ABSTRACT
Because of their promotional function corporate films could be considered a mediocre source of knowledge about economic and social realities. At the same time, their apparent distance from the noble world of cinema disqualifies them in terms of cultural history. Doubly marginalized, this type of film would appear seriously biased. Nonetheless, the quantity and diversity of business films illustrate the importance that companies placed on cinema. Films were used as a tool of industrial streamlining or training, as a means of internal or external communication and mobilization, as a medium of information or debate. The plurality of their usage and the variety of their intended audience reflect the fact that industrial cinema is more complex and interesting than initially thought. The study of the technical and economic conditions of their production shows that these films cannot be completely dissociated from cinema as a whole: The borders between genres are porous, and usages are multiple. These films deserve to be reevaluated.
