The French New Wave is about Breaking the Rules - Essay Example

? The French New Wave Is about Breaking the Rules The French New Wave is a term used to express displeasure with the French film makers of the 1950s and 1960s. This movement was never organized formally. According to Bazin (1985, 248-259), this group of film makers deliberately rejected the traditional classical cinematic form. They were a group of young people who were greatly influenced by Italian and American style of filmmaking (Bazin, 1985, 248-259). It became a bright example of European art cinema. New wave production tended to be a shift from the conservative style. The new wave was heavily associated with the political upheavals of the time. They were known to make radical changes with editing, narrative part and visual style. They were using portable instruments. This meant that they needed very little or no time to set up. Their films resembled documentaries in style. Filming skills and techniques involved discontinuous and fragmented editing. The socio-economic effects of the Second World War influenced the formation of this movement (Bazin, 1985, 248-259). France was politically and financially drained; therefore, the country tended to go back to the old pre-war traditions (Klin, 1992, 8). One of those old traditions was going back to the classical French film which was narrative cinema. In this style, the audience was subjected to a forceful plot-line. Some referred to it as a dictatorial plot-line. According to Klin, the new wave was against the quality of cinema in France. French classical cinema was considered to be of high –minded type and which was unmoved by critics (1992, 8). The French new wave was popular between 1959 and 1964. The new wave directors had to study the work done by western classics. The emerging group then applied a new avant garde stylistic direction. This ended up being a low budget approach. One of its advantages was that it helped the filmmakers get at the necessary art form. They were able to develop what they considered a more authentic and honest production (Bazin, 1985, 248-259). Howard Hawks and Charlie Chaplin among many other great film makers were held in high regard and considered as forward-thinking film makers. There was a craving among the younger generation to have another kind of entertainment. They knew that the process of executing change was not going to be easy. This is because they had to challenge the status quo (Bazin, 1985, 248-259). Generally speaking, some traditions had to be broken. Many of French new wave films were shot using a director’s friends as crew and cast. They were also shot in friends’ apartments. This is because they were under tight budgets. Tracking shots were improvised from shopping carts. Many other types of equipment have to be improvised (Klin, 1992, 8). Trying to make the movies stylish was a challenge. This is because the cost of production was a major concern. For instance, Jean-Luc production ‘breathness’ had to be cut short by one and half hours. This is because it was too long. Several scenes had to be removed, and jump cuts had to be made. The desire to make the film stylish brought a new look into the movie industry. The dialogue was improvised and shots could go beyond 180° axis. Besides, rapid changes were made in scenes. This was a break from the past. The expectations of the cinema were fully met. Long narratives and illusions were being replaced by bold techniques (Bazin, 1985, 248-259). This caused Jean-Luc to be accused of being contemptuous of his audience. This was a desperate and relentless struggle to break from the mainstream cinema. It was about breaking the set cinema rules (Klin, 1992, 8). The challenging awareness that was demonstrated back then can be seen today. That was remarkable. The practice of a character stepping out of their place or role to address the audience is now a common thing. This was innovated back then. The French new wave also wanted to attach the naivety in the cinema industry back then. Classic French cinemas kept to the idea of strong narratives and what many considered as deterministic and oppressive decoration of plot. The new wave filmmakers did not want to suspend their viewers or audience (Douchet, 1999, 273-325). They keep on explaining to people and reminding them that cinema was about images. They took steps to reminding the audience that a film is just about manipulating images. According to Douchet, the final result was a set of scenes which were disjointed (1999, 273-325). Actors could change the characters from one scene to the next. One of the biggest challenges remained to be the availability of funds and the value of production. This was because of the post-World War II troubles (Neupar, 2010, 139-45). The film makers did all they had to push their artistic visions into theatres. All the French new wave experts and workers have a common desire to challenge our thoughts and vision of the movement. This daring group wants to push the beyond the known boundaries of film makers. This too is breaking rules. They want to demonstrate that we can achieve always out do ourselves to come up with a better production. Neupar explains that the new wave was perceived as a breath of fresh air (2010, 139-45). They represented a generational change over, but that was not the main reason. Its young actors represented a new kind of freedom. They could pick up girls, strut, and do many other things which represented a film maker’s ego (Douchet, 1999, 273-325). The young women who in most cases were students bust beyond the horizons. They were no longer living at home. The New Wave cinemas portrayed a modernity which was artistic and they cast of moral restraint. For example, part of the French cultural heritage was the freedom of done expressed by the New wave (Neupert, 2007, 24-34). It can be traced back to Marivaux and de Laclos. This was rarely remarked upon. Most of these ideas were staged by the male authors. The new wave film makers had affirmed themselves on the scene of culture at the beginning of 1960. However, the young French women were continually becoming stronger and more confident. This New wave group was caught up in these contradictions, between assertive girl child and a male dominated culture (Neupert, 2007, 24-34). Critics never took this into account due to the fact that almost all young males created an asymmetry which was elusive to scholars. The new wave effort has lead to the field of cinema gaining authentic autonomy (Truffau, 2000, p. 58-63). It set of actions and operation exerted enough pressure on the French classical production resulting in change in cinema scene. The results of this change are visible to date. The groups broke rules that challenged its effectiveness (Vincendeau, 2010, p. 135-8). According to Vincendeau, the field of cinema in the world was ushered into a new state altogether (2010, 135-8). It has a more profound and greater autonomy. Now, unlike any other time it is its own legislator. The political, professional, economic and ideological grip has been greatly weakened. These are some of the rules that have been broken. The actions of New wave directors in many dimensions are considered revolutionary. Some of the radical changes were brought in filming, technical and thematic dimensions. The greater effect of new wave filming is a force that underscores the making and structure of cinematographic space. The aim is to make this field fully autonomous so that it can give cinema greater legitimacy. The new wave represented a change/break in the film making practice in 1960s. It introduced new ways of making films outside the mainstream industry and making use of lighter technologies more relevant (Bazin, 1985, 248-259). Through this, a new set of younger directors was introduced. New and the younger generation stars, producers, composers and cinematographers appeared as well. Now that the new wave is in its 50s, it might be a good time to reflect and access its achievements. They may review some excesses and extremes. Half a century later, it’s in order to say the New Wave was about breaking the oppressive rules so as to giving greater autonomy to the film industry (Neupar, 2010, 139-45). The impact resulted in a cultural change too. The new wave immediately instigated a lot o f enthusiasm and overwhelming press reaction. The cinema spent long period after war in the doldrums. When De Gaulle came to power his government announced that it did not wish to send good screen subsides after the same old bad ideas. This gave impetus to the new wave. At the helm, or the leadership was a young generation (Neupar, 2010, 142-45). The news about the impressive gains by the new generation of new wave French started to spread like bush fire in the mainstream press in America. The young scholar, Noel Burch had a scathing overview contribution to the cannines Film Festival winners for Film Quarterly. This did not stop the mainstream media from adding their voice towards the success in the filming industry (Bazin, 1985, 100-259). The new wave films seemed to be capturing a lot of attention around the world. By the end of 1959, when the first French films arrived in the United States of America, the time magazine featured a detailed story about the success of the film industry that was coming up in France (Douchet, 1999, 273-325). The story was called ‘Les Vagueistes’. The Newsweek followed later while the New Yorker regularly reviewed these films and even went ahead to feature interviews with some of the big stars in the industry (Bazin, 1985, 248-459). These included the film director and actors. America developed interest in the French new wave almost immediately. The New York Times also got into the story immediately and reported that the new wave was getting tremendous coverage in France. This means that the American press wanted to identify with the success and the impact of the new wave in France (Bazin, 1985, 248-259). There were several characteristics of the New wave films that make it different from the traditional films (Bazin, 1985, 248-259). These differences do range from techniques, type of characters used, editing style and the use of new technologies. One of the most influential films of the French new wave era was ‘Breathless’ directed by Jean-Luc Godard in 1960. The others were ‘The 400 Blows’ by Francois Truffaut in 1959, ‘The Samurai’ by Jean-Pierre Melville in 1967 and My Life to Live by Jean-LucGodard. One of the aspects about these films was that anti-authoritative characters were always shown (Truffau, 2000, 58-63). These are the characters who do not obey rules in the film. Instead, they behave in a spontaneous manner. They were also immoral characters in their daily lives in the film. These characters had no family ties and were not goal oriented. For instance, in ‘Breathless’ by Jean-Luc Godard in 1960, we see Michel stealing a car in Marseille. He then steals his girl friend’s money and kills a policeman on his way to Paris. In this film, he portrays carefree attitude towards life, with aimless living. He is always seen to be drifting, and all he can do is to seduce his American girlfriend, Patricia. The other aspect about these new wave films was the long take (Bazin, 1985, 248-259). This refers to a shot that lacks a cut editing in between for a long period of time. In the film ‘The 400 Blows’ by Francois Truffaut in 1959, we see a character Antoine. He is a protagonist who escapes from school and runs all the way until he reaches the sea shore. For a whole two minutes, we see nothing but Antoine running towards the sea. This was not common in the traditional classic films. The other aspect worth noting about these films is using the jump cuts. According to Bazin, the new wave in France came up with films that use quick cuts and abrupt cuts (1985, 248-259). These violate the principal of continuity in editing. In ‘Breathless’ directed by Godard uses jump cuts to show the characters intensity and stress on the sense of isolation. We see Michel and Patricia coming from very different backgrounds and cultures. This caused them to be isolated. While Michel is a criminal, Patricia is an American student. The jump cut technique emphasized they remained isolated even when they were in each other’s company. We also get to see on-location shots that use the available light and direct sound. In the film, ‘The 400 Blows’ the opening scene showed a travelling shot down a Parisian street. In the French new wave films, dialogues are spontaneous. According to Truffau, this simply means there is no prior planning before shooting (2000, 58-63). It’s based on the natural performance of the actors during shooting, which was a revolutionary approach to acting and directing. In conclusion, it is fair to say that the French new wave was about breaking rules. It was about using the youthful vigor and creativity to come up with a new form of art. The idea was to make more real films, as opposed to the old French classics, which were essentially narrative. This revolution was carried out by the youths. They used simple means, since they had to operate on low budgets. The shooting was done in a very simple way, but the message was strong. The conservative culture of the French was challenged. This was done through some of the themes that were contained in some films. Girls were portrayed as those who were able to make their own decisions. In extreme cases, immorality was shown to be a personal issue. The films seemed to prepare people for a liberal society. In the long run, the new wave received massive recognition in America and other countries. Looking back, it becomes quite obvious that the French new wave film makers have brought a revolution into the world of art and filming. References Bazin, A, 1985. On the politique des auteurs. pp. 248-259 London: Routledge. Douchet, J, 1999. French new wave. pp. 273-325 D.A.P. in association with Editions Hazan/Cinematheque Francaise. Klin, T, 1992. Intertexuality in new wave French cinema. p. 8 Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press. Neupar, R, 2010. ‘The New Wave’s American Reception’, JOURNAL THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CINEMA & MEDIA STUDIES, 139-45. Neupert, R, 2007. A history of the French new wave cinema. Wisconsin Studies in Film. (2nd ed.) pp. 24-34 Univ of Wisconsin Press. Neupert, R, 2002. A history of the French new wave cinema, 125. Truffau, F, 2000. The Film studies reader. In A certain tendency of the French cinema. (pp. 58-63). London. Vincendeau, G. 2010. CINEMA JOURNAL THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CINEMA & MEDIA STUDIES, 135-8. Read More