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.