian Doorgian Control a or AOC regulations.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Yes, the AOC system is paramount.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
What specific protection did these regulations offer and how have
the influenced global trade and food law.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
The AOC system, which really got formalized in the nineteen thirties,
is incredibly important. It legally guarantees that if products will
whine primarily but also cheese, butter, even lentils from certain
areas is labeled as coming from a specific region, say
Chateaunuf Dupect or a particular Burgundy village, it absolutely must
adhere to highly specific rules. These govern everything which grape
(23:15):
varieties can be used, maximum yield limits per hector, minimum
alcohol levels, specific wine making techniques, so.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
It's a guarantee of origin and.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Method precisely, and for sparkling wine this is particularly vital.
The rigorous protection of the name Champagne ensures that only
sparkling wine produced within the strictly defined Champagne region using
the traditional message champanwaise can legally use that globally recognized
and valuable name.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
And this system became a template, didn't it.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
It absolutely became the template for geographical indication GI protection
systems worldwide US now for countless products to protect regional
identity and prevent imitation. It was a French legal innovation
with global consequences.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
That legal protection really speaks to the immense economic value
tied up in this cultural pillar. This isn't just about
what you drink with dinner. This is a massive commercial
enterprise for France.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Oh, it's a huge economic engine, no question. The French
wine industry supports well over half a million employees directly
and indirectly. It generates billions upon billions in export revenue annually.
The cultural integration is just as important though. Wine is
absolutely integral to French gastronomy, to social life, to identity.
It's not just seen as a beverage. It's part of
(24:29):
the fabric of daily life. It's a cultural celebration, whether
that's in the careful everyday pairing of specific wines at
specific dishes, or in big annual events like the Fete
de Vantage, the harvest festivals you see in wine regions,
even in places like Malmarch and Paris.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So France really established the gold standard for how a
single agricultural product could not only define a national identity,
but also set a global benchmark for quality, classification and
even legal protection.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
They really did. The concepts of terroir and appalation control
and even the great varieties themselves Chardonaum or Low, Cabernet, Sauvignon, Pinonoir.
These are French legacies adopted worldwide.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Okay, let's make one final pivot. Now we've discussed high
culture in museums, high science and measurement, profound intellectual depth
in literature, and the refined pleasures of gastronomy through wine.
Let's finish with France's foundational role in shaping modern visual storytelling.
It's pioneering status in the world of cinema.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Yes, cinema France isn't just you know, a major player
in the film world. It is widely and accurately regarded
as the actual birthplace of cinema as an art form,
as an industry, as a medium, an art form that
completely revolutionized global entertainment and narrative communication in the twentieth century.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
In the moment of birth. It's so precise, isn't it.
It's often pinpointed to December twenty eighth, eighteen ninety five.
That's the date the Lumier brothers, Auguste and Louis held
the very first paid public film screening in the basement
of the Grand Cafe Impair, and the short film they
showed workers leaving the limeear factory. It was literally just
about a minute long, mundane reality captured. Yet that single
(26:09):
event marked the dawn of this entire medium.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
It really did, And the initial impulse of the Lumier
brothers was fundamentally documentary, capturing reality, slices of life, actuality,
they called them. But the French genius almost immediately saw
potential beyond just recording. What was there enters yours media.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Uh Melius, Yeah, the magician.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Exactly, the magician turned filmmaker. In the very early twentieth century,
Melias saw the camera not just as a recorder, but
as a tool for illusion, for fantasy, for storytelling. His
incredibly famous film A Trip to the Moon from nineteen
oh two, it used groundbreaking special effects for the time,
dissolves miniatures, stop motion. He showed that cinema could create dreams,
(26:49):
not just document reality.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
So right from the start you have this fascinating dichotomy
in French film, Lumier's realism versus Melia's.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Fantasy attention that arguably continues throughout film.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
But perhaps the most significant global influence from French cinema
came quite a bit later, didn't it, with that radical
artistic upheaval the French New Wave, the Neuville Vague in
the nineteen fifties and sixties, or the New Wave?
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Absolutely transformative?
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Why did this movement pioneered by these young, often fiery
critics turned directors like jeanl le Goodar and front Slawt Truffau.
Why did it feel so revolutionary at the time and
why does it still echo today?
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Well, it was a conscious artistic and political rebellion. They
were rebelling against the established French film industry of the time,
which they dismissively called the tradition of quality. What was
that polished, expensive, often quite stuffy literary adaptations, very studio bound.
The New Wave directors, who started out as critics writing
(27:45):
for magazines like Kye d Cinema, believe cinema needed to
be personal, raw, immediate, spontaneous. They championed the autura theory,
the idea that the director is or should be the
true author of the film, expressing a personal vision.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Okay, so that was the philosophy, But how did that
translate into practical filmmaking techniques, the things that actually influence
filmmakers all over the world.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
They basically throughout the conventional filmmaking rule book. They used lightweight,
often handheld cameras, which gave their films this incredible energy
and sense of movement, almost like documentary. They frequently shot
on location in real streets and apartments, often using natural light,
which gave their films a gritty, modern realism. It felt authentic,
and the editing was different too, wasn't radically different. They
(28:31):
employed techniques like jump cuts, where you cut within a
single shot, creating a jarring leap in time, and non
linear narratives. These weren't just flashy tricks. They were used
as intellectual statements, reflecting perhaps the fragmented nature of modern
consciousness and challenging the audience to actively piece things together.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
So films like Godard's Breathless Abudusouf from nineteen sixty or
Trufos The Four Hundred Blows the Capslo Songkup from nineteen.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Fifty nine foundational absolute landmarks. They essentially taught filmmakers globally
that you didn't need huge budgets or massive studio infrastructure.
To make artistically brilliant, culturally resonant films, you needed a
camera and a vision.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And that core concept, the independent aultur filmmaker operating with
freedom outside the big commercial system. That's still kind of
the gold standard the aspiration for so many directors today,
isn't it?
Speaker 2 (29:21):
It absolutely is, and France, importantly, it continues to nurture
that kind of environment through really robust institutional support. It
didn't just invent cinema, it actively protects and promotes it.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Right Look at the con Film Festival, founded just after
the war in nineteen forty six. It's arguably the world's
most prestigious film event, isn't it. It prioritizes artistry often
over pure commercialism.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
It does. It provides this crucial global showcase for international
talent for challenging films, keeping the focus squarely on innovation
and darktorial vision. It sets a certain tone for world cinema.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
And domestically there's that government institution, the Center National dou
Cinema of the CNC, also established right after the war
nineteen forty six. Again, it plays a massive role in
preserving French cinema's identity.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Right absolutely vital.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
How does the CNC actually ensure that French cinema remains
this vibrant global creative hub, especially against the overwhelming tide
of Hollywood dominance.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
CNC is the infrastructural backbone. It's quite unique. It implements
mandatory levies taxes essentially on cinema tickets sold in France,
on TD channel, revenues on video sales, and crucially, this
revenue is then recycled directly back into funding new French
film production, distribution, script development and preserving film heritage.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
So the industry funds itself in a way pretty much.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
This system, often referred to under the umbrella of the
cultural exception, the idea that cultures shouldn't be treated just
like any other commodity, and trade agreements, allows French filmmakers
to secure funding. It enables them to produce over three
hundred films annually, many of which might never get made
in a purely market driven system. It protects artistic freedom
and ensures a steady of diverse, often non commercial storytelling
(31:02):
that continues to inspire filmmakers globally.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
So we've synthesized these five really immense pillars. The museum, Louver,
the measurement metric system, the literature, Nobel Dominance, the libations
Wine and Tear, War, and the Lumiere cinema. Taken together,
they really do illustrate a profound, incredibly multifaceted national identity
and its global reach.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
They absolutely do. And if we try to connect this
all back to see the bigger picture here, I think
the common thread running through all five is France's almost
unique masterclass in balancing deep rooted tradition with often quite
radical modernity and innovation. They rarely just discard the past. Instead,
they seem to use it as a solid foundation, a
launching pad for future leaps.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
You can really see it everywhere we looked, can't you. Yeah.
The Louver houses the ancient winged victory that embraces the
modern efficiency, the statement a piece's contemporary glass.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Pyramid exactly, or the wine industry. It venerates the ancient,
almost sacred concept of terroir and rigidly enforces the AOC rules.
Yet it simultaneously adapts to sophisticated modern global markets and
utilizes cutting edge viticultural science.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
And in the sphere of intellectual life too. They're meticulously
maintaining the purity of the language with the seventeenth century
Academy Frances while at the same time fostering writers like
Sartre or Ernot who are actively questioning and challenging all
forms of institutional power and societal norms.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
It's this dynamic tension, and it means these achievements, these
pillars are not merely historical footnotes collecting dust. They are
living legacies. They continue to actively influence the world's standards,
its art, its very way of thinking today.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Okay, this raises I think an important final provocative thought
for you, our listener, to consider as you wrap up
this deep dog with us. France pioneered both the ultimate
rational universal structure of the metric system aiming for objective
truth in measurement, and arguably the highest forms of subjective
individual artistic expression in literature and cinema.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Right, so consider this potential paradox. How might that profound
revolutionary commitment to logical universal standards, the demand for clarity,
precision and rationality in the world of science and measurement.
How might that have laid the necessary solid groundwork, the
kind of intellectual confidence maybe that allowed its creative fields
the freedom and the boldness to then revolutionize art, literature
(33:22):
and film. Did the structure enable the freedom?
Speaker 1 (33:25):
It's a fascinating question, maybe more personally, which of these
five achievements we discussed the cultural magnet of the Louver,
the visible structure of the metric system, the intellectual depth
shown by the nobel dominance, the global standard set by
French wine, or the very creation of cinema. Which one
do you think has had the most significant, yet perhaps
(33:46):
the least celebrated impact on your own daily life. Wherever
you are in the world, Think about the invisible systems,
the cultural assumptions that guide your world every day. Many
might have.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
French roots, something to ponder. Thank you for joining us
on the deep dive into France's enduring global influence.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
We'll see you next time.
Welcome back to the deep dive. Today, we are immersing ourselves,
really getting into a culture that's well mastered the art
of global influence. We're talking about a country whose name
just conjures up images of Romance, revolution and just unparalleled artistry.
We are, of course taking a deep look.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
At France, absolutely a place with layers upon layers of
history and impact.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Exactly and for you the learner, if you want to
grasp the core reasons behind France's enduring impact, our mission
today is pretty clear. We're diving deep into a stack
of sources, focusing on what we've sort of tagged as
the five Pillars of French global influence. We're aiming to
pull out those surprising facts, those deep historical nuggets that
explain how this nation just consistently sets the bar, whether
(00:44):
it's art, or science or even the lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
And I think it's really crucial to understand that France's
influence isn't just like a historical footnote stuck in textbooks.
It's very much alive. It's a continuous, living narrative. These
five pillars were discussing range from setting the global standard
for how we measure things to absolutely dominating the world
stage in literature and cinema, and they demonstrate this really
(01:12):
unique blend of deep historical tradition and honestly relentless innovation.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
That's a great way to put it. We're covering well
everything from the world's most visited museum to the very
system that underpins almost all modern scientific thinking. We'll explore
France's unmatched leadership in Nobel winning literature, its huge role
in defining fine wine, and it's pioneering status really in
the creation of modern cinema.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It's a sweep of influence that is, when you look
at it all together, truly staggering in its scope. It
touches so many parts of modern life. And to truly
appreciate the breadth of this impact, I think we have
to start with, well, the big one, the monumental physical
representation of French culture and history, a place that draws
millions every single year, the Louver Museum.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Okay, yeah, let's unpack this cultural cornerstone. The sheer scale
of the Louver. It's almost hard to wrap your head
around it, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It really is.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Our sources confirmed it is definitively the world's most visited museum.
Pulling in over nine million visitors just last year in
twenty twenty four, nine million. That's just it's a testament
to its singular cultural gravitational pull, right, and a pull that,
as you mentioned, stretches back nearly a millennium.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
And that's what makes it so endlessly fascinating. When you
walk into the loof today, you are literally stepping onto
ground whose purpose has fundamentally shifted over centuries, yet its structure,
its bones, are still rooted. Way back in the late
twelfth century. It didn't start as an art gallery at all, right.
It began as a fortress, a robust military structure under
King Philip the IID. The main function back then was defense,
(02:45):
protecting Paris from invaders coming up the scent Wait.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Hang on, a fortress's that's an incredible contrast to the peaceful,
you know, art focused institution it is today. Exactly. So,
how did a medieval defense mechanism morph into well, the
quit has said, symbol of global culture.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It was a slow burn, really a gradual transformation over centuries.
You had successive French monarchs, starting maybe with Charles the
Fifth in the fourteenth century, who began converting parts of
the fortress into a royal residence. They kept adding wings,
accumulating art and treasures. By the time the royal family
famously packed up and moved to Versailles in the seventeenth century,
(03:22):
the palace was already this immense storehouse of royal goodies.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Okay, so it was already packed with art, but still
private royal precisely.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
But the crucial moment, the real pivot, was the French Revolution.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Ah okay, the revolution, that makes sense. That must have
been the turning point from private royal hoarde to public institution.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Absolutely. The decision in seventeen ninety three to establish the
Mosaic Centraal Dessar Louver as a public museum was a
massive political statement. It wasn't just about art, it was ideology.
It effectively democratized culture. The people the nation were taking
ownership of the heritage that had previously been restricted to
the monarchy and the aristocracy.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
That's powerful, and.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
This act it really set a global standard for how
national art collections should be managed and displayed as a
public trust for everyone.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
And the sheer size of that public trust, yeah, it's
just staggering. Our sources note the museum holds over three
hundred and eighty thousand objects in total.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yeah, it's incredible, but.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Only about thirty five thousand are actually displayed at any
given time. Yeah, so the vast majority is kept in reserve,
in storage, or being studied. Exactly, what does that dichonomy
three hundred and eighty thousand collected versus thirty five thousand
displayed tell us about the French approach to cultural preservation.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Well, it speaks volumes about their commitment to rigorous preservation
and importantly research. That's another crucial piece of France's global
influence in this area. The collection spans almost the entirety
of record a human history, doesn't it, From ancient Mesopotamian
civilizations right up to the Italian Renaissance. In French neoclassical
works of the nineteenth century a huge sweep. So keeping
(05:01):
such a large reserve ensure as objects can be properly studied,
carefully restored, and rotated into displays. It maintains the integrity
of the objects and keeps the viewing experience fresh.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
You know. Yeah, that makes sense. Now, while the scope
is massive, we really can't talk about the louver without
touching on the let's call them the Big three the
icons that are truly global pilgrimage.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Sites, the superstars.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
The Mona Lisa is the obvious one, isn't it. Da
Vinci's ability to pack so much mystery into one portrait
still draws these unbelievable crowds.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
You practically have to fight your way to see it, right.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
But what about the other two key treasures mentioned, the
Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Why
do they hold such magnetic power?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Well, they both represent classical ideals, but in different ways.
The Venus to Milo is sort of the epitome of
ancient Greek artistic perfection. It's sensual, but also restrain almost
aloof it really anchors the Western idea of classic The
Winged Victory of Samothrace, though, that's different. It's a masterpiece
of Hellenistic art, much more dynamic, even though it's headless
(06:08):
and armless.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Right it's perched at the top of that grand staircase exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
It just captures movement and drama in raw energy. It's
this thrilling counterpoint to the quiet perfection of the Venus.
These aren't just statues, they are benchmarks. Curators worldwide look
to pieces like these Okay.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
So you have these ancient defining works. But here's where
the tradition meets well, the shock of the new. Right
right there in the main courtyard, you have that iconic
glass pyramid. I remember when IMP's design was unveiled back
in nineteen eighty nine. It was incredibly controversial. People hated it,
some loved.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Now massively controversial. There are huge debates.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Why was this very modern, almost jarring structure seen as
so essential for the Lows identity moving forward?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Because fundamentally it solved a modern problem access and scale.
The old entrances just couldn't cope. The pyramid and the
whole underground structure beneath it addressed the logistical nightmare of
getting while nine million visitors smoothly into a former royal
palace practical needs then practical, yes, but also symbolic Architecturally,
it served this profound purpose. It was a bold statement
(07:18):
that the Louver wasn't just stuck in the past. It
was embracing modernity, efficiency and a global accessible future that
blend ancient treasures housed within a contemporary, even controversial container.
That's pure French institutional innovation, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, it really is. So the Louver's global influence isn't
just about the art inside. It's about setting the standard
for museum operations, for cultural diplomacy too. The fact that
France is actively involved in projects like lending artworks and
expertise to the Louver Abu Dhabi that speaks volumes about
its soft power, doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Precisely, it exports its cultural management model, its expertise. The
Louver is more than just a building. It's become a
global standard for art preservation, for education, and for international outreach.
It's constantly influencing how other major museums think about their
own roles in a globalized world. It's a symbol really
of the nation's commitment to beauty shared universally.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
That's a really powerful transition, actually, because we're moving now
from a commitment to cultural standards to a commitment to
well scientific and rational standards, a concept that literally shapes
your life every single time you measure anything. We're having
about the birthplace of the metric system.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Yes, and what's fascinating here is how the metric system
arose directly out of that same revolutionary spirit that you
opened the Louver to the public. France is the undisputed
birthplace of the standardized system of measurement, And it was
a development rooted in pure rationality that fundamentally changed science, trade,
and maybe even how we think about truth itself globally.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
The motivation is our sources really highlight was born directly
from chaos, wasn't it? Before the revolution in the late
eighteenth century, France was apparently crippled by this chaotic array
of regional measures.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Oh, it was chaos, utter chaos.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
I've seen figures suggesting there were over two hundred and
fifty thousand different units of measurement across France and Europe
at the time. How could anyone possibly conduct trade or
even have unified governance?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
It was incredibly difficult, bordering on impossible in some cases.
And it wasn't just confusing. It was a source of
massive economic friction and real social injustice. Landlords, merchants, they
could easily manipulate local weights and measures to cheat people.
So the Enlightenment ideals championed by the revolutionary leaders demanded
(09:34):
something better, something fair, exactly, a system that was universal, logical,
and crucially based on nature itself, not on something arbitrary
like the length of a king's foot or the size
of a local lord's field.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
So in seventeen ninety one the French Academy of Sciences
steps in, led by these great minds, people like Jean
Charles de Bordas and Piercing and Laplace, and they proposed
this universal system based on natural constants. This wasn't just
about making trade easier. It was a philosophical statement, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
It was profound, deeply philosophical. They made this incredibly ambitious
decision to root the definition of the fundamental unit, the meter,
in the earth itself. The original definition, the one they
set out to measure, was one ten millionth of the
distance from the north pole to the equator along the
meridian line that passed right through Paris.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Okay, that meridian definition, it sounds elegant, but actually executing
that measurement it must have been an absolute nightmare of
surveying and trigonometry, especially during the upheaval of the revolution.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
In War oh. It was an epic undertaking, absolutely heroic
in a way. The two main scientists tasked with the
Jean Baptiste Lombre and Pierre Micheg, spent six incredibly arduous
years from seventeen ninety two to seventeen ninety eight, measuring
the arc of the meridian between Dunkirk in the north
and Barcelona.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
In the south. Six years.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Yeah, and they faced everything, political chaos, terrible weather, suspicion
from locals who thought their weird instruments were for spying witchcraft.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
It was this incredible intellectual act of while almost defiance
against ignorance and chaos, securing a standard that was genuinely
immune to political whims based on the planet itself.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
And the structural brilliance that came out of this incredible
journey was the decimal structure right, the simple logical reliance
on powers of ten.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yes, that was the killer future.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
That ease of calculation, compared to the messy fractions and
conversions of the older imperial units like feet and inches,
pounds and ounces, that must have been key to its
eventual global spread.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Absolutely, it offered consistency and simplicity. So by seventeen ninety
nine the meter and the kilogram were officially adopted in France.
Now there was significant pushback. Initially, people were attached to
their local customs, their pints and leveley. It even led
to Napoleon temporarily allowing a transitional system called the measure
used well, which blended old names with metric values. Compromised
(11:53):
a temporary one, yeah, but the underlying efficiency of the
decimal metric system was just undeniable in the long run.
Pushed this standardization through trade, through its administration, and yes,
through colonization too. But mostly it's spread because it was
simply a superior system for science and commerce.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And the result today, well, it speaks for itself, doesn't it.
It is the official system in nearly every single country globally.
We always hear about the main exceptions of the US Liberia MEMMAR,
but even in those places, the metric system is absolutely
the operational backbone for science, medicine and any kind of
high precision industry.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Completely you can't do modern science without it. The metric
system forms the basis of the International System of Units,
the SI, which is the fundamental language of modern scientific
endeavor worldwide. But here's the real nugget of French scientific foresight.
I think we mentioned that the original physical prototypes, the
platinum iridium bar for the meter and cylinder for the kilogram,
(12:52):
stored safely in Sev near Paris.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Right, The historical artifacts. But those has been superseded now,
haven't they. They're not the official standard.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Anymore exactly, so that it's hugely significant. What's the importance
of France and the international community moving away from a
physical artifact standard to one based on universal physical constants?
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Okay, tell me more.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
This is a huge but often overlooked intellectual leap. It
was pioneered by the very spirit of the original metric system.
Those physical prototypes, however carefully kept, were still prone to
tiny changes, to decay, maybe even damage. They weren't truly
universal or eternal.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Right, they were just objects, just objects.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
So by twenty nineteen, the SI units were fundamentally redefined
using universal physical constants, things that are the same everywhere
in the universe always, So the kilogram is now defined
via the plant constant, the meter via the speed of
light in a vacuum. This move finally completes that original
revolutionary French vision, a system rooted not just in the Earth,
but in the immutable universal laws of physics itself. Wow,
(13:54):
it's an ultimate intellectual legacy of French rationality.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
When you say, that's incredible, truly universal. Okay, So moving
from that hard universal logic of measurement to the perhaps
more subjective, but equally profound intellectual depth of human expression.
Let's pivot, let's pitt to the world of words and thought.
Our next pillar reveals France's incredibly powerful intellectual heritage. It's
(14:18):
frankly unmatched dominance in literature.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
France really does sit atop the intellectual heap here historically,
and currently it holds the record by quite a margin
for producing more Nobel Prize winners for literature than any
other country, an astounding sixteen laureate since the prize was
first awarded back in nineteen oh one. And this isn't
just luck. It reflects a culture that actively prioritizes, discusses,
(14:42):
and even funds radical literary exploration.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Sixteen. That is a substantial lead, and the timeline shows
as continuous relevance, doesn't. It starts right at the beginning
with the very first laureate, Soliprudom in nineteen oh one.
He was known for his rather classical, off melancholic.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Poetry, quite traditional in form, which is.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
All the way to the most recent French winner, Annie
or No in twenty twenty two, celebrated for her incredibly
raw socially resonant and deeply introspective memoirs. That's a vast
spectrum of style and subject.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
And the variety is the key insight. I think French
literary soil has consistently produced thinkers who didn't just write well.
They challenged the very nature of narrative, of reality, of
the self, think of the philosophical weight of existentialism, articulated
so powerfully by Jean Paul Sarch who won, or rather
was awarded the prize in nineteen sixty four.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Right, we'll come back to that refusal.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Or the poetic surrealism and moral explorations of Andrejide back
in nineteen forty seven. He really pushed the boundaries of
personal morality and literature. Then you have someone like Patrick Modiano,
who won in twenty fourteen, known for his very unique,
almost haunting explorations of memory, identity and the shadows of
the occupation in post war France.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
This literary prowess, though, it isn't just about individual genius
popping up randomly, is it suggest it's deeply rooted in
the cultural soil that actively fostered major intellectual movements, things
like the Enlightenment, Romanticism, existentialism exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
These weren't just to abstract philosophical trends. They were lived, debated,
and driven by writers who challenged norms, experimented relentlessly with form,
and used literature to dissect society.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
And often these ideas weren't born in stuffy academic seminars,
but in a more dynamic setting. The famous French cafe.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Absolutely the cafe culture, especially in Paris, think of places
like Le de Magore or Cafet to Floor in such
from Mande Prey. They acted almost like decentralized universities. There
were places where writers, artists, philosophers could meet, argue, collaborate,
challenge each other. It created this intellectual pressure cooker, you know,
(16:46):
an environment essential for new, often revolutionary thought to bubble
up and take shape.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
That communal aspect seems vital. And what about the language itself.
French is often described, sometimes almost stereotypically, as the language
of diplomacy, of culture, of life. Does the actual structure
and maybe perceived elegance of the French language contribute to
its power as a medium for philosophical or literary expression.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I think it does. French is often valued, particularly by
its proponents, for its clarity, its precision. It's quite rigorous
grammatical structure. This lends itself beautifully. Some argue to constructing
complex philosophical arguments or drafting precise legal texts, and perhaps
that inherent demand for precision gives literary works a certain
(17:29):
gravitas when they tackle complex societal or psychological themes. There's
a tradition of analytical depth.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Okay, But speaking of gravitas and complexity, we have to
mention that famous anomaly. Jean Paul Sart, the quintessential mid
century French public intellectual. He famously refused the Nobel Prize
in nineteen sixty four. Indeed, what does that refusal tell
us about the sometimes unique relationship French intellectuals have with
official institutions and state validation. It seems counterintuitive to refuse
(17:58):
the biggest prize.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
There is a fascinating moment, isn't it. Sertra's refusal, his
stated reason was that a writer should not allow himself
to be transformed into an institution, really highlights a deep
seated tradition within French intellectual life, a tradition of radical independence,
sometimes outright anti establishmentarianism. It demonstrated, perhaps that for some
(18:20):
French thinkers, true artistic and intellectual integrity required rejecting even
the highest forms of global validation, the kind of purity
almost Perhaps this tension between institutional support on one hand
and fierce intellectual freedom, even rebellion, on the other, it's
really essential to understanding the dynamism of the French literary
(18:40):
landscape over centuries.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
And yet despite that rebellious streak, the institutional support is
massive and longstanding. We mentioned the Academy Frances earlier, found
it way back in sixteen thirty.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Five, ancient in institutional terms.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
It's not just some honorary society, is it. It's specifically
tasked with protecting and preserving the French language, constantly updating
the official dictionary. That kind of long term state back
commitment must nurture generations of writers.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
It certainly creates a framework, a sense of linguistic stability
and value. And maybe this very blend the institutional rigor
represented by the Academy and the radical descent embodied by
someone like Sartre is precisely what makes French literature so
consistently vibrant and often revolutionary.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And its reach is undeniable.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Undeniable French works are translated, studied, debated, imitated, and argued
with worldwide. They continue to shape literary traditions far far
beyond France's borders.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Okay, so let's move from the heights of philosophy and
poetry to something perhaps much more sensorial, something utterly fundamental
to the French national identity and arguably one of its
most successful global exports wine.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Yes, transition from the structure of language to you could
say the structure of the land itself.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
From literature to libations and the world of terroir and tradition.
Are absolutely clear on this. France is the world's leading
wine producer, not always in sheer volume, Italy sometimes produces more,
but crucially in terms of quality, global reputation, and importantly
setting the scandards that the rest of the world often follows.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
The production figures are still huge, though, around four point
five billion leaders in twenty twenty three, which is roughly
seventeen percent of global production. That's enormous, a massive amount
of wine. But as you said, it's about more than
just volume. It's the prestige regions like Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy,
the Rhone Valley. These names are practically synonyms for excellence globally.
(20:37):
Bordeaux alone, just as a specific example from the sources,
is home to over seven thousand wineries or chateau. That
scale is immense, yet the reputation somehow maintains its exclusivity.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
And that exclusivity, that reputation is incredibly hard earned. It
dates back millennia. Viticulture, the cultivation of grapevines, was introduced
to what is now France way back in the sixth
century BCE.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Wow that far back, yes.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
By Greek settlers around Marseille. Then the Romans spread it
further inland, and over the following centuries it was refined meticulously,
particularly by monastic orders in the Middle Ages. The monks
were incredible record keepers and experimenters. They perfected cultivation techniques
specific to their little patches of land. This deep, deep
history is literally integrated into the product itself. You taste
(21:20):
the centuries.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
And the true secret perhaps to the quality and the
distinctiveness of French wine. The word that France essentially gave
to the world of agriculture and food is.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Terwar ah terrowar.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Yes, it's often translated to simply as land or soil,
but it means so much more in the context of wine,
doesn't it.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Oh, infinitely more. Terra war is this magnificent, almost mystical
concept that fundamentally changed how the world understood wine and
eventually other agricultural products too, like keys or coffee. It's
the unique, inimitable combination of several critical factors in one
peecific place. You've got the geology, the specific soil type,
its mineral content, drainage and the climate, the macro and
(22:01):
microclimate rainfall patterns, sun exposure, altitude, and crucially, the human factor.
The inherited traditional methods, the savoir fare of cultivation, pruning, harvesting,
wine making, all unique to that locality, passed down through generations.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
So it's nature plus nurtures specific to.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
One spot exactly. It's what ensures proponents argue that a
bottle of Champagne tastes like champagne and not just like
any sparkling wine, because it is the unique expression of
that specific piece of earth and the traditions tied to it.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
And this insistence on authenticity, on linking a wine to
its specific origin isn't just a matter of romantic pride,
is it. It's backed by pretty strict legal controls, specifically
the Applacian Doorgian Control a or AOC regulations.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Yes, the AOC system is paramount.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
What specific protection did these regulations offer and how have
the influenced global trade and food law.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
The AOC system, which really got formalized in the nineteen thirties,
is incredibly important. It legally guarantees that if products will
whine primarily but also cheese, butter, even lentils from certain
areas is labeled as coming from a specific region, say
Chateaunuf Dupect or a particular Burgundy village, it absolutely must
adhere to highly specific rules. These govern everything which grape
(23:15):
varieties can be used, maximum yield limits per hector, minimum
alcohol levels, specific wine making techniques, so.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
It's a guarantee of origin and.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Method precisely, and for sparkling wine this is particularly vital.
The rigorous protection of the name Champagne ensures that only
sparkling wine produced within the strictly defined Champagne region using
the traditional message champanwaise can legally use that globally recognized
and valuable name.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
And this system became a template, didn't it.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
It absolutely became the template for geographical indication GI protection
systems worldwide US now for countless products to protect regional
identity and prevent imitation. It was a French legal innovation
with global consequences.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
That legal protection really speaks to the immense economic value
tied up in this cultural pillar. This isn't just about
what you drink with dinner. This is a massive commercial
enterprise for France.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Oh, it's a huge economic engine, no question. The French
wine industry supports well over half a million employees directly
and indirectly. It generates billions upon billions in export revenue annually.
The cultural integration is just as important though. Wine is
absolutely integral to French gastronomy, to social life, to identity.
It's not just seen as a beverage. It's part of
(24:29):
the fabric of daily life. It's a cultural celebration, whether
that's in the careful everyday pairing of specific wines at
specific dishes, or in big annual events like the Fete
de Vantage, the harvest festivals you see in wine regions,
even in places like Malmarch and Paris.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So France really established the gold standard for how a
single agricultural product could not only define a national identity,
but also set a global benchmark for quality, classification and
even legal protection.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
They really did. The concepts of terroir and appalation control
and even the great varieties themselves Chardonaum or Low, Cabernet, Sauvignon, Pinonoir.
These are French legacies adopted worldwide.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Okay, let's make one final pivot. Now we've discussed high
culture in museums, high science and measurement, profound intellectual depth
in literature, and the refined pleasures of gastronomy through wine.
Let's finish with France's foundational role in shaping modern visual storytelling.
It's pioneering status in the world of cinema.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Yes, cinema France isn't just you know, a major player
in the film world. It is widely and accurately regarded
as the actual birthplace of cinema as an art form,
as an industry, as a medium, an art form that
completely revolutionized global entertainment and narrative communication in the twentieth century.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
In the moment of birth. It's so precise, isn't it.
It's often pinpointed to December twenty eighth, eighteen ninety five.
That's the date the Lumier brothers, Auguste and Louis held
the very first paid public film screening in the basement
of the Grand Cafe Impair, and the short film they
showed workers leaving the limeear factory. It was literally just
about a minute long, mundane reality captured. Yet that single
(26:09):
event marked the dawn of this entire medium.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
It really did, And the initial impulse of the Lumier
brothers was fundamentally documentary, capturing reality, slices of life, actuality,
they called them. But the French genius almost immediately saw
potential beyond just recording. What was there enters yours media.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Uh Melius, Yeah, the magician.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Exactly, the magician turned filmmaker. In the very early twentieth century,
Melias saw the camera not just as a recorder, but
as a tool for illusion, for fantasy, for storytelling. His
incredibly famous film A Trip to the Moon from nineteen
oh two, it used groundbreaking special effects for the time,
dissolves miniatures, stop motion. He showed that cinema could create dreams,
(26:49):
not just document reality.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
So right from the start you have this fascinating dichotomy
in French film, Lumier's realism versus Melia's.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Fantasy attention that arguably continues throughout film.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
But perhaps the most significant global influence from French cinema
came quite a bit later, didn't it, with that radical
artistic upheaval the French New Wave, the Neuville Vague in
the nineteen fifties and sixties, or the New Wave?
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Absolutely transformative?
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Why did this movement pioneered by these young, often fiery
critics turned directors like jeanl le Goodar and front Slawt Truffau.
Why did it feel so revolutionary at the time and
why does it still echo today?
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Well, it was a conscious artistic and political rebellion. They
were rebelling against the established French film industry of the time,
which they dismissively called the tradition of quality. What was
that polished, expensive, often quite stuffy literary adaptations, very studio bound.
The New Wave directors, who started out as critics writing
(27:45):
for magazines like Kye d Cinema, believe cinema needed to
be personal, raw, immediate, spontaneous. They championed the autura theory,
the idea that the director is or should be the
true author of the film, expressing a personal vision.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Okay, so that was the philosophy, But how did that
translate into practical filmmaking techniques, the things that actually influence
filmmakers all over the world.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
They basically throughout the conventional filmmaking rule book. They used lightweight,
often handheld cameras, which gave their films this incredible energy
and sense of movement, almost like documentary. They frequently shot
on location in real streets and apartments, often using natural light,
which gave their films a gritty, modern realism. It felt authentic,
and the editing was different too, wasn't radically different. They
(28:31):
employed techniques like jump cuts, where you cut within a
single shot, creating a jarring leap in time, and non
linear narratives. These weren't just flashy tricks. They were used
as intellectual statements, reflecting perhaps the fragmented nature of modern
consciousness and challenging the audience to actively piece things together.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
So films like Godard's Breathless Abudusouf from nineteen sixty or
Trufos The Four Hundred Blows the Capslo Songkup from nineteen.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Fifty nine foundational absolute landmarks. They essentially taught filmmakers globally
that you didn't need huge budgets or massive studio infrastructure.
To make artistically brilliant, culturally resonant films, you needed a
camera and a vision.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And that core concept, the independent aultur filmmaker operating with
freedom outside the big commercial system. That's still kind of
the gold standard the aspiration for so many directors today,
isn't it?
Speaker 2 (29:21):
It absolutely is, and France, importantly, it continues to nurture
that kind of environment through really robust institutional support. It
didn't just invent cinema, it actively protects and promotes it.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Right Look at the con Film Festival, founded just after
the war in nineteen forty six. It's arguably the world's
most prestigious film event, isn't it. It prioritizes artistry often
over pure commercialism.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
It does. It provides this crucial global showcase for international
talent for challenging films, keeping the focus squarely on innovation
and darktorial vision. It sets a certain tone for world cinema.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
And domestically there's that government institution, the Center National dou
Cinema of the CNC, also established right after the war
nineteen forty six. Again, it plays a massive role in
preserving French cinema's identity.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Right absolutely vital.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
How does the CNC actually ensure that French cinema remains
this vibrant global creative hub, especially against the overwhelming tide
of Hollywood dominance.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
CNC is the infrastructural backbone. It's quite unique. It implements
mandatory levies taxes essentially on cinema tickets sold in France,
on TD channel, revenues on video sales, and crucially, this
revenue is then recycled directly back into funding new French
film production, distribution, script development and preserving film heritage.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
So the industry funds itself in a way pretty much.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
This system, often referred to under the umbrella of the
cultural exception, the idea that cultures shouldn't be treated just
like any other commodity, and trade agreements, allows French filmmakers
to secure funding. It enables them to produce over three
hundred films annually, many of which might never get made
in a purely market driven system. It protects artistic freedom
and ensures a steady of diverse, often non commercial storytelling
(31:02):
that continues to inspire filmmakers globally.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
So we've synthesized these five really immense pillars. The museum, Louver,
the measurement metric system, the literature, Nobel Dominance, the libations
Wine and Tear, War, and the Lumiere cinema. Taken together,
they really do illustrate a profound, incredibly multifaceted national identity
and its global reach.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
They absolutely do. And if we try to connect this
all back to see the bigger picture here, I think
the common thread running through all five is France's almost
unique masterclass in balancing deep rooted tradition with often quite
radical modernity and innovation. They rarely just discard the past. Instead,
they seem to use it as a solid foundation, a
launching pad for future leaps.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
You can really see it everywhere we looked, can't you. Yeah.
The Louver houses the ancient winged victory that embraces the
modern efficiency, the statement a piece's contemporary glass.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Pyramid exactly, or the wine industry. It venerates the ancient,
almost sacred concept of terroir and rigidly enforces the AOC rules.
Yet it simultaneously adapts to sophisticated modern global markets and
utilizes cutting edge viticultural science.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
And in the sphere of intellectual life too. They're meticulously
maintaining the purity of the language with the seventeenth century
Academy Frances while at the same time fostering writers like
Sartre or Ernot who are actively questioning and challenging all
forms of institutional power and societal norms.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
It's this dynamic tension, and it means these achievements, these
pillars are not merely historical footnotes collecting dust. They are
living legacies. They continue to actively influence the world's standards,
its art, its very way of thinking today.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Okay, this raises I think an important final provocative thought
for you, our listener, to consider as you wrap up
this deep dog with us. France pioneered both the ultimate
rational universal structure of the metric system aiming for objective
truth in measurement, and arguably the highest forms of subjective
individual artistic expression in literature and cinema.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Right, so consider this potential paradox. How might that profound
revolutionary commitment to logical universal standards, the demand for clarity,
precision and rationality in the world of science and measurement.
How might that have laid the necessary solid groundwork, the
kind of intellectual confidence maybe that allowed its creative fields
the freedom and the boldness to then revolutionize art, literature
(33:22):
and film. Did the structure enable the freedom?
Speaker 1 (33:25):
It's a fascinating question, maybe more personally, which of these
five achievements we discussed the cultural magnet of the Louver,
the visible structure of the metric system, the intellectual depth
shown by the nobel dominance, the global standard set by
French wine, or the very creation of cinema. Which one
do you think has had the most significant, yet perhaps
(33:46):
the least celebrated impact on your own daily life. Wherever
you are in the world, Think about the invisible systems,
the cultural assumptions that guide your world every day. Many
might have.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
French roots, something to ponder. Thank you for joining us
on the deep dive into France's enduring global influence.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
We'll see you next time.
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