Module description
The French New Wave, or Nouvelle vague, is the most famous film movement in post-war French cinema – referring to a group of innovative, exuberant and seductive films from the late 1950s and early 1960s, among them A bout de souffle/Breathless, Les 400 coups/The 400 Blows, L'Annee derniere a Marienbad / Last Year in Marienbad and Cléo de 5 à 7/Cleo From 5 to 7. The work of young, rebellious figures, many of whom had started as film critics, the New Wave films marked a radical break from French mainstream cinema and a new departure in world cinema. As director Martin Scorsese put it: ‘The New Wave has influenced all filmmakers who have worked since, whether they saw the films or not. It submerged cinema like a tidal wave’.
The course surveys and interrogates the films along three main interlocking axes:
- Authorship. Aiming to separate cinema from mass entertainment, New Wave practitioners theorised and celebrated the director as auteur. We examine the politique des auteurs and the passage from theory to practice.
- Cinephilia. New Wave filmmakers were steeped in the love of cinema, especially Hollywood. We trace the rise of cinephilia in post-war France, and the engagement with American cinema in the films.
- Representation. New Wave films notoriously ‘broke rules’ with their location shooting, dislocated narratives and idiosyncratic editing – while offering seductive images of modern gender relations and lifestyles against the background of iconic Parisian locations. We explore the connection between film style and representation, and the films’ often contradictory expression of a key moment in French history.
Assessment details
- Participation (10%)
- Close analysis 1000 words (30%)
- Essay 2 2000 words (60%)
Educational aims & objectives
This course explores the Nouvelle vague (New Wave), the most famous film movement in post - war French cinema - a group of innovative, exuberant and seductive films that came out in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The work of young, rebellious figures, many of whom had started as film critics, the New Wave films marked a radical break from French mainstream cinema and a new departure in world cinema. As Martin Scorsese put it: 'The New Wave has influenced all filmmakers who have worked since, whether they saw the films or not. It submerged cinema like a tidal wave'. The course surveys and interrogates the films along three main interlocking axes: Authorship. Aiming to lift cinema out of mass entertainment and into the domain of 'art', New Wave practitioners theorised and celebrated the director as auteur. The course examines the politique des auteurs and the passage from theory to practice. Cinephilia. New Wave filmmakers were steeped in the love of cinema, especially Hollywood. The course traces the rise of cinephilia in post - war France, and the engagement with and rethinking of American cinema in the films. Representation. New Wave films notoriously 'broke rules' with their location shooting, dislocated narratives and idiosyncratic editing - while offering seductive images of 'modem' gender relationships and lifestyles against the background of iconic Parisian locations. The course explores the connection between filmic style and representation, and their expression of the contradictions of a key historical moment in French history.
Learning outcomes
The students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable and practical skills appropriate to a level 5 course and in particular will be able to demonstrate: Surveying the major canonical works of the French New Wave cinema. - Developing in depth knowledge of the industrial, technological and socio - cultural determinants of the movement. ' - Gaining an understanding of the critical and theoretical underpinnings of the New Wave, in particular the 'politique des auteurs', the importance of cinephilia - including the relationship to Hollywood, and the creation of new audiences for art cinema. - Developing analytical skills required to understand the stylistic specificity of the movement and the socio - cultural significance of its representations (especially in terms of new gender relations and the urban context of Paris).