Importance of Paris in French New Wave Cinema - Essay Example

Importance of Paris in French New Wave cinema Importance of Paris in French New Wave cinema The French New Wave was a cultural event that was influenced by political and social events during the 1950s. During this time various changes were introduced in arts such as theatre and literature. Paris played a significant role in the new wave cinema. Its importance in the in the cinema will be analyzed in the paper. In order to ensure a deeper understanding of the importance of Paris, other factors such as the history of the French New Wave, two films and the directors of the films will also be considered. Paris played a great role in shaping the French New Wave cinema because young filmmakers introduced changes in the film industry from Paris. The film makers made France to experience a massive revolution in the film industry. As a result, they acquired the name “French New Wave” (Betz 2009, p. 136). Before the changes in the film industry, all the French movies were shot in studios. In the traditional films, Paris was presented in reconstructive and conservative way. Many scenes that were captured before and during the war could not be adapted to the screen. The situation was becoming less attractive to the new generation of filmmakers. Consequently, they gathered at the editorial room where they all agreed that the traditional films in French were very artificial. They decided to divert from the filming strategies that were influenced by the preferred aesthetics during that period (Shortcuts 2011, p. 75). Among the factors that motivated the film makers to introduce the new changes in cinema was the fast evolving technology in Paris and the improved financial system. The film makers from Paris made film making more flexible with the new technology. For instance, in the traditional French film industry scenes could only be shot during the day. In addition, the outdoor scenes were not very clear. However, with the new technology, scenes could be captured even at night. Outdoor shoots also became clear because of the use of the new lightweight cameras. Among the first film makers to use the new technologies introduced in the film industry was Louiss Malle in the year 1958. His film was followed by other experimental films which aimed at capturing the real life events in the city. This resulted into a shift from artificial films to films that gave a realistic impression of the city. For instance, the scenes captured in the films seemed real and not highly dramatized like those in the traditional ones (Neupert 2007, p. 356). Paris also played a great role in the new wave because all the film critics came from Paris. Film critics from the city identified the weaknesses of the traditional way of film making. Their views influenced film makers to introduce the new wave. The Paris film critics participated in changing the face of cinema in France (Pirro 2011, p. 56). Another importance of Paris in the French New Wave is that it was used as the background in many films (Tweedie 2013, p.97). The new wave presented Paris from a different angle in the movies. In order to capture the city as the real background of the film, a filmmaker had to follow actors in the street in order to capture them in their natural surroundings with their camera. The real presentation of the film backgrounds resulted to the creation of films in a documentary style (Chansel 2012, p.61). Among the real images captured include the physical features such as the busy streets, buildings, monuments, and people in Paris. Apart from the physical features, the film makers also captured the real sound track in the city. For instance, they captured outdoor sounds such as car engines and police sirens that are noises heard in a typical city (Lanzoni 2010, p. 27). An example of the film that shows the role of Paris in the new wave is the “The 400 Blow” which was directed by Francois Truffaut. The film features Antoine Daniel who is the hero. In this film, Paris has been used as the background. Daniel is seen with his friend walking in the streets. The film shows a touching and idealized version of Paris that has influenced the lives of the actors in the film. The city has been presented in a familiar way. This helps in showing the audience its attractions (Rombes 2005, p. 16). Another example of a film that portrays Paris as an important part of the film industry is the Cleo de 5 a 7 (Powrie 2006, p.6). This film was produced in the year 1962. It was also set in the evening. The time the movie film was set was influenced by the new generation of film makers in Paris. Just like other films produced during this era, Paris was also the background of this film. The film maker captured Cleo Victoire, the film star walking in the busy street of the city. This film was directed by Agnes Varder who was among the founders of the French New Wave. She allows the audience to experience the real life events of in the city. Instead of zooming into the images of the actors in the film, the film maker makes the actor to appear to be part of the Paris society by showing the street environment. The audience can also tell that the events in the film are taking place at night or during the day. Capturing of the natural light in the film also shows the influence of the new wave filmmaker in the Paris film industry (Ruymbeke 2013, p.1). Conclusively, Paris played an important role in the French New Wave. Most of the film directors of the new wave cinema came from Paris. The introduction of changes in the film industry by the Paris film makers made the industry to acquire the name” New Wave”. One of the changes introduced by the film makers include capturing the natural background instead of the traditional illusive backgrounds in scenes. In addition, most of the film critics that led to the introduction of the changes came from Paris. Their views influenced the film making strategies. Paris was also the center for the new technology which motivated the introduction of the French New Wave. List of references Betz, M., 2009. Beyond the subtitle: remapping European art cinema, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press. Chansel, D., 2002. Europe on-screen: cinema and the teaching of history: project "Learning and teaching about the history of Europe in the 20th century", Strasbourg, Council of Europe Publ. Lanzoni, R. F., 2010. French cinema: from its beginnings to the present, New York, Continuum. Neupert, R., 2007. A history of the French new wave cinema, Madison, Wis, University of Wisconsin Press. Pirro, R. C., 2011. The politics of tragedy and democratic citizenship, New York, Continuum. Powrie, P,. 2006. The cinema of France. London, Wallflower. Rombes, N., 2005. New punk cinema. Edinburgh, Edinburgh Univ. Press. Ruymbeke, L., 2013, Paris as seen by the French new wave. http://www.myfrenchlife.org/2013/06/19/paris-as-seen-by-the-french-new-wave/ Shortcuts, F., 2011. Paris Nightlife Frommers ShortCuts, Hoboken, John Wiley & Sons. Tweedie, J., 2013. The age of new waves: art cinema and the staging of globalization. Read More