Nouvelle Vague and Individualism

Paper Summary:

Nouvelle Vague or the "New Wave" movement in France was probably the most influential of similar movements in other parts of the world and it affected every form of expression. Its impact, however, was felt most prominently in the field of filmmaking where a group of highly creative directors gave a new direction to the industry in the 1958 to late 1960s period. This paper analyzes three films which came out this period and shows how each director created an individual and original statement through his work. The films examined are: Francois Truffaut's "Baisers Voles" ("Stolen Kisses," 1968), Eric Rohmer's "Nuit Chez Maud" ("My Night at Maud's," 1969) and Jacques Demy's 1964 musical "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" ("The Umbrellas of Cherbourg").

From the Paper:

"My Night at Maud's was the most successful of these six films and earned Rohmer the distinction of being one of the greatest Nouvelle Vague directors. Rohmer was older than other filmmakers of this movement but he shared and supported their views and also incorporated them in his movies. In My Night at Maud's, Rohmer like other directors focused extensively on the hero who remains unnamed and is referred to as "moi." This first person technique was used to stress the importance of individual and his actions. Jean- Louis Trintignant who played the narrator is as much in control of his actions as other heroes of Nouvelle Vague films."

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• Film Review # 50767 : "A Bout de Souffle" ("Breathless")"

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