What is French New Wave?

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French New Wave (La Nouvelle Vague) is one of the key movements of post-war European cinema. It started with Breathless in 1959 and ended with Weekend in 1969, both directed by Jean-Luc Godard. French New Wave went against the traditional ideas of French cinema. This film movement was spearheaded by a group of authors from a French film journal, Cahiers du Cinema in 1951. It brought a huge impact to cinema which changed the long-established notions of filmmaking styles, themes and narratives (Luzi, n.d.). Today, its influence in cinema can still be seen in films by contemporary directors such as Martin Scorsese, Bernardo Bertolucci and Quentin Tarantino.

In a French arts television documentary in 1961, the ideals of the French New Wave are totally explained:

‘Today’s young filmmakers are trying to make a different type of film and put an end to boring films. They deal with today’s problems, not those of the past. Their style is fresh and shocking, doing away with the dull and outdated. But what is all this commotion... What is it all about? The cinema. Who is it about? About the young cinema’. (Evans, n.d.)







References:

Evans, G. C. (n.d.). The French Nouvelle Vague (New Wave). Retrieved April 3, 2013, from Film Education: http://www.filmeducation.org/pdf/resources/secondary/FrenchNouvelleVague.pdf 

Luzi, E. (n.d.). The French New Wave: A Cinematic Revolution. Retrieved April 3, 2013, from the Black and Blue: http://www.theblackandblue.com/2010/03/29/the-french-new-wave-a-cinematic-revolution/