French New Wave Film
Many consider the period of the French New Wave (roughly 1958 through 1964) as one of the most creative and energetic in film history. The term "new wave" was created by a young group of French filmmakers who, influenced by the Italian Neorealist movement and classic Hollywood cinema, rejected original film making traditions and made radical departures in editing, as well as the visual and narrative aspects of their films. These young filmmakers often set their work in the social and political situations of their time and (like many iconoclasts) considered themselves to be leaders of a film revolution. Luckily for them, their influence seems to have stuck, as may modern films can trace a number of their stylistic elements back to the French New Wave, especially in independent and art film circles.
What makes it New Wave?
Because each of these film makers attempted to radically change cinema in different ways, it is difficult to create an all-encompassing list of characteristics that identify them as "new wave." That being said, certain breakthrough aspects of the French New Wave movement have (perhaps unintentionally) become trademarks of this historical period and srtong identifiers of New Wave in general.
* '''Low Budgets:''' No, the makers of these films didn't have the same $300 million budget as the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie. A result of the postPierre Melville's famous use of jump shots in "Breathless" came purely out of his need to save film stock and money.
* '''Unconventional Narrative Style:''' New Wave filmmakers eschewed classic narrative traditions, rejecting the standard literary style of storytelling popular in cinemas at the time. Rather, they used a number of new stylistic techniques, including cross-cutting, anachronistic narratives and parallel editing to create loosely structured films that, they felt, more closely resembled works of art. Above all, New Wave filmmakers wanted to constantly remind their viewers that a film is just a series of moving images, and that shots didn't ever need to be related by characters, action or setting.
* '''New Ideas About Cameras:''' New Wave filmmakers used their cameras to shake the audience out of the notions of what a film was capable of doing. Characters would step out of their roles and address the audience directly while the camera would focus on unexpected objects and would, as often as possible, remind the audience that they were indeed watching a movie.
The emphasis on special effects production in today's films may make the characteristics of the French New Wave seem trite or boring, but it's important to remember that these filmmakers were making radical steps at the time, steps that continue to influence many filmmakers today.
Famous French New Wave Films
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