A wide- ranging study was conducted over several years of the portrayal of drinking in the French cinema from 1930 to the present day. It is intended to show the way in which the cinema projects road accidents connected with overindulgence in alcohol, while emphasising the involvement of young people. It was observed that in a number of films a drunk driver takes the wheel without causing an accident. It is assumed, and this is applicable to adults as well as young people, that when alcohol- related accidents occur, they tend not to be shown on the screen when a habit- forming process is involved. On the contrary, they tend to be shown, often spectacularly, when drinking is associated with compensation, in which psychological factors play a leading role. The first drinking pattern, already underestimated in everyday life, still appears underrepresented, particularly in relation to the second pattern of drinking. This is an important point with regard to the impression made on the audience by the film.
Samenvatting