Breathless (French New Wave)

In this today movie review, I would like to discuss a very old French movie which is named Breathless. I discuss this movie is because to this movie had used a lot of techniques in this French film. The theory that they used was French New Wave .

Theory Discussion

French new wave is when a group of director that make started to become the golden era from year 1959 with the first movie, Breathless directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Back to the history which is before 1950s and 1960s, most of the french films use the literary adaptions such us they take the books or fairy tales and become a movie. Nowadays, many director also this concept to make their movie such Divergent, Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games and so on. They think that it will expand the audiences as it can guarantee can get minimum of audiences. 

In the 1950s, majority of France films is the documentary films. Many film directors were making these films that is about Nazi death which is for the prisoners of wars in concentrate camps. They showed the cinema verite which means truth cinema is because to show the truth of the showcase. After the World War II, many film lovers watched many previously unreleased movie at the Cineamtheque Francaise in Paris is because many films that had shoot but they cannot release it due to the war. However, this trend was ended in 1969 as they want it to be in mainstream. they also want their own style to make their own film. 

Synopsis

This film is start from a guy who named Michel, played by Jean-Paul Belmondo. He kills the policeman who has followed him on the country road after stealing a car in Marseille. After he arrives in Paris, he met a woman named Patricia played by Jean Seberg which she also a student and journalist. She was a interesting person as she sells the New York Herald Tribune on the streets of Paris. Patricia have the feeling with Michel and hides him in her apartment and also make love to each other. One day, Patricia is pregnant but she betrays him. Before the police came, she told him that what had she done. He knows that he will prison in whole life. Therefore, he try to not escape first. Finally, the police shoot him on the street and he dies after his prolonged death run. 

Analysis

There are many characteristics of this theory, French New Wave in this film which is direct sound and available light. The filmmakers on that time did not use the additional things and not like the nowadays film which they remix the sound that they taken. Because of that they make these films to look natural and casual. For example. at the highway scene they just use natural sound like the noise from the outside, engine sound and so on. For the lighting part, when Michel is following a guy in a lift. The director did not use the lighting. Because of that, the scene will looks dark. (n.t, 2012)

The next characteristics of French New Wave is low budget. France were in the economic crisis after World War II. Therefore, the investment in production is very low. Many films on that days is o the low budget. If want to produce a good film, the directors will borrowed their friends' house but they need to use their friends as the cast or crew. For instance, Michel was in his girlfriend's apartment and the room of him in Agnes Varda's Cleo From 5 to 7.

Handheld cameras is also one of the characteristics of French New Wave. While we are watching these films, we will see that some scene is look very shaky and unstable as the filmmakers to the new technology which is the lightweight handheld camera. This camera can make them shoot the scenes easily and can create ling tracking shot such as walking along the streets. It provides more freedom and realistic feeling. For example, when Michel walking in the travel agency's office, the cameraman just sitting on the wheelchair and the holding the camera in order to record the scene.

Conclusion

In the nutshell, this theory can influence many people especially the new producers as they can make their own films easily. Therefore, without this trend the movie production will extinct and no movies  to watched so every tiny little things are very important. I give this movie is 7 out of 10. 

Reference. 

1. 2012. Make a wave-french new wave. Retrieved from

http://makeawave-frenchnewwave.blogspot.com/2012/08/characteristics-of-french-new-wave-films.html

2. Nichols Bill (2010). "Chapter 1: Film as A Language", Engaging Cinema: An Introduction to Film Studies, New York. W.W. Norton & Company,Inc: pg 46.