Point of View and Interpretations

Point of view plays a much more key role in filmmaking than one may think. Usually the entire plot of a film is based on one character's point of view and interpretation of the occurring events. When seeing a film, the audience probably does not dote on the semiotics of the movie, but it is very important to understand how the interpretation of symbols affects the meaning of the film. 

In He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, the main feature of the film (the shock that Angelique has a distorted view of reality) is carried out by first showing Angelique's point of view, and then Loic's. We see how two people can have very different interpretations of the exact same events, conversations, symbols, etc. For instance, when Loic drove Angelique home, she thought it was because the two were having an affair, while Loic simply thought he was doing a favor for his neighbor's house-sitter. The idea that there are infinite interpretations of the same thing ties in with Saussure's theory of the sign. He theorized that no sign has one definite meaning, but that meaning is created only after someone else gives an interpretation. For instance, whereas the viewer of the film may see the plethora of hearts and flowers in the scene of the opening credits and think of love and romance, upon seeing the movie a second time, they might think of overwhelming obsession. This is because they have a different point of view after they have seen what actually happens in the film. 

Alfred Hitchcock's film Rear Window also ties into the subject of points of view and symbols and their meanings. Jimmy Stewart's character has a point of view drastically different from that of the people around him when he believes that his neighbor committed murder. When he sees that his neighbor stops his dog from digging in the garden, he's sees this as a sign that there is a body buried beneath the soil. However, to someone with a different point of view, the neighbor simply might not want the dog to ruin the flowers. Because the film takes place only in the main character's apartment, his viewpoint provides the main action of the movie. However, if the film were based on the viewpoint of the murderous neighbor, it would be a very different film. 

Because point of view is so important for a story line, many other filmmakers have also used it to their advantage to create interesting plots. For instance, in the movie Pulp Fiction, the film follows the lives of several different characters who are all interconnected, whether they know it or not. By changing the point of view every so often, the audience can see the bigger meaning of the movie, which is that one person's actions can affect many other people. This use of point of view actually seems to be very popular, as it is also used in the movies Shortcuts, Go, and Vantage Point to name just a few. 

It is obvious that the point of view and individual interpretations of symbols play a very important role in the art of filmmaking.

Influences of the French New Wave on Modern Filmmaking

The French New Wave can most definitely still influence the filmmakers of today. The themes that were espoused in French New Wave films could be seen as being even more relevant today, as our world is currently speeding further towards conditions that need criticisms the most. For instance, in Goddard's film Breathless, one character says that she doesn't want to be an actress because she would have to "sleep with" too many people in the process, implying that whatever talents she would contribute to cinema would not be sufficient alone. This commentary on the movie industry is still relevant because since Breathless, women continue to be objectified as sex objects, and our society's obsession with physical beauty seems to be higher than ever. Hollywood almost exclusively casts leading ladies or love interest as women who are obviously physically above average, and who do not represent reality. It is not be surprising that some modern-day filmmakers borrow the tendency of French New Wave directors to criticize social issues. In the movie The Stepford Wives, we can see a commentary on the expectations that women will be "perfect," and serve only as objects from which men will get pleasure. The act that the 1973 version was remade in 2004 only serves to prove that filmmakers are still very much interested in this issue, and that they are using cinema to express it. 

In addition, the directors of France's movement in cinema disliked typical, predictable, feel-good films. Today, we have so many mindless movies that come out of Hollywood, much like the ones that the directors criticized in Cahiers du Cinema. However, some recent directors have tried to move away from typical Hollywood, and have taken on more avant garde qualities, that reflect French New Wave films. For example, Stanley Kubrick was known for making movies that were "weird," and sometimes hard to understand. In the 1999 film Eyes Wide Shut, he utilizes very lengthy scenes, much like in Breathless, to the point where one major criticism of the film was that the scenes were so tedious. The film also is not sugar-coated like many mainstream movies, and has a real-life quality, similar to New Wave films in which it seemed at times that the actors were improvising. Eyes Wide Shut has scenes of conversations that appear to be very real and relaxed, just like in Breathless. Kubrick's film also leaves one unsure of exactly what happened in the story, or what is going to happen later for the characters. This is much like the New Wave film 300 Blows, in which the audience must decide for themselves what the outcome is for the young boy who has just escaped from reformatory school. 

It is obvious that the directors of the French New Wave started a way of filmmaking that continues to influence many modern day directors.