The French New Wave was a film movement in the late 1950s that sought to stylistically and narratively differentiate itself from mainstream film production. It originated from young film critics at Cahiers du Cinema who began making low-budget, personal films that broke conventions. Defining features included handheld camera work, long takes, on-location shooting, and an emphasis on the director's personal style over narrative. Key directors included Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Jacques Rivette, whose films explored themes of love, politics, and the individual's place in the world.

1. The Fr ench N W
ew ave
AM 75180-5
2012-13

2. Ai m of Today’s Lect ur e
s
• W i s a N W i n C nem
hat ew ave i a?
• W w e t he or i gi ns of t he Fr ench N
hat er ew
Wave?
• W w e t he i deol ogi cal pr i nci pl es
hat er
behi nd t he nouvel l e vague?
• W w e t he def i ni ng f eat ur es of
hat er
nouvel l e vague f i l m?

3. W i s a N W i n C nem
hat ew ave i a?
AN W i s a m
ew ave ovem i n ci nem w ch
ent a hi
seeks t o st yl i st i cal l y and nar r at i vel y
di f f er ent i at e i t sel f f r omt he dom nant
i
par adi gmof m nst r eamf i l mpr oduct i on.
ai
Usual l y, t he peopl e dr i vi ng t he m ovement
ar e young and ar e dr i ven by an
i deol ogi cal /pol i t i cal i m at i ve.
per

4. O i gi ns of t he Fr ench nouvel l e
r
vague
• D t o t he N
ue azi occupat i on of Fr ance, Am i can
er
ci nem had been banned dur i ng W l d W I I .
a or ar
Af t er t he w , r est r i ct i ons w e l i f t ed and
ar er
H l yw
ol ood pr oduct f l ooded t he Fr ench m ket .
ar
• Fear i ng t hat t her e w l i t t l e exhi bi t i on space
as
f or al t er nat i ves t o H l yw
ol ood, Andr e Bazi n
est abl i shed a num of ci necl ubs i n w ch he
ber hi
w d scr een non-H l yw
oul ol ood, non-com er ci al
m
f i l m O her l i ke-m nded peopl e began t o do t he
s. t i
sam and an under gr ound m
e, ovem w bor n.
ent as
• The scr eeni ngs w e or gani sed and at t ended by
er
peopl e l i ke Jean-Luc Godar d and Fr ancoi s
Tr uf f aut w w d go on t o be l eadi ng f i gur es
ho oul
ew ave ovem .
i n t he Fr ench N W m ent

5. C er s du C ném
ahi i a
I n Apr i l 1951, t he f i r st i ssue of C er s du C ném
ahi i a
(N es on C nem w publ i shed. C C w headed by
ot i a) as D as
Bazi n, Jacques D onoi l -Val cr oze and Joseph M i e Lo-
ar
D uca.
The m agazi ne ai m t o r est or e Fr ench ci nem t o
ed a
pr om nence, as w l as t o di scuss al l f i l mw t h t he
i el i
sam ki nd of i nt el l ect ual cont ext w ch ot her ar t
e hi
f or m w e t r eat ed w t h.
s er i
C C w d onl y w i t e about new f i l m and f avour ed
D oul r s,
l ooki ng at i ndependent f i l m over st udi o
s
pr oduct i ons.
Fr omi t s i ncept i on, f ut ur e and cur r ent f i l m aker s
m
w e heavi l y i nvol ved i n t he m
er agazi ne. Er i c R er
ohm
ser ves as C C i ni t i al edi t or , and Tr uf f aut , G
D ’s odar d
and Jacques R vet t e w e am
i er ongst t hose w w ot e
ho r
f or i t .

7. The D r ect or ’s C nem
i i a
Andr e Bazi n f i r m y bel i eved i n eval uat i ng
l
a f i l mt hr ough t he pr i smof t he di r ect or .
As such, C C const ant l y i nt er vi ew
D ed
f i l m aker s, and est abl i shed a canon of
m
di r ect or s w t hey bel i eved t o be above
ho
t he cor por at e m achi nat i ons of st udi o
f i l m aki ng. These nam i ncl uded Jean
m es
R enoi r (Fr ance), Kenj i M zoguchi (Japan)
i
and Al f r ed H t chcock (Am i ca).
i er

8. Al exandr e Ast r uc - C er a st yl o
am
(1948)
• ‘The ci nem i s qui t e si m y becom ng a m
a pl i eans of
expr essi on, j ust as al l t he ar t s have been bef or e
i t , and i n par t i cul ar pai nt i ng and t he novel .’
• ‘Af t er havi ng been a successf ul f ai r gr ound
at t r act i on, an am usem anal ogous t o boul evar d
ent
t heat r e, or a m eans of pr eser vi ng t he i m ages of an
er a, i t i s gr adual l y becom ng a l anguage.’
i
• ‘By l anguage I m a f or mi n w ch and by w ch an
ean hi hi
ar t i st can expr ess hi s t hought s, how ever abst r act
t hey m be, or t r ansl at e hi s obsessi ons exact l y as
ay
he does i n a cont em ar y essay or novel .’
por
• ‘That i s w I w d l i ke t o cal l t hi s new age of
hy oul
ci nem t he age of caméra-st yl o.’
a

9. The Aut eur Theor y
Ast r uc’s w i t i ng w pi cked up on by Fr ancoi s Tr uf f aut , w i n
r as ho
a 1954 ar t i cl e at t acked t he per cept i on of Fr ench st udi o
ci nem as bei ng a ‘qual i t y’ ci nem Tr uf f aut bel i eved t hat t oo
a a.
m of a pr em umhad pr evi ousl y been pl aced on t he
uch i
scr eenw i t er , r at her t han t he f i l m aker . H pr oposed l a
r m e
pol i t i que des Aut eur s, w ch val ued a di r ect or ’s per sonal
hi
st yl i st i c and nar r at i ve cont r i but i ons t o a f i l mover al l
el se. Fi l m aker s w achi eved t hi s w e aut eur s, and t hose
m ho er
w adher ed t o gener i c convent i ons w e l abel l ed as m t eur
ho er et
un scene – l i t er al l y, a st age set t er .
Thi s w a hugel y i nf l uent i al m of t hought , and m ot her
as ode any
C C w i t er s f ol l ow Tr uf f aut ’s l ead i n l ooki ng at ci nem
D r ed a
f r omt hi s per spect i ve. Bazi n, on t he ot her hand, sur pr i si ngl y
at t acked Tr uf f aut f or i gnor i ng t he hi st or i cal , soci al and
i ndust r i al f act or s i nvol ved i n f i l mpr oduct i on and f or
si m i st i cal l y assum ng t hat a di r ect or al one w
pl i as
r esponsi bl e f or a f i l m .

10. Tr uf f aut on C nem
i a
• "For som cr i t i cs, t her e ar e good and bad
e
f i l m w eas m i dea w t hat t her e ar e no
s, her y as
good or bad f i l m but good or bad
s,
di r ect or s. A bad di r ect or m gi ve t he
ay
i m essi on of bei ng good f or havi ng had t he
pr
l uck of count i ng on a good scr i pt , or
t al ent ed act or s… how ever , t hi s ‘good’ f i l m
w d have no val ue f or t he cr i t i c, f or i t
oul
i s t he r esul t of chance, som hi ng et
or i gi nat ed by ci r cum ances. O t he ot her
st n
hand, a good f i l m aker can m a ‘bad’ f i l m
m ake
due t o adver se ci r cum ances, and
st
never t hel ess t hi s f i l mw d be m e
oul or
i nt er est i ng t o t he cr i t i c’s eye t han a
‘good’ f i l mm by a bad di r ect or .
ade
Fur t her m e, i n a si m l ar w – and si nce
or i ay
t he concept of success or f ai l ur e has no
i m t ance w soever – w
por hat hat m t er s i n a
at
good f i l m aker ’s car eer i s t hat i t r ef l ect s
m
hi s t hought , f r omt he begi nni ng of hi s
car eer t o hi s m ur i t y. Each one of hi s
at
f i l m m ks a st age of hi s t hought s, and i t
s ar
does not m t er at al l i f t he f i l mi s a
at
success or a f ai l ur e.”

11. The Aut eur Theor y and The
nouvel l e vague
W Tr uf f aut t ur ned t o f i l m aki ng, he nat ur al l y t r i ed
hen m
t o m hi s f i l m as per sonal /aut er i st as possi bl e.
ake s
O her cont em ar i es f ol l ow sui t , and t hi s l oose
t por ed
m ovem becom w
ent e hat i s now know as t he nouvel l e vague.
n
These f i l m w e shot by gr oups of f r i ends on a l ow
s er -
budget usi ng new y avai l abl e, cheaper cam as.
l er
Tr uf f aut def i ned t he m ber s as shar i ng not hi ng i n
em
com on but t hei r r ej ect i on of t he excess of m nst r eam
m ai
ci nem a.

12. Key D r ect or s
i
Fr ancoi s Tr uf f aut C aude C
l habr ol Jean-Luc Godar d
Jacques R vet t e
i Er i c R er
ohm

13. St yl i st i c Tendenci es
A gener al di sr egar d f or m (but not al l )
any
of t he pr i nci pl es of cont i nui t y edi t i ng.
The f i l m f eat ur ed t echni ques such as:
s
• Jum cut s r at her t han eyel i ne m ches
p at
• Br eaki ng t he 180 degr ee r ul e
• A heavy r el i ance on l i ght er , handhel d
cam as r at her t han st aged, st at i c shot s
er
• Ext r em y l ong t akes, as opposed t o t he
el
qui ck cut s of C assi cal H l yw
l ol ood
• Fi l m on l ocat i on r at her t han st udi o.
ed

14. St yl i st i c Tendenci es
Al l of t hi s am ount s t o a f i l mst yl e w ch
hi
does not at t em t o conceal t hat t he
pt
vi ew i s w chi ng a f i l m I n f act , i t
er at .
of t en seeks t o act i vel y r em nd t hemof
i
t hi s f act .
N r at i ve i s subser vi ent t o per sonal
ar
st yl e r at her t han vi ce ver sa.

15. w .cr
ht t p://w w i t i cal com ons.or g/M ber s/
m em
ogaycken/cl i ps/br eat hl ess-j ump-
cut s.m p4/vi ew
w .yout ube.com at ch?v=D BJW
ht t p://w w /w Xbm n
V0w &nor edi r ect =1

16. N r at i ve
ar
• M e per sonal , aut obi ogr aphi cal pl ot s. For
or
exam e, Tr uf f aut ’s The 400 Bl ow (Les Q r e C s
pl s uat ent
C oups, 1959) w m l y based on hi s ear l y chi l dhood. As
as ost
such, nar r at i ve t hem t ended t o be br oad –
es
l ove, desi r e, f r i endshi p, quest i oni ng of one’s pl ace i n t he
w l d – r at her t han gener i c.
or
• A concer n w t h t he si t uat i on of t he com on m – bor n out
i m an
of t he l ef t -w ng pol i t i cs of m of t he f i l m aker s.
i ost m
• Som i m over t l y pol i t i cal – G
et es odar d’s The Li t t l e Sol di er
(Le Pet i t Sol dad, 1961) w banned i n Fr ance f or t w year s
as o
because of i t s at t i t ude t o t he Al ger i an r esi st ance
m ovem .ent
• U esol ved endi ngs – of t en no nar r at i ve cl osur e, or
nr
r esol ut i on t o t he ‘pr obl em – i f t her e even i s one at al l .
’
• Som i m t her e w d be no scr i pt , onl y a l oose set of
et es oul
i deas, and cer t ai nl y w i t t en di al ogue w not adher ed as
r as
st r i ct l y as m nst r eamf i l mpr oduct i ons.
ai

17. w .yout ube.com at ch?v=XnyR G
• ht t p://w w /w KR
H ZE
w

18. W w t he nouvel l e vague
hy as
i m t ant ?
por
• Pr esent ed a cl ear al t er nat i ve t o
H l yw
ol ood, est abl i shi ng t hat not al l f i l ms
needed t o be m i n a uni f or mf ashi on.
ade
• I nf l uenced ot her N Wew aves
(Japanese, C zech, Thai , Br i t i sh) and
cont i nues t o be a r ef er ence poi nt f or l ef t
w ng and ar t ci nem t oday.
i a
• H a t heor et i cal under pi nni ng w ch
ad hi
r em ns i nf l uent i al i n Fi l mSt udi es t o
ai
t hi s day – aut eur t heor y, i nt el l ect ual
di scussi on of f i l mas a l egi t i m e ar t
at
f or m .