All tagged jean-luc godard

A New Wave of Masculin Feminin

The French New Wave is one of the most influential movements in cinema’s storied history. A group of French film critics began making low budget movies in direct contrast with the Tradition of Quality of their country’s film industry, and ended up transforming the idea of cinema - in both narrative and formal style, as well as filmmaking production techniques. One of the most important figures in this movement was director Jean-Luc Godard, whose initial credits helped define the characteristics of New Wave films, and whose career continued well past the Nouvelle Wave’s period. Masculin Feminin (1966) is a prime example of both the New Wave’s style and Godard’s personal commitment to infusing politics into the everyday. Focusing on the youth in Paris, it was ironically age restricted when released in French theaters. The film leans into the New Wave’s elements, which can be disjointed and challenging to viewers, and also speaks directly to the social and political climate that was distinctly Parisian in the mid-1960s, captured as a moment in time.