Jules and Jim and The 400 Blows - Changes Introduced by French New Wave Cinematic Movement - Essay Example

In what ways can French New Wave cinema be considered a product of its particular moment – ally, technologically and culturally? Your answer should make close reference to ONE or TWO films. French cinema always held a prominent place in global cinema in general and in European cinema in particular. Even through the Second World War, French Cinema exhibited a number of films and continued in its prolific nature. However, the end of the Second World War gave rise to differing movements in French cinema including the French New Wave cinema. This new movement came about due to a host of social, political and other indigenous factors. While French cinema was changing after the Great War, the cinemas across Europe were not in as great transformations. It is perhaps for this reason that French New Wave cinema was and is considered one of the watershed movements of all time in terms of cinematic creation and cinematic experience (Neupert, 2007). In many ways, French New Wave cinema can be seen as a rejuvenation of filmmaking that came about as a reactionary approach to contemporary filmmaking. This paper will look into the French New Wave cinematic movement in order to decipher the various changes introduced by it. In addition, this paper will explore the effects of institutional, technological and cultural factors that made the French New Wave cinematic movement one of the world’s most prominent cinematic transformations. Two French New Wave films, Jules and Jim and The 400 Blows will be analysed in detail in order to meet the objectives stated above. The French New Wave cinematic movement is considered as being influenced by the Italian neo-realistic movement of the same age. In essence, the French New Wave cinematic movement allowed the filmmaking quarters to revisit the basics in order to redefine them. Among other things, cultural and peculiar historical events played a large role in defining how this particular cinematic movement began and progressed. During the Nazi occupation of France, the French cinema became both the tool and the property of the German state. A number of French directors, producers and actors collaborated with the Nazis in order to create new films through the course of the war. After the war ended, these filmmakers and actors were not highly looked upon by filmmaking circles in general. French cinema after the Second World War was looking for change. This change came through as a host of new filmmaking techniques were introduced in tandem with cinematic themes and new faces on the screen. Above everything else, the French New Wave cinematic movement redefined how films were made, projected and viewed in France and then in the world. Hallmarks of the era include an emphasis on younger actors, hand based camera work, documentary styled footage, relatively small budgets, new directors, fresher soundtracks and a number of other factors (Sellier & Burch, 2010). Most films from this movement also raised questions that it left for the viewers to answer on their own. This provided a richly interactive experience for cinemagoers of the era who were prompted to think on their own after being prodded by new cinematic devices. Another notable characteristic of films from this movement is allusions to the past and the manner of projecting them through flashbacks. Most of these flashbacks were construed as irregular shots for the era such as through pan shots or frozen frames. This stood in clear contrast to previous cinematic experience where flashbacks like the rest of the film were shot in regular frames. A look at Jules and Jim reveals that a number of defining characteristics of the French New Wave cinematic movement are present in the film. For one thing, the setting of the film presents a rather strange tale which is not characteristic of conventional French cinema. This is even truer when French cinema under the Nazi regime is observed. For its time, Jules and Jim presented a strange yet enchanting cinematic tale (Neupert, 2010) where one woman entangles the lives of two friends. Like other French New Wave cinema films, this film consists of a pre Second World War setting that dissolves into a post Second World War story. The impact of the Second World War on the lives of each character through the film is also undeniable. The film projects both Jules and Jim as friends before the entry of Catherine and the inclusion of the Second World War into their lives. The War is projected as breaking the bond of friendship between both men. Each man decides to fight on different sides in the War but never really forgets the other man. The film shows that both Jules and Jim keep worrying that they might have killed the other during the war. This method of thinking and such behaviour could be attributed to a large part of Europe’s younger population that participated in a war that was imposed onto them (Kern, 2010). Culturally, this reflected a reality that was beyond the reach of conventional directors for projection onto the cinematic screen. The characters in Jules and Jim and their overall behaviour present fresh cinematic experience for the age. This is even truer for the protagonist Catherine whose unresolved sexual dilemmas provide constant impetus to the storyline. Catherine has been projected as a conflict in herself – on the one hand she chooses Jules while on the other hand she longs for Jim. This projection of unresolved sexuality on a cinematic screen represents the earliest attempts at bringing these themes to the larger audience. Conventional cinematic storylines of the era represented smaller and simpler conflict lines that resolved themselves in more socially acceptable ways. In contrast, Jules and Jim depicts Catherine’s last action as driving Jim off a bridge with herself in a car. For the unconscious minds of the audience, this sends a clear message – unity in death if life fails to permit such bonds. Again, this connects to the War and its aftermath where many people lost their loved ones. In addition to these factors, Jules and Jim uses a host of innovative filmmaking techniques to present a strange tale. Among other things, the film relies on frozen frames to lay emphasis on key parts of the story. The highs and lows of the story and the inherent conflict are represented in part by an iconic soundtrack that matches the highs and lows of the story. Similarly, the camera work in the post war scenario hints at hand based camera work. This provides a certain shakiness to the film’s projection along with its story. In context, the lives of Jules and Catherine are falling apart after the war and the shaky camera matches the storyline well. In a similar manner, the film The 400 Blows represents another major piece from the French New Wave cinema movement. The story weaves itself around conflict much like other films from this movement. The major themes tend to revolve around sprouting youth and unresolved personal conflicts. It may not seem relevant today, but post War Europe presented little opportunity to the youth of the age (Mary & Durovicova, 2010). While the youth looked to better lifestyles and standards of living, the obliterated Europe of the era demanded lots of work for rebuilding and little provided little return. This could be compared to youthful frustration which the film presents with a slightly modified perspective. In addition to the cultural factors that shaped this movement, this film presents technological changes and institutional factors that bore their influence. The end of the film presents one of the more defining moments in the film as per innovation. The young protagonist after years of frustration gets to what he wants most – the shoreline. The film ends in a freeze frame with the face of the protagonist zoomed in. This projection of the end leaves the audience with a host of unresolved questions and themes such as true happiness, suicide, attainment of goals and the like. The freeze frame at the end of the film does the job of dissecting the audience’s focus from the movie onto their own lives. The frozen and zoomed frame informs the audience that the film has ended as per its cinematic projection (Sebastien, 2011). It is now up to the audiences to decide what finally happened in Antoine’s life. This open end leads the audience to run towards thought as per their expectations from the film and from their own lives. Additionally, the film employs a largely young cast especially in terms of the protagonist. This falls in line with French New Wave cinema trends that were construed to create films for the youth based on their problems that affected their daily lives. The case of Antoine presented in the film reflected the unresolved conflicts of the youth from the era (Koos, 2011). The use of filmmaking techniques such as using newsreel type footage, a catchy soundtrack, panned and zoomed shots etc. all provide more fluid character to the overall composition of the film. This method of composing films is characteristic of the French New Wave cinema and provides it with a distinct flavour shaped by technological, institutional and cultural factors. References Kern, A.M., 2010. Reading the French New Wave: Critics, Writers and Art Cinema in France. Cinema Journal, 49(4), pp.172-74. Koos, L.R., 2011. The French New Wave: a new look. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television , 31(2), pp.288-91. Mary, P. & Durovicova, N., 2010. Cinematic Microcosm and Cultural Cosmologies: Elements of a Sociology of the New Wave. Cinema Journal, 49(4), pp.159-66. Neupert, R., 2007. A History of the French New Wave Cinema. 2nd ed. Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. Neupert, R., 2010. The New Wave’s American Reception. Cinema Journal, 49(4), pp.139-45. Sebastien, D., 2011. Rebels with a Cause: (Re)defining Identities and Culture in Contemporary French Cinema. L2 Journal, 3, pp.176-200. Sellier, G. & Burch, N., 2010. French New Wave Cinema and the Legacy of Male Libertinage. Cinema Journal, 49(4), pp.152-58. Read More