The French New Wave film movement is the third film movement with world influence after the European avant-garde and the Italian neo-realism. It has no fixed organization, unified manifesto and complete artistic program. The essence of this movement was a movement that demanded a thorough reform of the film art with the spirit of modernism, and its appearance pushed the modernist film movement in Western Europe to a climax. The background of the movement can be traced back to the late 1950s and early 1960s, when a group of young filmmakers emerged from all over the world. The new generation of directors grew up after World War II and used the medium of film to express their artistic ideas and aesthetic pursuits. In the New Wave film movement, directors emphasized personal style and creative freedom. They opposed the traditional narrative structure and plot setting, and pursued a more authentic, natural and fluent film language. They often employ non-professional actors, emphasize improvisation and the natural environment, and reflect social realities and human issues through simple storylines.
French New Wave films were produced on a low budget, with non-professional actors, and were shot on location without a studio, without the thrill and drama of conflict. In terms of expression methods, the film widely uses long shots, mobile photography, voice-over, interior monologue, natural sound, and even shakes the lens in violation of convention, and breaks the unity of time and space. Because the "New Wave" films never reflect major historical events, and do not have social and political themes, most of them record or express an event or some characters in a focused way. "New Wave" is the pursuit of life closer to the real depth; The "Left Bank" film is interested in people's spiritual activities, people's thoughts, people's hearts. In their view, the life one creates in one's mind is far richer than life itself. They move closer to their inner life and enter into a new reality. Another familiar feature of French New Wave films is the tendency to shoot on location, particularly on the streets of Paris. New Wave does not shy away from making use of the most iconic Parisian locations. As such, the opening credits of The 400 Blows（Francois Truffaut，1959）are marked by a series of views of the Eiffel Tower taken from a moving car.
The representative films of the French New Wave are Beyond the Hills（Cristian Mungiu，2012） and The 400 Blows.
The individualization of the subject matter of new wave films shows the creator's personal experience and perception, and has distinct personal style characteristics. The film "The 400 Blows" is the product of this social background, "The 400 Blows" involves the family school and society's education and growth of children's growth, is a semi-autobiographical film about his childhood experience to the audience. The French New Wave films are deeply influenced by Bazin's documentary aesthetics, and use documentary "life stream" in narration. Taking the natural flow of life as a clue, The 400 Blows narrates trivial life events together, shows the unfortunate life experience of young Antoine, and reveals the lonely inner world of the protagonist. The French New Wave film emphasizes following the photographic nature of film and documentary aesthetics in photography, adopting long lens moving photography and flexible use of cameras, reflecting the realism and naturalness of film, with a strong documentary style. The film ends with a nearly 10-minute classic long shot in which Antoine escapes from juvie and heads straight to the sea, ending with a close-up of his confused and melancholy face. This classic long shot and the freeze frame of the last picture completely conquered and moved the audience.The hero's inner loneliness and freedom of the suddenly enlightened at the moment reflected incisively and vividly, However, no one knows where Antoine will go, people see his eyes confused and helpless, such an open ending brings the audience unlimited reverie, deeply worried about the future fate of the protagonist.
In this regard, the interviewee A said “The 400 Blows embodies the New Wave rebellion against the traditional narrative mode. Truffaut breaks many of the traditional narrative rules and structures in the film, making the story more free and improvisational. For example, his creative use of jump cut editing, deconstruction of the story, so that the back and forth between the scenes from the spoof up to a special category of film language. This seemingly free and improvisational style is full of sense of abruptness and destruction, and pays more attention to the inner world of the characters than the traditional Hollywood style of storytelling. ”
Interviewee B also said that "The 400 Blows is one of the representative works of the French New Wave. Through Truffaut's personal perspective and emotion, it truly reflects the social reality, and also expresses the rebellion and exploration of the traditional narrative mode."
"Beyond the Hills" is a French film, which also embodies some characteristics of French New Wave. Mungiu conceives his film as an unbiased assessment of the relative conceptions of love-further illuminated via directorial commentary found within Criterion's supplemental interviews. Mungiu forges an investigative, patient film in order to survey how love between people, in spite of sincerity, can so easily face misconception and miscommunication, especially when framed against social exclusion. And through its austere formal devices: a stark absence of music and prolonged sequence shots, Beyond the Hills conveys an experiential immediacy that eschews any overtly didactic framework in the unfolding drama; conversely offering its own vulnerability in estimating the intentions of love and its inadvertent abandonment. First, like The 400 Blows, Beyond the Hills emphasizes authenticity and the flow of life. The film is based on real events and explores faith and humanity by showing interpersonal relationships in closed monasteries. This search for authenticity and concern for everyday life is a hallmark of French New Wavism. Second, like many New Wave works, the themes of Beyond the Hills are not confined to a narrow issue, but have a broader resonance. The film hides emotions in the deepest place and does not easily show emotions or make judgments, which to some extent also reflects the subversion of traditional narratives and emotions by New Wavesism.
The mirror language of Beyond the Hills embodies some characteristics of the French New Wave.
First of all, the shot of the film pays great attention to detail and scene description. Through detailed depictions of the interior and surroundings of the monastery, the film shows the emotional and psychological states of the characters in the enclosed space. This attention to scenes and details reflects New Wave's pursuit of realism and humanity.
Secondly, the camera language of the film is also very simple and smooth. The motion of the camera is smooth, and the composition of the picture is simple and clear, without too much decoration and effect. This minimalist style also reflects the New Wave's pursuit of truth and nature, as well as the subversion of traditional film language.
In addition, the lens in the film also pays attention to the emotional and inner world of the characters. Through the use of long shots and still shots, the film shows the interaction and emotional exchange between the characters. This attention to the inner world of the characters is also an important feature of New Wave Doctrine.
Compared to The 400 Hills, Interviewee C said of Beyond the Hills: “"Beyond the Hills" does not, like "The 400 Blows," show a clear rebellion against traditional narrative models or an emphasis on the author's films. Instead, it focuses on exploring deeper themes through extremely simplified environments and relationships. This approach is somewhat different from the New Wave emphasis on individuality and freedom, but still embodies the pursuit of authenticity and deep humanity.”
French New Wave films often focus on the lives of individuals and small people, emphasizing personal experiences and emotions. Whether it's the teenager Antoine in The 400 Blows or the heroine of Beyond the Hills, they represent individuals overlooked and forgotten by society. Through their stories, the audience is able to gain insight into their inner worlds and emotional states. The French New Wave films pursue realism and oppose traditional narrative methods and film language. This sense of reality is reflected in the film's shooting techniques, acting styles and plot settings. The long shots of The 400 Flows, for example, keep the picture intact, faithfully photographing things and plots within the camera's field of vision, without making any choices or judgments, and without pursuing logics or cause and effect relationships. The French New Wave films are often innovative, trying to break through the traditional film language and narrative methods. Beyond the Hills, for example, uses unconventional mirror language and cinematography, as well as its unique plot structure. To sum up, both The 400 Blows and Beyond the Hills embody the characteristics of the French New Wave, focusing on the lives of individuals and small people, pursuing authenticity, being innovative, and reflecting social reality. These characteristics make the French New Wave films become one of the important trends of contemporary world cinema.
References：
1.Johnson, M. (2020). Beyond the Hills (2012). Film Matters, 11(1), 202-205. https://doi.org/10.1386/fm_00069_4
2. Morrey, D. (2019). "La Nouvelle Vague, elle t'emm---I* Louis Malle, Zazie dans le métro and the French New Wave. Modern & Contemporary France, 27(4), 493-503.https://doi.org/10.1080/09639489.2019.1645650
3.Mungiu,C(Director).(2012).Beyond the Hills[Film].
4.Truffaut,F(Director).(1959).The 400 Blows[Film].Zenith International Films Inc
网友评论