La Nouvelle Vague
By Quiarna Brewster
During this presentation I will
be looking at the rise of the French New Wave (La Nouvelle Vague) , and how it
substantially changed film today. I shall be analysing the impact it made on
the film industry. I shall focus on the works of Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc
Godard as, personally, I believe their work to be the most iconic of the French
New Wave and created most impact. The films I have studied and will talk about
in this presentation are Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows” (1959), Godard’s “Contempt”
(1963) and “Breathless” (1960).
The French new wave is an example of European art cinema. It is a
rejection of the classical-style of film making, which was favoured by studios
up to the time. It came about in the early 1950’s when a group of young, French
intellectuals met to argue about film. These men were Jean-Luc Godard, Claude
Chabrol, Francois Truffaut and Jacques Rivette. They met to argue about film
and critique some of the most prominent directors at the times work such as,
John Ford, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. Although they admired the work of
these directors, they felt that American cinema lacked a personal connection
with the audience and that there was an absence of feeling. This led them to
agree that directors should have a personal connection to their films and that
films should contain ideologies of the director (alike the belief of Andre
Bazin; the Auteur theory). This is a conviction that the best films are of
personal artistic expression and should bear a stamp of personal authorship.
The president of France during
1958 to 1969 was Charles De Gaulle. Due to the end of the 2nd World War Parisian cinemas had
an influx of foreign films, particularly American ones. Previously banned films
such as “Zero de conduite‘” by Jean Vigo (1933) and “La Regle du jeu” by Jean Renoir (1939) were then
released. Films such as these inspired French filmmakers and showed them that
French cinema could be just as captivating and iconic as the American.
Cinema was very important in
culture-starved post war France, and most of the New Wave directors were still
thinking about this so their films were influenced by this. The directors
created a new cinematic style, using breakthrough techniques and a fresh, young
approach to story telling. These expressed complex ideas whilst still being
emotionally engaging and direct.
They also proved that they didn't
need expensive mainstream studios to produce successful films. By doing this,
La Nouvelle Vague set an example that inspired other filmmakers across the
world.
La Nouvelle Vague: Conventions
•The breaking of the 4th wall
•Jump cuts
•Extremely long shots
•Cutting shots showing journeys of from
one destination to another
•The use of hand held cameras
•Cheap/no expensive equipment or editing
•Colour overlays
•Alternative framing
•Making mistakes
•Being self aware (self reference)
•Visual hidden messages
•Director uses a small crew
•Excessive use of diegetic sound
•Additional lighting was barely used
•Low budget
•A greater sense of flexibility and
creativity
•Erasing the boundaries between
professional and amateur cinema
•Reportage (hidden camera)
•Syncopated editing
•Discontinuity of shot (a disregard of
continuity editing)
•Flash pans
•Interior monologues
•And last but NOT least: BREAKING THE
RULES and creating new ones!!!!!!
Jean-Luc Godard – “Contempt” (1963)
•Extremely real and personal
•Pushing the boundaries
•Colour overlay
•Colour changes (Red/White/Blue)
shows the French flag – patriotic and makes a statement of “this is French
cinema!”.
Jean-Luc Godard – “Breathless” (1960)
•Autobiographical and is
considered a "psychologically acute
portrait of the artist as a young man“
•Almost no additional lighting
•Real locations with no extras,
just the natural public
•Extremely cheap to make
•Jump cuts were utilised to reduce irrelevant parts of the narrative and
to shorten the film (they agreed that it should not follow the usual formulaic
structure of film as the audience did not need to see every part of the
characters lives)
•This technique also distorted the
viewers perception of time.
Francois Truffaut– “The 400 Blows” (1959)
•Filmed in a natural location
(general public no extras) – people looking at the camera
•Verisimilitude – looks true and
real
•Spinning scene – Camera man was
on the ride
•Real reactions to ride, not
acting
•Probably shot in one take – no
script
•The film is considered of
historical importance due to its instant critical and commercial success.
Impact on Modern Cinema
Conventions of the French New
Wave are incorporated in many directors work today. It completely
revolutionised the film industry and has inspired modern directors such as
Quentin Tarantino in “Pulp Fiction” (1994). An example of a New Wave convention
he frequently uses is jump cuts.
Directors such as Wes Anderson
conform to the idea that films should bear a stamp of personal authorship. An
key example of this is the consistent visuals he uses in his films. Whilst
utilising conventions such as jump cuts, hand held cameras and long shots, he
personalises his work by keeping a line of symmetry in his shots. His colour
scheme is always vibrant and loud e.g:
Due
to the accessibility of technology in modern society, it has become easier to
create this style of film, as “cheaper is better”. The use of phones to record
video is “breaking the rules” and, because of La Nouvelle Vague, it is easier
to create a more personal style of film making for very little money.
Independent filmmakers today use many of the New Wave techniques and the
outcomes are triumphant.
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