Bibliography

Coates, K. (2010, May 28). [The Classroom] French New Wave: The Influencing of the Influencers . Retrieved April 2, 2013, from The Film Stage:http://thefilmstage.com/features/the-classroom-french-new-wave-the-influencing-of-the-influencers/

Hayward, S. (2006). Cinema Studies: The Key Concept. New York: Routledge.

Hitchman, S. (2008). A History of French New Wave Cinema. Retrieved April 2, 2013, from New Wave Film.Com: http://thefilmstage.com/features/the-classroom-french-new-wave-the-influencing-of-the-influencers/

Miller, J. (2010). The French New Wave and the New Hollywood. Le Samourai and its American legacy, 109 - 120.

Phillips, C. (2005). French New Wave. Retrieved April 2, 2013, from GreenCine: http://www.greencine.com/static/primers/fnwave1.jsp

Characteristics and Film Example of French New Wave (Breathless)

In French New Wave, the directors reject montage aesthetics and favoring mise-en-scene and cinematography. These directors have the ideology of films should not just be intellectual or rational experiences but also should include emotional and psychological experiences. In other words, it means films should be more naturally and reality based with minimal design set and impromptu acting and dialogue. From here, director’s personal authorship has been developed. The ideology of personal authorship refers to “Policy of Authors” or Auteur Theory which states that film should be a medium of personal artistic expression which bears the filmmaker’s signature personality and themes.

Economically, French New Wave films are rather of low budget and independently done. Aesthetically, French New Wave rejects traditional ways of presenting the films. They use the term “self-reflexivity” or “meta-cinema” to describe their aesthetics of films. They want audiences to think about what the film is doing rather that just sit down and watch as films presented in Hollywood Cinema which serve as escapism from reality. This can be done by inserting aesthetic values such as jump cuts (sudden editing cuts which take place out of sequence or during an unexpected moment. Fast editing styles achieved and disturb narrative continuity), location shooting, direct sound (sound recorded at the scene, which are not common at that time) and available lighting, handheld camera movements, long takes, improvised plot and dialogue. These aesthetics are used to serve the purpose of self-reflexivity or to suggest the neutrality and reality of the films. 

In French New Wave, the characters are often marginalized, young anti-heroes and loners, with no family ties, who behave spontaneous, often act immorally and are frequently seen as anti-authoritarian. For example, Michael Poiccard in Breathless (1960). Women were given strong parts that didn’t conform to archetypal roles seen in Hollywood. For instance, Patricia Franchini in Breathless (1960). Also, there is a general cynicism concerning politics, often expressed as disillusionment with foreign policy in Algeria or Indo-China which both were France’s colonials at that time.

In story, plot and acting, directors often encourage the actors to improvise dialogue by themselves, even there is repetition of words or silence, it show naturality of life on the film. During this improvisation, to achieve a natural sense, actors were also encouraged to talk over each other. The narrative or story in new wave cinema was typically ends ambiguously. Their story lines are always open ended and not tidily wrapped up at the climax.

Michel Poiccard, an irresponsible sociopath and small-time thief, steals a car and 

impulsively murders the motorcycle policeman who pursues him and he is wanted by the authorities.  

Patricia Franchini, a hip American girl studying journalism at the Sorbonne

Patricia was portrayed as a strong woman who did not necessary follow the norms for women character in films. She had decision making power and she made her own choices. She made her own decision to study abroad and he choose who she want to be with (to have sex with). This can be referred to feminist theory in film which focuses on the development of women roles in films and how are they being portrayed in films. 

Jump cuts inside the car scene during the conversation of Michel and Patricia.

In the hotel scene, that was the most distinctive improvised dialogue presented in the film. the scene actually took up to 10 mins, just focusing on the conversation of the characters. it was presented in that way to show the naturality and reality of normal conversations. In this scene, long takes were used most of the time also to suggest the reality of the scene and the conversations.

The final scene was a typical French street and shot with limited props. Jump cuts, typical long tracking shots were incorporated to portray the reality, the imperfection, the messiness and the unpredictable of life.  

The existential themes of Breathless are presented in a style that facilitates their revelation. The Various shot lengths, multiple jump cuts and ambiguous plot progression characteristic of French New Wave emphasize the chaos and imperfections in life that are often ignored by Classical Hollywood.

A version of reality in Breathless that is unfamiliar and startling to people because of its honest, unapologetic depiction of life without much temporal manipulations.

In the end, we are somewhat encouraged to accept that most events that occur do not have straight forward explanations and people often do not have perfect understandings of themselves of each other.

History and developments of French New Wave

The French New Wave, or “Nouvelle Vague”, was an essentially pan-continental cinema. It was influenced by both by American gangster films and French noirs, and in turn was one of the principal influences on the New Hollywood, or Hollywood Renaissance, the uniquely creative period of American filmmaking running approximately from 1967 until 1980. (Miller, 2010) The French New Wave was leaded by an influential group of critics (Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette, Eric Rohmer, Francois Truffaut) who wrote for Cahiers du Cinema, a French film journal. The filmmakers loosely grouped into this so-called ‘jeune cinema’ were in their early thirties. During the period of 1959 – 1960, the sixty-seven filmmakers were making their first feature film, only 55 per cent came from backgrounds not directly attached to filmmaking, and the remaining 45 per cent was made up of short film directors (like Alain Resnais or Agnes Varda) and film assistants. (Hayward, 2006) Cahiers du Cinema was a motion against the traditional French cinema, which was more literature than cinema. It also gave birth to such ideas as “la politique des auteur”, jump cuts and the unimportance of linear structure, if only to name a few. Mostly important, the French New Wave brought out a radical sense of change in cinema what would disseminate throughout the world.

            The Nouvelle Vague term was originally created by Francoise Giroud in the late 1950s hence the term became correlative with the current trends in cinema very quickly. The current trends meant that producers in the late 1950s wanted film made by both on screen and behind the camera. This requirement helped to advance a new wave of filmmakers on to the screen. However, the older guard of filmmakers who had held the bridles from 1930s – 1950s that created a gap for a new wave of filmmakers who in turn became correlative in the minds of people with the Nouvelle Vague.

            In 1958, Le Beau Serge (1958) by Chabrol and Les 400 Coups (1959) by Truffaut were listed as the pioneer of the New Wave, then succeed by A bout de soufflé (1959) by Godard and Hiroshima mon Amour (1959) by Resnais. On the other hand, Cahiers du Cinema was influenced on the theoretical writing of filmmaking process which proposed the primacy of the auteur and mise-en-scene. Low-budget, non-studio films were being made during that time. In fact La Pointe (1954) by Agnes Varda is frequently quoted as the pioneer of this movement. Varda’s intentionally confusing editing style is one of the important features of her cinematic style which influenced by Resnais’s filmmaking practices.

            In fact the French New Wave filmmakers were largely non-politicized because they have placed their narratives in contemporary discourses which are viewing the bourgeoisie from the point of view of youth.

            The French New Wave started embarking and developing its journey in 1958. It held its active period until 1964. In the late 1950s, New Wave directors found golden opportunities and met fortunate coincidences to produce their films. After World War II, French’s economy was devastated and it experienced high inflation (Casella, 1991). Filmmaking by that time had always been a costly business and without the backing of a major studio, the filmmaking probably would be bid farewell.

            Although the economy of French was not in a good shape that time, with the financial support and subsidies given from Gaullist government to its people after the war, the filmmaking industry was slowly improving. In 1958, a further act of "Constitution of the Fifth Republic" has been introduced, resulted more financial support to be available for the first time filmmakers than ever before. French’s economy was growing healthily since after the introduction of that constitution. Private financial investment became more readily available and new directors were welcome to be supported by the distributors.

            With the introduction of new technology of filmmaking in late 1950’s, the filmmaking equipment was becoming cheaper and more affordable to the new directors. Therefore, this advanced technology boosted and provided a comfortable path for New Wave directors to develop their journey. New, lightweight, hand-held cameras, developed by Éclair Company were used in documentaries. Faster film stocks, which required less lighting, and light-weight sound and lighting equipment were introduced that time. These advanced equipment improved the filmmakers’ flexibility to make a film. They could make their films at their favorite locations rather than in the studio. With the good portability of the advanced equipment, it encouraged experimentation and improvisation and gave the directors more artistic freedom over their work.

Portable camera eases the production of film making

French New wave widens the choice of shooting place for filmmakers

            All in all, the French New Wave is one of the most significant film movements in the history of the cinema. It dramatically changed the filmmaking inside and outside of France by encouraging new styles, themes, and modes of production throughout the world. With no doubt, the inaugural French New Wave and advanced filmmaking technology in that era, have inspired and given rise to the new movements in films such as British New Wave, New German Cinema and Iranian New Wave.