French New Wave

The French New Wave was a film movement of the late 1950s and 1960s known for director-led filmmaking, location shooting, unconventional editing, and personal storytelling.

Jump cut: An edit that removes a stretch of time within a continuous action, creating a visible discontinuity. Jean-Luc Godard made this disruptive edit a signature in Breathless.
Jean-Luc Godard: A French-Swiss filmmaker whose formally disruptive films helped define the French New Wave. His Breathless made jump cuts and self-conscious storytelling emblematic of the movement.
Breathless (1960 film): Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 crime film about a fugitive and an American student in Paris. Its jump cuts and street shooting became defining New Wave techniques.
Cahiers du cinéma: A French film magazine founded in 1951 that became a major forum for postwar film criticism. Its critics attacked conventional French cinema and later became New Wave directors.
New Hollywood: A period of American filmmaking from the late 1960s through the 1970s marked by director-driven films and changing studio practices. American filmmakers adapted New Wave editing, location work, and auteur-centered production.
Location shooting: Filming scenes in real places rather than on purpose-built studio sets. Lightweight cameras and small crews made Paris streets usable as film locations.
François Truffaut: A French filmmaker and critic whose films include The 400 Blows and Jules and Jim. His debut feature became a landmark of the movement’s personal, director-led cinema.
The 400 Blows: François Truffaut’s 1959 film about the troubled childhood of Antoine Doinel in Paris. Its autobiographical perspective and open ending exemplify the movement’s personal storytelling.
Tradition of Quality: A label for polished, literary adaptations that dominated prestige French filmmaking after World War II. New Wave filmmakers rejected its studio-bound production and screenwriter-centered prestige.
Independent film: Film produced outside the dominant studio system, often with greater creative or financial independence. The New Wave became a model for making personal films beyond established studio conventions.

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