Written by George Wilson and Kearin Green
Many lovers of cinema will know Jean-Luc Godard. We lost him a month ago, and within hours of his passing, many had already mourned the momentous tragedy of his death. The world had lost one of its greatest cinematic minds.
Known as one of the historical faces of the 1960s French New Wave era, Godard was arguably the blueprint of his revolutionary time. He was specifically known for his use of aesthetic visuals, the radical ideas which influenced his work (for example, the Marxist beliefs which influenced his film La Chinoise (1967) about a group of French students who become radical Maoists), and his experimental, unconventional style which ‘betrayed’ the Hollywood-film recipe and would go onto influence filmmakers for generations to come.
Jean-Luc Godard. Art by George Wilson.
Many of Godard’s films felt like cinematic poetry and often explored characters who rejected traditional ways of life and society of the time. One of his most loved films, Pierrot le Fou, explores a hedonistic couple living as nomads and committing crimes to get by. Vivra Sa Vie (starring Godard’s then-wife, Anna Karina), tells the melancholic story of a young woman whose attempt to become a famous movie star results in her descent into prostitution. Le Petit Soldat was deemed controversial at the time due to its strong political themes and villainous portrayal of the French government.
To give the context surrounding Jean-Luc Godard’s success, we first must look at what cinema was like in his early life and career. At this time (1930s onwards to the mid 1960s), the behemoth of the original American Studio System had grown significantly and consequently monopolised the film industry. This meant that filmmakers at the time had to follow many restricting rules, and were forced to make films solely to make money and entertain the masses. Innovation was stifled for profit- a situation unfortunately similar to our own creative climate, with the existence of streaming giants and the original studios. Actors were traded between studios like the world’s most expensive Pokémon cards, where the majority of stars were contracted to work for a particular studio, but were loaned out to competitors as and when they were needed.
Anna Karina in Vivre Sa Vie (1962)
In Europe at the time, Godard was writing in Les Cahiers du Cinéma. A social revolution was afoot- media was becoming increasingly liberal and resistant to the stifling systems in place, and American giants were struggling to keep audiences in their clutches as independent filmmakers were educated in film schools and wanting to create without limitations.
The French New Wave (‘Nouvelle Vague’ in its mother tongue) was a direct resistance to these archaic customs set by the Hollywood system. A lot of the films embraced modernity and were the complete opposite of the family-friendly studio films that were pumped out in America. An example of Godard’s is the aforementioned Vivre Sa Vie, where Nana meets an unfortunate end being shot by someone associated with her pimp, just as we- and Nana herself- are led to believe things are finally getting better for her. Films of this nature would never have been approved under the strict guidelines of Hollywood, unless of course it had been a fairy tale with a happy ending.
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina in Pierrot le Fou (1965)
The effects of the New Wave of Cinema on today’s filmmakers is undeniable. Creatives such as Godard and other auteurs (Truffaut and Renais, for example) completely revolutionised the way film was made and viewed. Then and now, their films have had a very niche audience, mostly composed of aspiring filmmakers and those who are uninterested by corporate money-grabs made by the big studios. Often these two fields overlap. Unlike previously, when solely actors involved in a project would draw out the crowds, directors now have their own cult followings- a good example being Quentin Tarantino, whose films fill cinemas the moment they’re announced. Even amongst the corporate filmmakers, directors are seen as the main driving force for the film’s creativity. There is also now more support for using unknown actors in big commercial films, due greatly to New Wave filmmakers hiring those they knew, rather than looking externally. The introduction of auteurs to the world of cinema breathed new life into an industry which could have crashed and burned at the end of the Paramount Case. Instead, like a phoenix spawning from the ashes of filmmakers’ past, the French New Wave auteurs returned film to its origins- a space for creatives to do as they wished, as they had done before the studios became the main driving force.
The impact which Godard and his contemporaries had on cinema was profound, stretching from its roots in France to all over the world. There are no excuses for how he was as an individual, however there is no doubt that the effect Jean-Luc Godard had on cinema (as both a practice and an academic discipline) changed it forever. His influence and legacy will continue to inspire filmmakers for decades to come.
About The Authors: George Wilson (he/him)
Hi, I'm George. I am a third year Film Production student, aiming to do an MA in Graphic Design and I am the Head of Design for Spyglass. In my free time I enjoy video games, digital art and anime :)
Kearin Green (she/her)
Hi, I’m Kearin and I am the magazine’s Welfare Officer! I am a second year Film Production student and am currently committed to using our support platform to give mental health a louder voice at our university. I also write about cinema, political issues, humour pieces and whatever comes to mind.
(This piece was edited by Amber Turner-Brightman)
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