Tuesday, April 18, 2017
What's New About the New Wave
French New wave auteurs like Demy envisioned their films as a radical re-visoning of the static filmmaking of the French studio system. What experimental ideas or techniques did you notice in Umbrellas of Cherbourg (could you explain in some detail)? How do these experiments change the way we enjoy a film? Are they engaging or annoying? Do they bring meaning to the film? Do they make fun of the whole idea of bringing meaning to film?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
ReplyDeleteThe French New wave began as a way young film producers could present their movies in a way that broke away from the traditional movies of the time. This brought in many new experimental techniques. One example of this was the use of mise-en-scene. Almost all of the shots of Umbrellas of Cherbourg were filmed on location, not in a studio. Also, the use of bright colors in these locations also was an experimental technique used. For example, the set inside the umbrella shop had all of the walls painted bright colors. These different visual experiments changed the movie experience because it allowed the view to think about the significance of the bright colors and other visual effects. In my opinion these can be very engaging to the viewer, as it can bring some deeper meaning to the movie. For example, the bright colors in the umbrella shop could signify the false happiness that Genevieve is showing. I don’t think it as much makes fun of bringing meaning to film as much as it actually does bring meaning. Another experimental idea that was visually engaging was the effect of showing characters through reflections of mirrors. This was done several times through the movie, namely when Genevieve and her mother are talking in their shop.