The Fifties and Sixties: The “qualité française” and New Wave Cinema

1. The Fifties and Sixties:The “qualité française” and New Wave Cinema Patricia L. Pecoy MLL 235

2. New Society,New Cinema • The “thirty glorious years” – 1945-1975 • Upheavals • Loss of the colonies • The War in Algeria • Urbanization • Society of consumers • The birth of the 5th Republic

3. The Loss of the Colonies • 1954 – defait at Dien Bien Phu – end of the French occupation of Indochina • 1954-1962 – The Algerian War • 1956 – Morocco, Tunisia, Madagascar and the African colonies begin the march towards independence • 1957 – the treaty of Rome – beginning of the Common Market (which leads eventually to the European Union) • 1962 – The Evian Agreemants • Signal the end of the war in Algeria and forces the “pieds noirs” to return to France • Algeria becomes independent

4. In France • People leave the countryside and flock to the urban centers • Standard of living improves • Consumers buy more; France exports more • 1958 – new constitution • Charles De Gaulle is elected president of the Vth Republic

5. Intellectual Changes • Jean-Paul Sartre and existentialism • He emphasizes the freedom of personal choice in a world that is absurd and devoid of all meaning

6. Intellectual Changes • Jacques Lacan • Psychoanalysis • His work focuses on the nature of the unconscious and the structure of language

7. Intellectual Changes • Claude Lévi-Strauss • Structuralism • Along with Lacan, he questions the place of the individual in society

8. Intellectual Changes • Roland Barthes • Semiotics, or the study of signs (signifiers, signified) • He questions the values of a society of consumers

9. Intellectual Changes • In literature: the “new novel” • Rejects coherent narration and detailed, logical descriptions • Emphasizes instead the insistence on the most minor details (which brings to mind the extreme close up of cinema) and incoherent and illogical chronologies

10. Other Changes • Modern architecture is born • Skyscrapers • HLM – often with little regard for the future occupant • Ex: the Cité radieuse in Marseille

11. HLM

12. HLM • HLM = habitation à loyer modéré • Low cost housing, financed in part by the government • In 2008, 17% of all French housing consisted of HLMs • The construction of HLMs began immediately after the war in order to replace buildings that had been destroyed and to provide lodging for those who arrived from the counryside (including immigrants) to work in the city

13. Changes in the Arts: Rock Johnny Hallyday Sylvie Vartan

14. Changes in the Arts: Abstract Art • The ceiling of the Opéra Garnier by Marc Chagall (1964)

15. May ‘68 • Students and workers stage massive strikes • There are demonstrations all over France • Nearly 10 million people participated in the demonstrations

16. May 1968 • Students demanded reforms in the educational system • Workers demanded an increase in the minimum wage • Result: President DeGaulle resigns

17. The Cinema Reflects and Attacksthe Society of De Gaulle • Saturday night movies (“la qualité française”) continue • These films remain light and reflect mass culture • Comedies, thrillers, melodramas remain popular • They emphasize dialogue, traditional “heroes,” screenplays adapted from literary works, classic film editing techniques

18. The Nature of the 7th Art is Questioned • Journalists, critics, film lovers • Films are considered to be cultural phenomenons • Film clubs, art houses flourish • Ex: La Cinémathèque française • Screenings of films are followed by discussions and debates

19. Film criticism… • Journals devoted to film begin to appear • L’Ecran français • Les Cahiers du cinéma • Films of the 30s are critiqued • “le cinéma de papa” (“your father’s cinema !)

20. The New Wave • The new films are the product of this new generation of youth • A survey done by Françoise Giroud in L’Express (1957) asked a series of 24 questions to young people ranging in age from 18 to 24 in order to try to understand them (What is the most pressing problem for France? Are you happy? Do you think your generation will have a true influence on the future of France?) • The new generation = the new wave

21. Films of the New Wave • The films of the New Wave are distinguished most of all by their visual and formal style • The film editing once used in the “cinéma de qualité” is replaced by new film editing techniques

22. Techniques of the New Wave • False cuts • Stops on images • Montages • Many scenes filmed outside • Light, modern cameras • Lengthy scenes (ex: scene in the bedroom in Breathless) • Sound tracks recorded outside and in real time

23. Results of these techniques • They tend to create a critical distance between the spectator and the film (which was hardly desirable in a classical narration in which one invites the spectator to identify with the characters in the film) • The emphasis on the visual aspect allows the spectator to think about the themes of the film, the genre of the film, and the relationship between the viewer, the film and the director

24. A Youthful Cinema • The new generation = the youth • Filmmakers themselves are young (30-ish) • The notion of “auteur” becomes primary

25. François Truffaut • Article: “Une certaine tendance du cinéma français” (Cahiers du cinéma, January 1954) • En français • En anglais (translation) • He criticizes the film industry • The films “de qualité” are based on literary works • In these films, words are overutilized and images are underutilized in telling a story

26. François Truffaut“Une certaine tendance …” • The same screenwriters repeat the same themes, he says • Thus, all the films look alike • The psychological study of characters becomes formulaic • According to Truffaut, the filmmaker should represent the world according to his own point of view

27. François TruffautThe 400 Blows • The adventures of Antoine Doinel • The first in a series of five films about Doinel • Film is autobiographical • He presents the faults of Doinel as well as his more positive traits • For Truffaut, it is more “real”

28. The New Wave • For the majority of filmmakers, the New Wave does not last a long time • It is a phenomenon of short duration, but an important one in the history of French cinema • Nonetheless, the influence of the New Wave can still be seen today