Long takes were common, for example, the street scene in A Bout de Souffle. Long takes have become particularly associated with the films of Jacques Rivette. The use of real-time was also common, for example, in Varda's Cléo de 5 á 7, in which the screen duration and the plot duration both extend two hours, and in the slice-of-life scenes in Godard's Vivre Sa Vie (1962). These two films are also both firmly shot in the present tense, a common feature of French New Wave films generally. The films tended to have loosely constructed scenarios, with many unpredictable elements and sudden shifts in tone, often giving the audience the impression that anything might happen next. They were also distinctive for having open endings, with situations being left unresolved. Truffaut's Les Quatre Cent Coups is typical in ending ambiguously, with the protagonist Antoine on a beach caught in freeze-frame looking at the camera. The acting was a marked departure from much that had gone before. The actors were encouraged to improvise their lines, or talk over each others lines as would happens in real-life. In A Bout de Souffle this leads to lengthy scenes of inconsequential dialogue, in opposition to the staged speeches of much traditional film acting. Monologues were also used, for example in Godard's Charlotte and her Bloke (1959); as were voice-overs expressing a character's inner feelings, as in Rohmer's La Boulangère Du Monceau. The actors in these films were not big stars prior to the French New Wave, but a group of stars soon became associated with the films including Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean-Pierre Léaud and Jeanne Moreau. Women were often given strong parts, that did not conform to the archetypal roles seen in most Hollywood cinema, for example, Jeanne Moreau in Truffaut's Jules et Jim (1962) and Corinne Marchand in Varda's Cléo de 5 á 7. French New Wave cinema was a personal cinema. The film-makers were writers who were skilful at examining relationships and telling humane stories. Truffaut's films were particularly autobiographical. His first full-length film Les Quatre Cents Coups drew upon his early life, and the life-story of the main character Antoine Doinel was developed through three subsequent films: Antoine et Colette (1962), Baisers Volés (1968) and Domicile Conjugal (1970). The Nouvelle Vague film-makers, being critics, were very knowledgeable about cinema. Their films incorporated elements of American genres, for example, film noir in A Bout de Souffle, the gangster movie in Tirez le Pianiste and the thriller and the musical in Godard's Bande á Part (1964). They also frequently contained references to particular Hollywood stars or films by American auteurs. In A Bout de Souffle, for example, Jean-Paul Belmondo models himself on Humphrey Bogart, while Malle's Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud (1957) and several of Claude Chabrol's films make reference to Hitchcock. The American jazz music that was popular in Paris at the time also featured in some of the films, for example, the Miles Davis score for Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud. The French New Wave directors were prolific film-makers. The five Cahiers directors (Truffaut, Godard, Chabrol, Rivette and Rohmer) made 32 films between 1959 and 1966. Although the films represented a radical departure from traditional cinema, and where aimed at a young intellectual audience, many of them achieved a measure of critical and financial success, gaining a broad audience both in France and abroad. Truffaut's Les Quatre Cent Coups, for example, won the Grand Prize at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, while A Bout de Souffle was a big European box office hit. This contributed to the growing influence of these directors. After 1964 the experimentation elements of the French New Wave were already starting to become assimilated into mainstream cinema. The directors meanwhile diverged in style and developed their own distinct cinematic voices. Truffaut incorporated more traditional elements in his films, for example, while Godard became increasingly political and radical in his film-making during
The acting was a marked departure from much that had gone before. The actors were encouraged to improvise their lines, or talk over each others lines as would happens in real-life. In A Bout de Souffle this leads to lengthy scenes of inconsequential dialogue, in opposition to the staged speeches of much traditional film acting. Monologues were also used, for example in Godard's Charlotte and her Bloke (1959); as were voice-overs expressing a character's inner feelings, as in Rohmer's La Boulangère Du Monceau. The actors in these films were not big stars prior to the French New Wave, but a group of stars soon became associated with the films including Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean-Pierre Léaud and Jeanne Moreau. Women were often given strong parts, that did not conform to the archetypal roles seen in most Hollywood cinema, for example, Jeanne Moreau in Truffaut's Jules et Jim (1962) and Corinne Marchand in Varda's Cléo de 5 á 7.
French New Wave cinema was a personal cinema. The film-makers were writers who were skilful at examining relationships and telling humane stories. Truffaut's films were particularly autobiographical. His first full-length film Les Quatre Cents Coups drew upon his early life, and the life-story of the main character Antoine Doinel was developed through three subsequent films: Antoine et Colette (1962), Baisers Volés (1968) and Domicile Conjugal (1970).
The Nouvelle Vague film-makers, being critics, were very knowledgeable about cinema. Their films incorporated elements of American genres, for example, film noir in A Bout de Souffle, the gangster movie in Tirez le Pianiste and the thriller and the musical in Godard's Bande á Part (1964). They also frequently contained references to particular Hollywood stars or films by American auteurs. In A Bout de Souffle, for example, Jean-Paul Belmondo models himself on Humphrey Bogart, while Malle's Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud (1957) and several of Claude Chabrol's films make reference to Hitchcock. The American jazz music that was popular in Paris at the time also featured in some of the films, for example, the Miles Davis score for Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud.
The French New Wave directors were prolific film-makers. The five Cahiers directors (Truffaut, Godard, Chabrol, Rivette and Rohmer) made 32 films between 1959 and 1966. Although the films represented a radical departure from traditional cinema, and where aimed at a young intellectual audience, many of them achieved a measure of critical and financial success, gaining a broad audience both in France and abroad. Truffaut's Les Quatre Cent Coups, for example, won the Grand Prize at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, while A Bout de Souffle was a big European box office hit. This contributed to the growing influence of these directors. After 1964 the experimentation elements of the French New Wave were already starting to become assimilated into mainstream cinema. The directors meanwhile diverged in style and developed their own distinct cinematic voices. Truffaut incorporated more traditional elements in his films, for example, while Godard became increasingly political and radical in his film-making during
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