Nothing New Under the Sun…but a New Perspective.

I recently stumbled across indie director Noah Baumbach’s film “Frances Ha” (written by actress/filmmaker, Greta Gerwig) and noticed its remarkable similarity to Jean Luc Godard’s, “Band of Outsiders,” which got me thinking about French New Wave Cinema and the original artistic intentions of the film critics turned directors of the time, like Godard, whose objective was to break away from the staid and predictable, and to present French life in an expressive, realistically disjointed spontaneity.

Rather than polarizing the creator/viewer relationship, these directors used elements such as jump cuts and improvised dialogue to unify by mimicking life itself, thereby allowing the viewer to identify with the characters in these films on a primordial level. To this end, the director often acted as both director and screenwriter, thereby contributing significantly to not only the look and feel of these films, but also the storyline.

                                                              "Frances Ha"  2012

Jean Luc Godard was undeniably a brilliant and innovative filmmaker, who along with Truffaut, remains one of the better known directors of the French New Wave of the 1950s and 60s. “Breathless” will always be one of my favorite movies, for Jean Seberg alone, notwithstanding the film's existentialist point of view and avant-garde process, exemplified by Coutard’s inventive cinematography. Godard served as a starting point in my thirst for retro alternative cinema, but it is perhaps the works of two lesser known New Wave directors of the time, multidimensional visionary artist, Chris Marker and director Alain Resnais, that have had a more powerful impact on my creative process over the years. 

                                           "Metro 1 (Paris)"  Photograph - Chris Marker

Equally influential during the 50s and 60s, but perhaps not as familiar to American viewers, was Britain’s satirical and socially conscious “Free Cinema” movement, and directors like Tony Richardson and Chez-born, Karel Reisz. As well, French New Wave’s influence on the then Eastern Bloc countries is exemplified in the works of directors Milos Forman and Vera Chytilova. 

                                          "Hiroshima Mon Amour" - Alain Resnais (1959)

Baumbach, Tarantino, Scorsese and so many others were deeply influenced by their New Wave predecessors. 

I liken the French New Wave films to an exotic, richly woven shawl – something that is visually stunning, deeply textured, heaven to wrap yourself up in, but cherished enough to confine to special occasions. When I watch these movies I literally absorb every nuance, camera angle, jump cut, improvisation and quirky subtlety, hungry for that electrifying spark that transports me from another place and time, a desire to meld past and future like the time traveler in La Jetée, but acutely aware of the here and now, and the infinite possibilities that stare back at me from my blank canvas. I am inspired, but at the same time, I do not wish to be desensitized to the impact of these films, and so I ‘jump cut’ my viewing to gaps of years, hoping each unique experience will unravel a new mystery, the small thread as of yet undiscovered or overlooked that will allow me to view life and art from a different perspective, if only for a moment…