History and Development of French New Wave

          French New Wave or La Nouvelle Vague refers to a group of young French filmmakers who were low budget in making films and went against the prevailing trends in 1950s cinema of literary adaptations, costume dramas and massive co-productions. (Hayward, 2006, p.165) It was one of the most significant film movements in the history of cinema.

          The import of American films had been banned during the occupation by Nazis. After the ban was lifted by the 1946 Blum-Byrnes agreement, cinephiles had the opportunity to watch those previously unreleased movies at the Cinematheque Francaise, a film archive and public theatre in Paris. (Hitchman, 2008)

          In the mid-1950s, a group of young filmmakers, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette, Eric Rohmer, Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut wrote critiques for the Paris film journal, Cahiers du Cinéma which was founded by Andre Bazin and Jacques Donial Valcroze. They often tore apart those films they hated in print but praised the films they loved too. This is such because these young filmmakers were incapable to get into the French commercial cinema despite the fact that they love film and wished to be filmmakers. Through the process of judging the art of cinema, they began to think about what it was that might make the medium special. Most importantly, they were gradually inspired to begin making films themselves.

          During late 1950s and early 1960s, the New Wave revived France’s already prominent cinema and energized the international art cinema as well as film criticism and theory. They reminded many contemporary observers of Italian Neorealism’s impact right after World War II. Thus, the New Wave vividly changed filmmaking inside and outside France by encouraging themes, new styles and modes production all over the world. (Neupert, 2007) Those filmmakers wanted to break up the filmic experience in order to make it fresh and exciting. They wish their films could make the moviegoers think and feel not only about what they were watching, but also their own thoughts, emotions and lives as well. By doing this, the object of the films was not simply just to entertain, it was earnestly to communicate. Moreover, the movies of French New Wave have became known for certain stylistic innovation such as jump cuts, rapid editing, natural lighting, improvised dialogue and plotting, direct sound recording, long takes, shooting outdoors and on location and so on. 

          The difference between French New Wave film style and American Hollywood cinema are astounding. The French New Wave style of filmmaking reached its height during the late 1950’s. It was a revolution in cinema that attempt to redefine conventions and standards of Classical Hollywood cinema. French New Wave allowed audiences to connect with characters and situations and it provides a more realistic style of filming.

          During the period 1959-60, sixty-seven filmmakers made their first feature film, only 55 per cent came from backgrounds not directly from the field of film-making, and the remaining 45 per cent was made up of short-film directors like Alain Resnais or Agnes Varda and film assistants. Most of the New Wave directors spent a great deal of time in their early years writing or thinking about it. Some were film critics; some were simply lovers of film. Their cinematic sensibilities are sharpened through long hours spent in the various Parisian cinematheques and film clubs. Everything from movies by realist Italian directors like Roberto Rosselini to hard-boiled noir and B movies from America, as well as early silent classics and even the latest technicolour Hollywood musicals had deeply influenced the filmmakers. (Hitchman, 2008)

          New Wave film-makers were largely non-politicized. If their films had any political aura it came down to the fact that some film-makers carried on the 1930s tradition of criticizing the bourgeoisie. Nowadays, the filmmakers place their narratives in contemporary discourses by viewing the bourgeoisie from the youth point of view. The other reason why the New Wave might have been perceived as political, is that there were in fact two New Waves.

          The first occurred in the period 1958-62, the other during 1966-68. The first New Wave was anarchic, but only in relation to what preceded it: the cinema de papa. The first New Wave was not politically engaged but it was motivated by a desire to present the point of view of the individual in society. Moreover, the themes it treated filtered into mainstream cinema as early as the mid-1960s.

          In the late 1960s, by the time of the second New Wave, this cinema became more politicized, questioning institutions and their power effects over individuals-questions which filtered into the more evidently political cinema of the 1970s. By the time of this second New Wave, the contemporary discourses of the earlier New Wave had generally become more politicized and there was no positive reflection of the dominant ideology.

          Undeniably, the whole new generations of filmmakers in France were inspired to follow their example after the New Wave became a success. The directors in France breaking with the traditional modes of production and setting an example which others would follow. In 1959, there were over 20 directors releasing their first films and this number doubled in the following year. A special edition of Cahiers du Cinema was released in which 162 new French filmmakers were listed in 1962. The films of directors such as Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean Rouch, Louis Malle and Alexandre Astruc were creative and innovative despite their films are greatly different in both content and style.

          Later, the Nouvelle Vague was a major inspiration on the New Hollywood generation of directors such as Arthur Penn, Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese who began to create their own paths in the late 1960’s and 70’s.

References

Hayward, S. (2006). Cinema studies: The key concepts. USA: Routledge.

Hitchman,S. (2008). A history of french new wave cinema. Retrieved April 3, 2013, from http://www.newwavefilm.com/about/history-of-french-new-wave.shtml

Hitchman,S. (2008). French new wave: where to start. Retrieved April 3, 2013, from http://www.newwavefilm.com/new-wave-cinema-guide/nouvelle-vague-where-to-start.shtml

Neupert, R. (2007). A history of the french new wave cinema. Retrieved April 1,2013, from

http://books.google.com.my/books?hl=en&lr=&id=OIp7bDHNDs8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=history+of+french+new+wave&ots=LECrQabzQn&sig=pyrzqR-rg5054C9Wy5DdTkIP8bs#v=onepage&q=history%20of%20french%20new%20wave&f=true

Characteristics & Aesthetic features

         French New Wave filmmakers were inspired by Italian Neo-realism. The hallmark of French New Wave was its independent and limited filming budget. The constricted resources available to directors were a direct result of the economic climate of post-war France. In response to a lack of funding, directors turned to alternative means of production. French New Wave film intends to show the darker and less-flattering sides of society and humanity. Normally, heroes and villains could hardly be seen in those films as the characters are depicted as neither good nor bad.

          There are 2 common themes of French New Wave films, which is anti-authoritarian and feminine orientated. Anti-authoritarian refers to the young people who rebel against the tradition. They also tend to engage with immoral acts such as going against their parents, break the rules, stealing, robbing, and killing and so on. On the other hand, most of the female characters in French New Wave films are feminine. The female characters not only have the significantly stronger and more powerful compared to the women who are in conventional Hollywood films, but they also having the capability to control and perform decision making process.

          The filmmaker of French New Wave film tends to alter the audiences’ ability to perceive and react to the film. Therefore, French New Wave films reject traditional film rules and went against the conventional Hollywood filmmaking style by not following the fixed narrative structure. The plots in these films tended to be loose-structured and open-ended storyline. The actors were encouraged to improvise their lines, or talk over each other’s lines as would happens in our real life. Monologues were also used as voice-overs to express a character’s inner feelings. As there is no prior planning, the actors are allowed to speak spontaneously. This leads to lengthy scenes of inconsequential dialogue like the one in the Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard in opposition to the staged speeches of much traditional film acting. For example, Michel driving on the street at the beginning of film; Michel seducing his girlfriend to have sex with him in Patricia’s hotel room.

          Unlike most of the classical Hollywood films, French New Wave films tend to break away from the rules of continuity editing and using free editing style. The editing often drew attention to itself by being discontinuous. Self-reflectivity constantly reminds the audience that they were watching a film, unlike the escapist nature of Hollywood films. Therefore, the filmmakers always use jump cut or abrupt cut in editing. Godard, in particular, favored the heavy use of jump cut, where two shots of the same subject are cut together with a noticeable jump on the screen. In Godard's first featured film, Breathless, jump cuts are used during a lengthy conversation in a room and in a scene of a car driving around Paris. For example, Michel kills the cops in the beginning of film while he on the way to Paris; Lengthy conversation between Michel and Patricia in a room; Patricia and Michel have different background and culture, therefore they isolated each other; Michel is a criminal, while Patricia is an American.

          Long takes were commonly used in French New Wave film. In the film, filmmaker tends to use typical long tracking shots. It can be referred to as a shot which do not have a cut editing in between a long period. For example, in the film Breathless, Patricia tells Michel about her feeling in the photography studio. She was also having monologue while walking around the pillar repeatedly.

          These filmmakers used to work on real location shooting rather than in the studio. It would be more casual and natural looking compared to films shot in the studio. The available light was always preferred compared to studio-style lighting. For example, in the film Breathless, Patricia sits against a window in her apartment & lights a cigarette. Unlike studio film making which remixes the sound, the direct and available sound such as improvised musical scene was preferred over extensive studio dubbing. For example, in the film Breathless, a passing siren outside Patricia’s apartment nearly covered her conversation with Michel during the long central scene; The scene of Michel and Patricia meeting on champs-Elysee (street of Paris); Michel driving the car and being chased by police on the highway.

          While watching French New Wave films, we can discover some of the scenes that look shaky and unstable. It is because the filmmakers tend to use lightweight handheld cameras that quicken the way a film could be shot; it also allowed them to shoot on location easily and create many long tracking shots to promote spontaneity and fluidity of the actors on set. Furthermore, handheld camera is able to provide more freedom and realistic feeling. For example in the film Breathless, the director used the camera to follow the characters while walking along the streets, into cafes and bars, or looking over their shoulders to catch their point of view; When Michel walking along a complex path in travel agency’s office, the cinematographer is actually sitting on the wheelchair and holding camera to capture the scene.

          The protagonist in French New Wave films were always marginalized, young anti-heroes, and alienated loners, they live with no family ties, behave spontaneously, and often act immorally. They were frequently seen as anti-authoritarian because of their disobeying of rules, and not goal-oriented thus acting in a very immoral way. For example, the protagonist in Breathless, Michel was a car thief who steals car in Marseille and killed a cop on the way to Paris, who also steal money from his girlfriend. It had shown Michel’s attitude toward life as aimless.

          Nevertheless, the directors whose films show a consistency in style and theme are called auteurs. Basically, these filmmakers were favoring the use of mise-en-scene to produce film that appeals to them. Jean-Luc Godard’s films always express his political view as well as a heavy use of self-reflective elements. These are his signature style and his personal preference.

Breathless (A bout de souffle) --- Jean-Luc Godard 1960

Theatrical released poster of Breathless,
retrieved from: http://www.newwavefilm.com/french-new-wave-encyclopedia/breathless.shtml

          When we use the term evergreen, it is normally used for a song that have passed through the test of time, but little did we know that Godard’s Breathless, after 50 years since the release of the film, is perhaps the one most celebrated film of all time and is still certified as fresh amongst all the other French New Wave films of that era. It has won the evergreen title. This is a game changing film cleverly re-wrote and directed by Jean-Luc Godard himself. The script was initially outlined by Francois Truffaut after he was inspired by a true story that went on tabloid France in 1952. Despite the fact that this was his first feature-length work and one of the earliest, it ended up being the most influential of the French New Wave of all time, even until today. This film basically sums up his quote which says “To make a film all you need is a girl and a gun”. This is a tale of a young man (Jean-Paul Belmondo) who models himself after Humphrey Bogard on the run at Paris after killing a motorcycle policeman who stopped him over a stolen car and later meets the stunning Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg), a 20-year old New Yorker who sells the International Herald Tribune along the boulevards of Paris. Their relationship develops as the film goes, reaching some described as a tragic ending when Patricia finally gave him in to the police though she agreed to hide him while he tries to trace a former associate who owes him money so he can make a run for Italy supposedly with her.

          It was certainly his approach to this film that made him known as one of the most radical filmmaker. The fact that he was inexperienced and had little knowledge of the technical aspects of filmmaking proved little importance to the overall film. What he had at that time was the long term accumulation of such broad knowledge in high and low culture, his philosophical explorations, and his years as a critic that impacted on his debut feature film. The original ideas and the fearlessness led him to apply these into his film and as a result, a pure breed of art form arises as well as a cinematic revolution. There are several references Godard made in his film. For instant the greatest male star in the history Humphrey Bogard which was portrayed by Jean-Paul Belmondo with his cigarette; as well as Picasso and Renoir’s paintings. These are the subtle elements that he injected into this film and it blended together with such perfection.

Portrayal of Jean-Paul Belmondo as the famous Humphrey Bogard,

retrieved from: http://greginhollywood.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/large_Breathless-400x224.jpg & http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/29500000/Bogie-humphrey-bogart-29562968-510-768.jpg

          We see the usual characteristics of film from this particular movement (French New Wave) itself and this film is no exception. One of the most prominent styles that one can see from this film is the deliberate use of jump cuts. Instead of cutting out the whole scene purely because he needs to conform to the producer’s (Georges de Beauregard) request of a ninety-minute film instead of the original two-and-a-half hours long, he made cuts in the scene and even the shots itself. This was one of the breakthroughs in filmmaking at that point of time as this was an unaccepted editing style in professional filmmaking. Editing had to be as seamless as possible. Godard also cut between shots from intentionally disorienting angles that broke all the traditional rules of the 180 degree imaginary axis and also continuity. One of the best examples is the shot of him while driving the car, numerous jump cut were used. This gave heighten and fast paced effect for more suspense.

Video retrieved from youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ov4mQJIHhc

          Then there is the use of location shoot and handheld camera technique that suited Godard who wanted this film to be as much as possible, like a documentary. Raoul Coutard was the person behind the camera. He was originally a documentary cameraman for the French army’s information service in Indochina during the war. With Coutard’s style it fulfilled Godard’s preference of minimal lighting; lowlight filmstock for nigh time and at the same time maximum amount of freedom and flexibility during the shoot without fiddling with tripods, lighting and whatnots to save time. The reason behind this was to make the whole film newsreel-like and more realistic compared to the traditional film technique. Some of the tracking shots were shot using a wheelchair. These were also Godard’s personal requirement for the film to be shot as easy as possible so that he can improvise whenever and wherever he wanted. He didn’t even care if the public were looking straight into the camera and that adds to the fun part of watching the film as it depicts the society of France at that particular era and this was one of the advantage of location shoot. An example in the film would be when Belmondo decided to go find Jean Seberg where she is selling the Herald Tribune. The tracking shot were basically shot from low angle and it was tilted while the tracking isn’t entirely smooth itself. The public were also looking into the camera wondering what they were doing. 

Video retrieved from youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuCEBtCNFEM

          Improvising dialogue is also one of the elements that Godard practices heavily in this film. He often provides the skeleton or outline of the plot for the actor and actress’ reference while allowing them to improvise the dialogue and completely allow freedom to flow in between. This element can be seen in the film especially when the pair of lover is conversing to each other. We couldn’t really grasp their emotion let alone the real meaning of what they are trying to communicate with the audience. Godard would sometimes write the dialogue day by day as the production went along and sometimes when there is a lacking of inspiration; Godard would cancel the day’s filming altogether. This made the film really unique in a sense that for Godard, the act of filming itself was as much a part of its meaning as its content and style. That way the film became more personal and captivating to the eyes of the audience.

          Finally what was really important was to look at this film at a deeper level, a self-reflective level. Breathless is essentially a film for character study as it portrays our everyday life and it deals with people and the situation they often find themselves in. We might not like the character in this film either Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) or Patricia (Jean-Seberg) but fundamentally all human lives in such situation. Both of these characters are trapped in their world but also trying to escape at the same time. Michel is wanted by the police and he’s running away from it as well as Patricia who is running away from the harsh reality of life. We are always escaping from problems once in a while to find something that we can relate ourselves to which is totally different. Godard was able to weave this masterpiece together so skilfully by using the characters and their pain and happiness. This is truly a timepiece of film that fits so well into the French New Wave movement and the portrayal of society and its problems all at that same time.

The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) --- François Truffaut 1959

Theatrical released poster of The 400 Blows.

Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_400_Blows

          François Truffaut’s debut feature, Les quatre cents coups or The 400 Blows was one of the representative works of French Cinema. The 400 Blows means “to raise hell” in French words. The story recounts the young Parisian boy, Antoine Doinel, who constantly misbehaves at school and at home, struggles for the indifference of his family and the authoritarian nature of his teacher. He is then sent to a reform centre after he was caught in the act of stealing the typewriter at his father’s company. He is able to run away to the ocean one day which he longs for but he realizes that he has no way to escape anymore. The camera zooms in on his face, showing the freeze-frame of Antoine. And that’s the end of the film. This final shot is quite shocking for the audience because the ending of story is so abrupt as it only shows Antoine face frozen in front of the camera. It is quite unique; especially when it is placed at the end of the film, which makes the audience confused.

The tracking shot where Antoine is running towards the ocean. 

Retrieved from http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/2009/the-400-blows-les-quatre-cents-coups-1959/548/

Long takes

         The tracking shot of Antoine running away from the reform centre at the end of the film is intended to convey that he is bursting into freedom, letting down by his parent and society but at the same time, he loses his way because he is approaching the seashore but nowhere else to go. He has mentioned in the earlier part of the film that he has never seen an ocean before, and we thought that is the reason why the last scene is at the ocean. This is the place where Antoine longs for and it somehow simplifies the freedom of him to escape from the predicament that he have. The camera pans from left to right, revealing the seashore bit by bit, and it finally cut to the wide shot of the sea. Antoine turns to stare at the camera and the camera freeze on his face, with the puzzled look. It may signify he has no idea about how his life is going to be. The final part is immense with emotions where Antoine is all alone. This is the scene where the director uses the long takes to shoot the landscape of the seashore also.

The freeze frame on Antoine at the last part of the scene. 

Retrieved from http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20483133_20609624_21181694,00.html

Jump cuts

          Jump cut is one of the important elements in new wave films, as well as in The 400 Blows. It can be used as a reminder that they are watching the films, and also to suggest the less important part of the film. We can find the most significant use of jump cuts in this film from the scene where the psychologist is asking Antoine questions. Antoine answers a series of questions but we never see the psychologist. By doing this way, audience’s attention is only on the Antoine’s answer but not the psychologist. Another scene where Antoine’s father, Julien Doinel (Albert Rémy) is talking to the Chief police officer about how he can settle Antoine, it cuts to the shot of another police officer who is questioning Antoine about the event of the stealing. The jump cut is odd as it does not link in between. It then cuts to his father whom left the police station and the shot is cut back to the situation where the police officer is typing the report.

Antoine is answering the psychologist’s questions. 

Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406800340.html

Self-reflectivity

          Self-reflectivity is another element that is used in The 400 Blows. It is sort of like reminding us that we are watching the film. The camera movement in the film brings the audience back to the reality. We can see during the scene where the teacher leads the school boys to run across the city’s streets, camera is shot from bird-eyes view, and it constantly make us feel that we are sitting in the helicopter while watching the school boys running away from the jogging session. Another example will be the scene where Antoine is talking to the psychologist in the reform school. The psychologist is never shown on screen, with only the voice over of her and as if Antoine is talking to the camera. It makes us think that Antoine is talking to us, the audience, explaining his life and the reason of his current situation.

Antoine writes on the wall about his teacher. 

Retrieved from http://www.frontroomcinema.com/weekend-roundup-home-marathon-2-barneys-version-review/

Anti-authoritarian character

          We found the element of anti-authoritarian in the film. This can be seen when Antoine and his pal, René (Patrick Auffay), who sneak out from school to watch films, seeking for entertainment, smoking and stealing. All these are the immoral actions that a normal student will not do. René is refuting his teacher when Antoine gets caught in the issue of plagiarising in writing an essay and is being sent to consult the principal. He is not afraid of the authority of the teacher and his action is to protect his best friends. Another scene that shows anti-authoritarian is during the interview session between Antoine and the psychologist. The psychologist questions him whether he had sex before and Antoine answers directly that he had the thought before but did not attempt. Antoine writes on the wall about his teacher after he gets caught in holding the pinup model’s picture. He is challenging the teacher’s authority.


Improvised plot/dialogue

          During the interview session with the psychologist, Antoine didn’t have a script. (Truffaut, 1984) After the director asks the questions, he was given the freedom to answer as he likes, as long as it matches the storyline. This shows that the dialogues are not scripted and he spoke spontaneously.

The Paris city’s view. 

Retrieved from http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2009/03/opening_shots_the_400_blows.html

Location shooting

          For the filming on location, The 400 Blows is filmed mostly based in various locations in Paris city, in the city’s streets, inside the apartment, in the school, and at the seashore. It uses the direct sound where we can see from the scenes where school boys are talking to one another in the classroom and Antoine walking down the stairs to throw rubbish. By picking up the direct sound, it makes the film looks more natural and creates realism.


Handheld camera

          The 400 Blows uses handheld camera movement in many scenes, especially in the beginning of the film, where credits are shown, and also the classroom scenes. It usually takes longer time and the camera movement is a bit shaky. It makes the classroom real and natural by filming at the school boys and the desk and chairs. It somehow makes a relationship between the school boys and the teacher, and among the school boys themselves.

          The 400 Blows, a semi- autobiographical film, reflects the director’s difficult personal life through the main character, Antoine Doinel. Truffaut uses the character to express his feeling when he was as young as the age of the main character. He tends to use the character to exhibit the rebellious stage of an adolescent. He uses his daily problems as the ideas for writing the script, and mostly based on his own memories. The film uses Antoine’s point of view to narrate his family and school life.

Conclusion

          French New Wave is by far one of the most influential movements in film history. The influence is massive consider the amount of contemporary film directors who also adopt these styles and ways of making a film because it has depth to it compared to the blooming popcorn flick and entertainment films from the Hollywood. Quentin Tarantino, Wong Kar Wai are some of the huge examples of the contemporary filmmaker who still practices this approach in writing their script and they have a very unique way of directing. This is a very powerful style that needs to be documented and practiced for our future generations in filmmaking and thus it is very important for these elements to be immortalized and preserved in films to come.