History And Development of French New Wave

The born of the French New Wave (Nouvelle Vague) is started with a group of young directors brought out a new cinema movement which was influenced by the Italian Neorealist. French New Wave is the most fascinating out of all films I would say. This is because of its exuberance, daring, and avant-garde techniques. The development of this new movement cinema is also a revolution and different from the Classical Hollywood film. The New Wave have affectedly changed filmmaking the entire France by inspiring new styles, themes, and modes of production throughout the world after World War II (Richard, N., 2009)

A History of the French New Wave Cinema offers a fresh look at the social, economic, and aesthetic mechanisms that shaped French film in the 1950s, as well as detailed studies of the most important new wave movies of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

In the 1940s

In the 1940s, Paris can be said as a dark city due to the World War II. In that time, “Blackout” has imposed by the occupying Germans. “Blackout” means the lights has to be turned off, petrol quota is imposed (to kept cars off the road) and the implementation of curfews to the citizens to keep the people out of the road in the night time; In the day time, regulations, censorships and propagandas. All these had made the occupation an unbearable situation.

In that time, Paris can be said as a place with no entertainment. The only getaway would probably be the cinema. However, the choices of movie are limited to German productions, comedies and melodramatic propaganda movies. All American films are forbid to be played and the people only have the access of about 200 movies which is produced in 1940 to 1944.

In 1944

In 1944, the year of liberation, cinema becomes even more popular in France. French films such as Marcel Carne’s Les Enfants du paradise (1945) and Rene Clement’s La Bataille du Rail (1946) were a great success due to the liberation from German Occupation by the Allied forces. France after war has also created a stage for the Italian and British imports. American films that banned by Nazi were ready to discover and catch up after the 1946 Blum-Byrnes agreement.

In 1950s

The French New Wave comes in later, about the 1950s. The rise of French New Wave can be studied from the earlier 1940 to 1944 during World War II. The term of French New Wave and the characteristic was associated with the youth and became the current trend in cinema. This is also contributed by the appeal of youthful actor Gerard Philipe and Roger Vadim’s success  has created a consent of the producers to the audience and public that the late 1950s wanted work made by the “young ones”- both on screen and behind the camera. This demand has created the myth that those making it were all young. (Susan Hayward, The Cinema Studies, 2006). These young men love film and wanted to be film makers but were unable to get into the French commercial cinema. Instead they turned to theory and criticism, becoming critics and theorists

French New Wave is perceived as political at first. However the myth has break as the New Wave film makers were largely non-politicalized. If there was any political aura, it was due to the tradition carried by some film makers on criticizing on bourgeoisie. But this had replaced with the narrations of the youth point of view on bourgeoisie.

The First New Wave (1958-62)

The First New Wave (1958-62) was anarchic, but only in relation to what preceded it; the Second New Wave was more clearly a politicized cinema. Nevertheless, both were to inform and have an impact on future cinema.

The New Wave film makers marked a complete rupture witty the 1950s cinematic codes and conventions on both narrative and visuals. In terms of narrative, there was often without the classical plot. More often the film makers will just show a part of life, not the classical beginning, middle and end story-typed movie. Taboos around sexuality are also destroyed (existence on “free-love” phenomenon). This can be shown in Godard’s work- Breathless (1959).

A Bout de Souffle (Breathless) by Jean-Luc Godard 

On the visuals, the institutional iconography, establishing shots are both excised. The break of rules like fast paced editing style, jump cuts and unmatched shots has replacing the seamless editing as Classical Hollywood style. Studio shots style is also demolished. The shots are often direct record from the streets and suburbs of Paris.

In 1966-1968

By the time of this, second New Wave, the New Wave has generally become more politicized and no positive reflection of the dominant ideology is shown. This cinema has changed to become more about the process of making film. However, the New Wave are still putting on the standardization effects on counter-cinema to the American technology. The earlier New Wave was not politically engaged and was motivated by a desire to present the point of view of the individual in society. However in the late 1960s, this cinema had become politicized.

Coincided with the lack of resources to accommodate the expanding urban society and student university numbers, workers condition and unemployment is at concern. Influx of film makers in the industry has also made films are required to be low-budget. As a result there was a democratization of the camera due to the film makers are given the cheaper, lightweight camera.

Blacks, women and Beurs were entering into film-making in 1970s and 1980s.