https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1044-truffaut-s-changing-times-the-last-metro
The Last Metro is an excellent example of layered storytelling. In this article, the author talks about how Truffaut uses the theater and the film to tell both a love story and a story about heroism. The play follows the story of a wife and her son's private tutor, who fall for one another while the husband is absent. Similarly, the main characters of the actual movie fall in love while Marion Steiner's husband is away. Truffaut parallels both realities so much that, during one scene towards the end of the film, he blends both realities together. The scene takes play after Bernard joins the resistance and is injured. Marion goes to visit him in a hospital and confesses her love for him, only to have him reject her. As the camera zooms out, we realize that we are no longer in a real hospital but back at the playhouse and Bernard is delivering the last lines of the play to the audience. The article ends by detailing the lasting legacy that Truffaut's technique of layered storytelling has had on both French and international cinema. 24 years later Deneuve and Depardieu reunite in André Téchiné's Changing Times. The closing scene of that movie also pays direct homage to Truffaut and his final scene.
mardi 15 octobre 2019
dimanche 13 octobre 2019
Discussion Post 10/13
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/11/movies/film-the-last-metro-melodrama-by-truffaut.html
This article, written during the release of Le Dernier Metro in 1980 provides a first hand view of the film during the time Truffaut was not only alive but still creating film. During a time when Truffaut’s other works were still fresh on the mind and the film scene was vastly different. In the 80s the French New Wave has just ended and “New Hollywood” had just begun. Directors from the experimental time had to chose to maintain for further their radical stances or to go with the times.
This article agrees with the sentiment Godard held, that Le Dernier Metro seems to blend more seamlessly with films of the time, abandoning some of the outright defiance of normality that Truffaut and fellow Auteurs were known for during the time. However certain aspects of Truffaut’s classic filmmaking such as odd camera angles or use of music and sound in a new way remains clearly prévenant in this film, even if he does embrace a more conventional narrative.
Another opinion this article takes is that this film is a bit too naive for its films grim subject matter.
There seems to be a glossing over of some of the more serious subject matters. And an isolation from the root of many of the issues which effect this film. This isolation is echoes by the theater as an insular setting. Truffaut justifies this as the nativity the film takes is similar to the nativity of children at the time, and particularly his own experience with the war which he could not have fully grasped in his childhood.
This article, written during the release of Le Dernier Metro in 1980 provides a first hand view of the film during the time Truffaut was not only alive but still creating film. During a time when Truffaut’s other works were still fresh on the mind and the film scene was vastly different. In the 80s the French New Wave has just ended and “New Hollywood” had just begun. Directors from the experimental time had to chose to maintain for further their radical stances or to go with the times.
This article agrees with the sentiment Godard held, that Le Dernier Metro seems to blend more seamlessly with films of the time, abandoning some of the outright defiance of normality that Truffaut and fellow Auteurs were known for during the time. However certain aspects of Truffaut’s classic filmmaking such as odd camera angles or use of music and sound in a new way remains clearly prévenant in this film, even if he does embrace a more conventional narrative.
Another opinion this article takes is that this film is a bit too naive for its films grim subject matter.
There seems to be a glossing over of some of the more serious subject matters. And an isolation from the root of many of the issues which effect this film. This isolation is echoes by the theater as an insular setting. Truffaut justifies this as the nativity the film takes is similar to the nativity of children at the time, and particularly his own experience with the war which he could not have fully grasped in his childhood.
Discussion Post 10.13
https://www.moviemaker.com/archives/moviemaking/directing/francois-truffaut-french-new-wave-video/
This article goes through the important role that François Truffaut played in the way films were made during the New Wave Cinema. One of the most interesting points made in this article was around the motivations behind the New Wave Cinema. It is often talked about how Francois Truffaut and other new wave directors rejected many of the "traditional" forms of directing during the new wave. This article explains why the new wave director felt the need to rejected. In the video attached to the article, Truffaut states that he "like cinema as it was, but felt it lacked sincerity" and "just wanted to improve it". I found this idea to be interesting because up to this point I believed that the motivation for the movement of new wave cinema was trying to completely change the way cinema was made.
The article mentions Truffaut's first film "Les 400 Coups". The film was autobiographical, but for Truffuat it was more than just a retelling of a certain part of his life. The article explains that this was a way for Truffaut to examine his own values, and convey what really mattered to him. This shows another very personal aspect of the films made during the New Wave. For this reason, I believe the New Wave became more appealing to the public. It was more than just a different way of filming, but it was also more sincere to the lives of the directors and probably the audience.
This article goes through the important role that François Truffaut played in the way films were made during the New Wave Cinema. One of the most interesting points made in this article was around the motivations behind the New Wave Cinema. It is often talked about how Francois Truffaut and other new wave directors rejected many of the "traditional" forms of directing during the new wave. This article explains why the new wave director felt the need to rejected. In the video attached to the article, Truffaut states that he "like cinema as it was, but felt it lacked sincerity" and "just wanted to improve it". I found this idea to be interesting because up to this point I believed that the motivation for the movement of new wave cinema was trying to completely change the way cinema was made.
The article mentions Truffaut's first film "Les 400 Coups". The film was autobiographical, but for Truffuat it was more than just a retelling of a certain part of his life. The article explains that this was a way for Truffaut to examine his own values, and convey what really mattered to him. This shows another very personal aspect of the films made during the New Wave. For this reason, I believe the New Wave became more appealing to the public. It was more than just a different way of filming, but it was also more sincere to the lives of the directors and probably the audience.
dimanche 6 octobre 2019
Discussion Post 10/7 -Cassie
https://bookandfilmglobe.com/film/the-french-new-wave-at-60/
In this article the French New Wave Cinema is revisited after 60 years. Now with cinemas drastically different, we can view the movement differently while keeping perspective on how it influences modern day film.
As the article says, while today the advents of the movement may seem common place, at the time of their arrival they were revolutionary. Changing both narrative and technique, the new wave morcèlent replaced the structure of old Hollywood, reinvigorating cinema for a wider audience. One of the primary goals of the movement was to bring cinema back to the people. Through accessibility but also by creating narratives that more people could relate to, that were therefore more believable, and also by giving voice to new artists.
The article details the history surrounding the movement including its leaders who were mostly film critics and how film criticism informed their film making process. New Wave cinema was highly analytical and was meant to be analyzed. In addition to the history of the artists, the article also focuses on the history of France and Europe st the time which was behind America culturally following WW2, heightening the influence of older movies such as Hitchcock and Orson Welles on filmmakers.
In this article the French New Wave Cinema is revisited after 60 years. Now with cinemas drastically different, we can view the movement differently while keeping perspective on how it influences modern day film.
As the article says, while today the advents of the movement may seem common place, at the time of their arrival they were revolutionary. Changing both narrative and technique, the new wave morcèlent replaced the structure of old Hollywood, reinvigorating cinema for a wider audience. One of the primary goals of the movement was to bring cinema back to the people. Through accessibility but also by creating narratives that more people could relate to, that were therefore more believable, and also by giving voice to new artists.
The article details the history surrounding the movement including its leaders who were mostly film critics and how film criticism informed their film making process. New Wave cinema was highly analytical and was meant to be analyzed. In addition to the history of the artists, the article also focuses on the history of France and Europe st the time which was behind America culturally following WW2, heightening the influence of older movies such as Hitchcock and Orson Welles on filmmakers.
Discussion post 07.10
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/the-french-new-wave-revolutionising-cinema/
The French New Wave was known as a time that completely changed the way films were made. IT began in the late 1950s and the techniques used are still being used today. This article goes through many important directors that transformed cinema. This includes François Truffaut, Alain Resnais Éric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette, and Jean-Luc Godard. The article speaks not only of the film techniques that defined the New Wave, but also the themes that were in the movies themselves.
The French New Wave was known as a time that completely changed the way films were made. IT began in the late 1950s and the techniques used are still being used today. This article goes through many important directors that transformed cinema. This includes François Truffaut, Alain Resnais Éric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette, and Jean-Luc Godard. The article speaks not only of the film techniques that defined the New Wave, but also the themes that were in the movies themselves.
dimanche 29 septembre 2019
Discussion Post 9/23
Méliès was a visionary first and foremost for seeing the potential for cinema as a long-lasting artform. While the Lumière Brothers could not foresee an industry for their art, Méliès was able to imagine the new frontier of entertainment.
“Méliès’ main contribution to cinema was in recognizing the possibilities of the medium for narrative and performance, combining traditional theatrical elements with motion pictures, seeking to present performances of a kind not possible in live theater. He created the basic vocabulary of special effects, manipulating and distorting time and space to create illusions of appearances, disappearances, using jump cuts and other complex special effects such as the first double exposure, the first split screen, the first overlapping dissolve, fade in fade out, stop motion photography and much more.”
In addition to the belief that cinema was captivating he built on his predecessors in technical achievements. In a truly scientific manner, Méliès experimented with film and created many of the techniques we use today in cinema. Although it seems common place to today’s audience, the effects of jump cuts, manipulation, and editing were discovered by Méliès. What interests me is that he was able to take the jump cut, which was an accident, and transform it into an artistic choice. From there narration itself changed, leading to deeper plots and advanced technological effects which furthered narratives in ways previously impossible using a single wide angle shot. It is the building on these bases which created the space for variants in style, tone, and even genre in film.
Discussion Post 9/29
The most obvious additions to Renoir’s full length film are the new complexity with which he uses his camera and the addition of speaking. Both aid to significantly highlight the sentiments of the film’s narratives while simultaneously deepening the impact on the audience of these moments. Camera shots such as the close up relay a heightened intensity of emotions, drawing the audience in and creating an intimate sensation.
While in moments of grandiosity we were able to view the entire picture.
Both members of the French and German army are shockingly magnanimous towards one another. This can be seen without the aid of camera techniques, but the beauty of a moment such as a German soldier cutting Marchel’s food can be showcased by closing in on their interaction out of a table of many men. Making this action seem more intimate and therefore more tender.
Apart from the addition of speech, to me, the effect which changed the viewing experience between this film and some of the earlier work we viewed in class such as Le Déshabillage Impossible or Le Voyage dans la Lune was the removal of most jump cuts. As mentioned in the article attached, Renoir and much of the New Wave directors used jump cuts, especially in the beginning of the movement. Renoir and Méliès utilise this technique in silent and short films to further the narrative and create a lively feeling. But in La Grande Illusion Renoir turns away from them to the advantage of this film. “Favoring fluidity and naturalism, Renoir typically chooses to change time periods by ellipses.” The naturalism spoke of in this quote is exactly what makes this film so enticing. And employing camera techniques more like that of the human eye allowed viewers to experience the film more organically, which in turn leads to a stronger connection to the message of the film. https://sites.psu.edu/fr138andrews/renoirs-camera/
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