France has a long history of cinematic excellence. Until the First World War, French cinema was more prominent than Hollywood. However, the two World Wars (with significant theatres in France) stifled French film production; it never harmed France's love of moving pictures.
Once France and the French film industry were back on their feet, a new wave (nouvelle vague) of French cinema came crashing in. Here are some of the greatest French New Wave directors.
What Was French New Wave Cinema?
French New Wave cinema, known in its native French as La Nouvelle Vague, was a cinematic movement in the 1950s and 1960s.
The French New Wave was revolutionary in how it approached cinematic techniques and storytelling.
For one, French New Wave cinema favoured auteurism or auteur theory, the idea that the director or auteur of the piece is the actual "author" and their vision and style should be felt in every aspect of the film.
When it comes to French New Wave cinema, the director is really the star of the show. They are "the major creative force" behind the film.
The French New Wave also changed several well-established storytelling and narrative techniques, preferring to tell non-linear stories using flashbacks and non-traditional storytelling structures.
Many New Wave directors broke the fourth wall in their narratives, with some characters directly addressing the audience.
Technically, French New Wave cinema also changed how films were made. Jump cuts and abrupt edits disrupted continuity, and handheld cameras allowed for far more dynamic shooting, allowing directors to take to real-life locations.
The French New Wave was also much cheaper than other productions at the time, and this could be seen in how the films looked. They offered creative solutions to problems that would have otherwise been solved with increased funding.
New Wave directors also leaned more into naturalistic and improvised dialogue, allowing France's greatest actors to add their own touches to scenes as long as they remained in line with the director/auteur's overall vision.
How to Spot French New Wave
So, how can you tell that you're watching a French New Wave film?
French New Wave cinema's tropes and standard features make it easy to spot.
We mentioned that handheld cameras allowed for more exciting shooting locations for these films, but these cameras also meant that shots were less stable. When watching a French New Wave film, expect shakey camera work.
French New Wave cinema's handling of narrative and regular breaking of the fourth wall makes it easier to spot. It likes to deconstruct cinema, making the audience abundantly aware that they're watching a film while also trying to make them question every aspect.
French New Wave regularly broke with convention, so don't expect happy endings or films that follow the conventions of any particular genre to the letter.
Here's an interesting video explaining the French New Wave.
French New Wave Directors
So now that you know what the French New Wave is and what to look out for, how about you look for the major players?
While most articles on film genres would mention the best films (and we will), in the true spirit of auteur theory, here are some of the prominent auteurs of French New Wave cinema: the directors!
Agnès Varda
Let's break with convention and start with a French New Wave director from Belgium.
Agnès Varda was born in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium, in 1928. She became famous as the first and only female French New Wave director.
She was initially a photographer but would later become famous for films like Cléo from 5 to 7, Vagabond, and Kung Fu Master. In 2017, she also became the first female director to win an honorary Oscar.
She also did documentaries and was described by Martin Scorsese as “one of the Gods of Cinema”.
High praise indeed!
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Born: May 30, 1928, Ixelles, Belgium
Notable Films: Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), Vagabond (1985), The Gleaners and I (2000)
Interesting Fact: Being the only female director officially associated with the movement, Agnès Varda is often called the "grandmother" of the French New Wave.
Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais was famous for films like Hiroshima mon amour, Last Year at Marienbad, and Muriel.
As a New Wave filmmaker, you would have thought that his breakthrough came with the movement in the late 1950s. However, he already had a reputation from his career, starting with short films in the 1940s and 50s.
Born: June 3, 1922, Vannes, France
Notable Films: Hiroshima mon Amour (1959), Last Year at Marienbad (1961), Night and Fog (1956)
Interesting Fact: Resnais was initially trained as an editor, significantly influencing his innovative use of time and memory in his films.
Chris Marker
Chris Marker was born Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve. He was famous for films like La Jetée, A Grin Without a Cat, and Sans Soleil.
He was a very secretive man who avoided interviews. He rarely spoke about his past or his upbringing and suggested that his films should suffice.
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Born: July 29, 1921, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Notable Films: La Jetée (1962), Sans Soleil (1983), A Grin Without a Cat (1977)
Interesting Fact: Chris Marker was a pseudonym; his real name was Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve. He was also a prolific photographer and multimedia artist.
Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol was famous for films like Le Beau Serge, Les Biches, La Femme infidèle, and Le Boucher.
Born in Paris, he grew up hundreds of kilometres away in a rural area.
Although French New Wave was based in Paris and focused mainly in and around the Left Bank and Sain-Germain-des-Prés and had many scenes shot in the city, Chabrol always maintained that he was from the country.
Born: June 24, 1930, Paris, France
Notable Films: Le Beau Serge (1958), Les Biches (1968), La Cérémonie (1995)
Interesting Fact: Chabrol was the first of the New Wave directors to make a feature film with Le Beau Serge, considered the movement's inaugural work.
Éric Rohmer
Éric Rohmer, like many French New Wave directors, had worked on the Cahiers du cinéma film magazine.
He was also famous for films like My Night at Maud's, which was nominated for an Oscar. His other well-known films include Claire's Knee and The Green Ray.
Born: March 21, 1920, Tulle, France
Notable Films: My Night at Maud's (1969), Claire's Knee (1970), The Green Ray (1986)
Interesting Fact: Rohmer was a high school teacher before becoming a filmmaker, and he often used his films to explore philosophical and ethical dilemmas.
François Truffaut
François Truffaut is regarded as one of the greatest directors and a fundamental part of the French New Wave as one of the founders. His works are often considered some of the best French films ever made.
In addition to decades of filmmaking, he was an actor. He appeared in the American sci-fi movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Born: February 6, 1932, Paris, France
Notable Films: The 400 Blows (1959), Jules and Jim (1962), Day for Night (1973)
Interesting Fact: Truffaut was a film critic for Cahiers du Cinéma before becoming a director and was a leading proponent of the auteur theory.
Jacques Demy
Jacques Demy was a French New Wave director famous for having films with entirely sung dialogue.
His film, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, starred Catherine Deneuve, one of France's greatest actresses.
He also married Agnès Varda, had a child with her, and adopted her other daughter, Rosalie, a costume designer, producer, and actress.
Born: June 5, 1931, Pontchâteau, France
Notable Films: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)
Interesting Fact: Demy's musicals, especially The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, are unique for having all dialogue sung, blending the boundary between film and opera.
Jacques Rivette
Jacques Rivette was another critic for Cahiers du cinéma, who regularly slated mainstream French cinema and American cinema.
He became the magazine's editor in the 1960s and is famous for films like L'Amour fou, Out 1, Celine and Julie Go Boating, among many others.
Born: March 1, 1928, Rouen, France
Notable Films: Paris Belongs to Us (1961), Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974), La Belle Noiseuse (1991)
Interesting Fact: Rivette’s films are known for their length and improvisational style, with Out 1 (1971) running over 12 hours in its original cut.
Jean-Luc Godard
Yet another French New Wave director, he was also a film critic for Cahiers du cinéma and criticised mainstream French cinema.
His famous films include Vivre sa vie, Contempt, Band of Outsiders, Pierrot le Four, and many others.
Born: December 3, 1930, Paris, France
Notable Films: Breathless (1960), Alphaville (1965), Weekend (1967)
Interesting Fact: Godard's Breathless revolutionised modern cinema by using jump cuts and breaking the fourth wall.
Jean-Pierre Melville
Jean-Pierre Melville, born Jean-Pierre Grumbach in Paris, is said to have influenced the French New Wave through his most influential works.
The man himself was considered the movement's spiritual father.
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Born: October 20, 1917, Paris, France
Notable Films: Bob le flambeur (1956), Le Samouraï (1967), Army of Shadows (1969)
Interesting Fact: born Jean-Pierre Grumbach, Melville adopted his pseudonym as a tribute to American author Herman Melville and was known for his influence on the gangster film genre.
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