Dr Michael Temple
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Overview
Overview
Biography
Michael Temple is Reader in Film and Media, School of Arts, Birkbeck, University of London, where he teaches courses on Film History, Film Theory, Documentary Film, French Cinema, and Film Curating.
He is also Director of Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image and the Essay Film Festival. BIMI, a research institute housed in Birkbeck Cinema, curates around 60-70 public screenings and discussion events per year, bringing together artists, academics, and activists from a diverse range of disciplines and practices. The Essay Film Festival is an internationally recognised, research-led festival, devoted to exploring and exhibiting both contemporary and archival essayistic works in film and related media, from around the globe.
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Research
Research
Research interests
- Film History
- Audiovisual histories of cinema
- Film curating
- History of film criticism
- Essay film
- Documentary
- French Cinema
Research overview
My research interests are principally in the history of cinema and film curating.
Film history: I have mainly worked on French cinema, but I have also done research on “audiovisual film history”, documentary cinema, and the essay film, thus developing my profile towards transnational and intermedial research in film and television.
Film curating: a significant practical aspect of my research has involved film programming, including film festivals, as well as organising and promoting research-led film events at various cultural institutions in UK and internationally. This practical dimension of my research has developed specifically in the context of my role as Director of Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image and the Essay Film Festival.
Current projects: two book projects, one on the Essay Film, the other on Jean-Luc Godard.
Curatorial projects include continuing with EFF, and archiving (and presenting more effectively) some of the work done at BIMI and the festival since 2014-15.
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Supervision and teaching
Supervision and teaching
Supervision
I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students who are interested in undertaking research in any of my areas of research interest.
Current doctoral researchers
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RICARDO DOMIZIO
Doctoral alumni since 2013-14
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RICHARD EVANS
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DARIO LOLLI
Teaching
Teaching modules
- Shaping Contemporary Film Culture A: The Essay Film and the Archive (ARMC197H7)
- Working with the Film Camera (ARMC240S4)
- Film Theory: Key Concepts and Contexts (ARMC250S5)
- Approaches to Cinema History (FFME020S5)
- Documentary (FFME063S5)
- French Cinema: History, Practice, Analysis (LNLN027S5)
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Publications
Publications
Article
- Temple, Michael (2011) 'Cet incomparable Wilde': étude de trois scénarios de Marcel L'Herbier pour l'adaptation du 'Portrait de Dorian Gray'. 1895 : bulletin de l'Association française de recherche sur l'histoire du cinéma 64, pp. 103-120. ISSN 0769-0959.
- Temple, Michael (2011) “Cet incomparable Wilde”: étude des scénarios de Marcel L’Herbier pour l’adaptation du Portrait de Dorian Gray. 1895 revue d’histoire du cinéma 64, pp. 102-119.
- Temple, Michael (2011) Pour qu’il n’en ressortît jamais ? trois vies de Jean-Luc Godard. 1895 revue d’histoire du cinéma 64, pp. 183-194.
- Temple, Michael (1999) The nutty professor: teaching film with Jean-Luc Godard. Screen 40 (3), pp. 323-330. ISSN 0036-9543.
- Temple, Michael (1998) Dreaming of Vigo: the myth of the cinéaste maudit. Sight & Sound 8 (11), pp. 14-16. ISSN 0037-4806.
- Temple, Michael (1998) It will be worth it: Jean-Luc Godard's histoire(s) du cinéma. Sight & Sound 8 (1), pp. 20-23. ISSN 0037-4806.
Book
- Temple, Michael and Witt, M., eds. (2018) The French Cinema Book, revised and expanded second edition. The British Film Institute/Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781844574650.
- Temple, Michael and Smolens, K., eds. (2014) Decades never start on time: A Richard Roud anthology. London, UK: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781844576258.
- Brenez, N. and Faroult, D. and Temple, Michael and Williams, J. and Witt, M., eds. (2006) Jean-Luc Godard: documents. Paris, France: Éditions du Centre Pompidou. ISBN 9782844262998.
- Temple, Michael (2005) Jean Vigo. French Film Directors Series. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719056338.
- Temple, Michael and Williams, J.S. and Witt, M., eds. (2004) For ever Godard. London, UK: Black Dog Publishing. ISBN 9781904772828.
- Temple, Michael and Witt, M., eds. (2004) The French cinema book. London, UK: British Film Institute. ISBN 9781844570126.
- Temple, Michael and Williams, J.S., eds. (2000) The cinema alone: essays on the work of Jean-Luc Godard 1985-2000. Film Culture in Transition series. 11, Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 9789053564554.
- Temple, Michael, ed. (1998) Meetings with Mallarmé in contemporary French culture. Exeter, UK: University of Exeter Press. ISBN 9780859895620.
- Temple, Michael (1995) The name of the poet: onomastics and anonymity in the works of Stéphane Mallarmé. Exeter, UK: University of Exeter Press. ISBN 9780859894319.
Book Section
- Temple, Michael (2013) Prolégomènes à une histoire de la critique au Royaume-Uni. In: Chénetier-Alev, M. and Vignaux, V. (eds.) Le texte critique: expérimenter le théâtre et le cinéma aux XXe-XXIe siècles. Iconotextes. Tours, France: Université Francois Rabelais. ISBN 9782869063013.
- Temple, Michael (2011) Histoire-fiction de l’occupation nazie du Royaume-Uni dans It Happened Here. In: Lescot, D. and Veray, L. (eds.) Les mises en scène de la guerre au XXè siècle: Théâtre et cinéma. Paris, France: Editions Nouveau Monde. ISBN 9782847365764.
- Temple, Michael (2011) Film begets television : l'histoire audiovisuelle du cinéma. In: Bertin-Maghit, J.P. (ed.) Lorsque Clio S'empare Du Documentaire: Ecriture de l'histoire. Les Médias en actes. Paris, France: Editions Harmattan. pp. 75-84. ISBN 9782296550148.
- Temple, Michael (2011) Project the legend: la représentation du producteur comme personnage dans l’histoire du cinéma. In: Creton, L. and Dehée, Y. and Layerle, S. and Moine, C. (eds.) Les producteurs: Enjeux créatifs, enjeux financiers. Paris, France: Nouveau monde. pp. 27-41. ISBN 9782847366075.
- Temple, Michael (2011) Project the legend: la représentation du producteur comme personnage dans l’histoire du cinéma. In: Creton, L. and Dehée, Y. and Layerle, S. and Monk, C. (eds.) Les Producteurs, enjeux créatifs, enjeux financiers. Paris, France: Éditions Nouveau Monde. pp. 27-41. ISBN 9782847366075.
- Temple, Michael (2010) Preface. In: Roud, R. (ed.) Godard. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. vii-xxi. ISBN 9781844573554.
- Temple, Michael (2007) An accurate description of what has never occurred: les projets d'adaptation du Portrait de Dorian Gray d'Oscar Wilde. In: Véray, L. (ed.) L’Art du cinéma. Association Française de Recherche sur l’Histoire du Cinéma. pp. 136-152. ISBN 9782913758735.
- Temple, Michael (2006) Interlocutions. In: Brenez, N. and Faroult, D. and Temple, Michael and Williams, J. and Witt, M. (eds.) Jean-Luc Godard: documents. Paris, France: Éditions du Centre Pompidou. pp. 324-330. ISBN 9782844262998.
- Temple, Michael (2006) Présentation de Moi Je. In: Brenez, N. and Faroult, D. and Temple, Michael and Williams, J. and Witt, M. (eds.) Jean-Luc Godard: documents. Paris, France: Éditions du Centre Pompidou. pp. 189-245. ISBN 9782844262998.
- Temple, Michael and Witt, M. (2004) 1890-1930: hello cinema!. In: Temple, Michael and Witt, M. (eds.) The French Cinema Book. London, UK: British Film Institute. pp. 9-17. ISBN 9781844570126.
- Temple, Michael and Witt, M. (2004) 1930-1960: classicism and conflict. In: Temple, Michael and Witt, M. (eds.) The French Cinema Book. London, UK: British Film Institute. pp. 93-102. ISBN 9781844570126.
- Temple, Michael and Witt, M. (2004) 1960-2004: a new world. In: Temple, Michael and Witt, M. (eds.) The French Cinema Book. London, UK: British Film Institute. pp. 183-193. ISBN 9781844570126.
- Temple, Michael and Witt, M. (2004) Introduction: rethinking French cinema. In: Temple, Michael and Witt, M. (eds.) The French Cinema Book. London, UK: British Film Institute. pp. 1-4. ISBN 9781844570126.
- Temple, Michael (2000) Big rhythm and the power of metamorphosis: some models and precursors for histoire(s) du cinéma. In: Temple, Michael and Williams, J.S. (eds.) The cinema alone: essays on the work of Jean-Luc Godard 1985-2000. Film Culture in Transition series. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam University Press. pp. 77-95. ISBN 9789053564554.
- Temple, Michael and Williams, J.S. (2000) Introduction to the mysteries of cinema 1985-2000. In: Temple, Michael and Williams, J.S. (eds.) The cinema alone: essays on the work of Jean-Luc Godard 1985-2000. Film Culture in Transition series. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam University Press. pp. 9-32. ISBN 9789053564554.
- Temple, Michael (1999) Mallarmé, par Jacques Derrida. In: Wolfreys, J. and Brannigan, J. and Robbins, R. (eds.) The French Connections of Jacques Derrida. Albany, New York, USA: SUNY Press. pp. 1-21. ISBN 9780791441329.
- Temple, Michael (1998) M’introduire dans ton histoire. In: Temple, Michael (ed.) Meetings with Mallarmé in contemporary French culture. Exeter, UK: University of Exeter Press. pp. 1-23. ISBN 9780859895620.
Exhibition
- Temple, Michael The Essay Film Festival, 2015-.