NOUVELLE VAGUE Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Richard Linklater
Stars: Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, Aubry Dullin, Bruno Dreyfurst, Adrien Rouyard, Antoine Besson, Frank Cicurel, Jonas Marmy, Come Thieulin, Tom November, Laurent Mothe.
French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard famously said that all you need to make a movie was a gun and a girl. Godard was formerly a film critic writing for the influential Cahiers du Cinema paper alongside contemporaries including Claude Chabrol, Agnes Varda, Francoise Truffaut, Eric Rohmer, Jacques Demy, etc, many of whom had already made their directorial breakthrough. Godard made his feature film directorial debut with his influential 1960 gangster movie Breathless, which is regarded as one of the great movies of the twentieth century. Breathless was based on a short treatment written by Truffaut and was based on the story of a gangster named Michel Portail, who stole a car and went on the run with his American girlfriend.
The film cemented the popularity of the so-called new wave of French cinema, which heavily influenced many Hollywood filmmakers in the late 1960s. The success of films such as Breathless enabled the new wave movement to flourish. The film also launched the career of little-known French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, transforming him into a global star.
Encouraged by no less a filmmaking giant than Roberto Rossellini himself, Godard eschewed many of the conventions of filmmaking when he made Breathless. He shot largely on location, jump cuts, had little rehearsal time, and shot only one or two takes. His filmmaking was also shaped by constant rewrites and disregard for continuity. It was an approach that unsettled imported American star Jean Seberg, who struggled with Godard’s unconventional and erratic approach to the craft, and many times wanted to leave the movie.
Nouvelle Vague is the latest film from Oscar winning writer/director Richard Linklater (Boyhood, etc), and he replicates the experimental nature of Godard’s breakthrough film and his chaotic approach to filmmaking. Written by Holly Gent and Vincent Palmo jr (Me And Orson Welles, etc), and Michele Petin it gives us insights behind the scenes of the making of Breathless. Petin also knew Godard personally and, in 2021, was one of the last people to interview him, so she is able to bring some intimate insights and details to the material. To bring authenticity to the film Linklater and his cinematographer David Chambille (Kitchen Brigade, etc) have shot the movie in glorious black and white and the old Academy ratio. Linklater uses subtitles to introduce to the rich gallery of real-life characters portrayed in the film. He gives the material an almost documentary like realism.
Nouvelle Vague is an homage to the filmmaking process itself, but it is also a study of the creative process and an eye-opening glimpse into this influential and creative period of filmmaking. Katia Wyszkop’s production design is excellent and captures the look of the era; especially good is the recreation of the cluttered offices of Cahiers du Cinema, where the walls are lined with film posters and the writers tap away on their old typewriters.
Like Godard himself, Linklater has cast largely unknown actors in key roles. Guillaume Marbeck, a former model making his feature film debut here, plays Godard, and he captures the filmmaker’s iconic look with his sunglasses and cool grey suits. He brings swagger to his role. Zoey Deutch (from Juror #2, etc) brings a perky quality to the performance as the often-bewildered Seberg. Aubry Dullin also makes his feature film debut here, and he brings a suitably brooding quality to his performance as the young Belmondo. Bruno Dreyfurst plays Godard’s increasingly frustrated and long-suffering producer Georges de Beauregarde, who helped raised the funding and finance for the low budget film.
Nouvelle Vague is certainly a film for cineastes and fans of French cinema, and this period in particular, however it may be a bit too artistic in nature for a mainstream audience raised on a diet of Hollywood blockbusters.
★★★
