NEW WAVE PARIS: PARIS VU PAR
The story of the French New Wave is intimately linked to the city of Paris. The birthplace of François Truffaut and Claude Chabrol, and exerting a magnetic attraction for Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette, Paris was at the very heart of their desire for cinema. Their generation re-enchanted long neglected urban spaces, and filmed ordinary people going about their lives.
Melville lead the way with Bob le Flambeur, shot in 1955 in Montmartre and Pigalle. Louis Malle in turn opened up new possibilities with Lift to the Scaffold 1958, using new sensitive film stock to shoot Jeanne Moreau wandering in the rain through nocturnal streets. The Cahier du Cinéma group took equal possession of iconic Paris (the Eiffel Tower, Sacré Coeur, the Arc de Triomphe) and ordinary places (streets, squares, parks, cafes) in order to grasp the character of the city, by day and by night.
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The Cousins (Les Cousins) 1958 Ages 15+
35MM, 112 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, GERMAN, LIVE SUBTITLING / CLAUDE CHABROL
Charles arrives in Paris to study law. He stays with his self-important cousin Paul, who is shameless in his pursuit of pleasure at whatever cost. Charles is smitten by Florence, who he meets in the Latin Quarter. Chabrol dissects bourgeois life in Paris and paints an uncompromising picture of a society in which power and money cancel out human feeling.
Sat 8 Sep 2.30pm (with The Overworked) / Cinema A |
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The Good Girls (Les Bonnes Femmes) 1960 Ages 15+
35MM, 93 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE/ITALY, FRENCH, LIVE SUBTITLING / CLAUDE CHABROL
Four young shop attendants in a home appliances store near the Bastille try to escape the monotony and mediocrity of their lives. When first released in France, Chabrol’s fourth feature was restricted to viewers over 18 because it was deeply pessimistic.
Fri 26 Oct 6.00pm / Cinema A |
Wise Guys (Les Godelureaux) 1961 Ages 15+
35MM, 99 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, LIVE SUBTITLING / CLAUDE CHABROL
The Café de Flore on Boulevard Saint-Germain is the regular meeting place of an idle band out to enforce their authority. The young Ronald is the victim of the group’s humour and prepares his revenge. He enlists the help of a woman with generous curves and loose morals. As in The Cousins, Chabrol punctures the veneer of decadent, bourgeois society.
Sat 8 Sep 12 noon (with All the Boys Are Called Patrick) / Cinema A.
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Paris Vu Par 1965 Ages 15+
16MM, 95 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / CLAUDE CHABROL, JEAN DOUCHET, JEAN-LUC GODARD, JEAN-DANIEL POLLET, ERIC ROHMER, JEAN ROUCH
Paris through the eyes of six major figures of French cinema, each offering a sometimes cynical look at part of the city: the rue Saint-Denis, the Gare du Nord, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Place de l’Etoile, Montparnasse and the Muette district. Shot on 16mm film and with synchronised sound, this anthology film is a New Wave manifesto.
Sat 27 Oct 4.30pm / Cinema A |
The Overworked (Les Surmenés) 1960 Ages 15+
35MM, 21 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, LIVE SUBTITLING / JACQUES DONIOL-VALCROZE
On her way to Paris by train, a woman is approached by an elegant and engaging man. When she discovers the attractions and heady pace of life in the capital, the quiet life that awaits her back home with her fiancé seems far too dull.
Sat 8 Sep 2.30pm (with The Cousins) / Cinema A
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Bad Company (Les Mauvaises Frequentations) 1964 Ages 15+
16MM, 40 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, LIVE SUBTITLING / JEAN EUSTACHE
One autumn Sunday in Paris, two young men with nothing to do wander from cafe to cafe; their path crosses that of a young woman and they try to seduce her. Jean Eustache’s first film, shot with light 16mm camera equipment and synchronised sound in the streets of Montmartre and around François Truffaut’s much-loved Place Clichy, is characteristic of the New Wave.
Thu 11 Oct 12 noon (with Santa Claus Has Blue Eyes) / Cinema A |
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All the Boys Are Called Patrick (Tous Les Garçons s’Appelle Patrick) 1958 Ages 15+
35MM, 21 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / JEAN-LUC GODARD / PRINT SOURCE: NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE, CANBERRA
In the Luxembourg Gardens, two girls are romanced by a boy who is well-versed in the game of seduction. Jean-Luc Godard’s first film, scripted by Eric Rohmer, is fresh and freewheeling.
Sat 8 Sep 12 noon (with Wise Guys) / Cinema A
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A Story of Water (Une Histoire d’Eau) 1958 Ages 15+
16MM, 18 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / JEAN-LUC GODARD, FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT
On her way to Paris, a student is caught in a flood but is given a lift by a young man who is intent on seducing her. Using footage of a real flood shot by François Truffaut, Godard presents a montage of images and sound and begins to reveal his distinctive style: fragmented narrative, frequent digressions and the creative use of voice-over.
Sun 28 Oct 1.00pm (with Alphaville) / Cinema A |
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Charlotte and Her Jules (Charlotte et Son Jules) 1958 Ages 15+
16MM, 13 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / JEAN-LUC GODARD
Charlotte arrives in a convertible with her new boyfriend to pay a visit to her ex, Jules, who launches into a delightful monologue, convinced that she can not live without him. A short film with a fresh and spontaneous feel.
Sat 1 Sep 2.30pm (with Breathless) / Cinema A |
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Breathless (À Bout de Souffle) 1959 Ages 15+
35MM, 90 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / JEAN-LUC GODARD
Michel Poicard, a young delinquent on the run from the police, desperately tries to win the heart of an American student who sells the New York Herald Tribune on the Champs Elysées. Shot exclusively on location with a lightweight camera, Breathless shatters conventional cinematic grammar with its use of direct-to-camera shots and jump cuts. With this bold film, Godard delivers the artistic manifesto of the New Wave.
Fri 31 Aug 6.00pm / Cinema A
Sat 1 Sep 2.30pm (with Charlotte and Her Jules) / Cinema A |
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A Woman Is a Woman (Une Femme est une Femme) 1961 Ages 15+
35MM, 84 MINS, COLOUR, MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / JEAN-LUC GODARD
Angela, a young and attractive stripper, lives with her boyfriend Emile. She wants to have a child, but he insists on waiting. In the face of his repeated refusals, she threatens to turn instead to their mutual friend Alfred. The working-class district of the Faubourg Saint-Denis provides the backdrop of this energetic comic tragedy in which Godard brilliantly parodies French farce in the tradition of Marivaux, while also referencing American musical comedy.
Fri 30 Nov 12 noon / Cinema A |
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Alphaville: The Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution (Alphaville: Une Étrange Aventure de Lemmy Caution) 1965 Ages 15+
35MM, 99 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE/ITALY, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / JEAN-LUC GODARD
Lemmy Caution, celebrated detective from the ‘outlands’, infiltrates the futuristic city of Alphaville on a mission to persuade Professor von Braun to leave this dehumanised megalopolis controlled by a dictatorial artificial intelligence. Alphaville is in fact Paris, but a Paris undergoing massive transformations with its glass towers, concrete structures and ring road.
Sat 28 Oct 1.00pm (with A Story of Water) / Cinema A
Wed 7 Nov 6.00pm / Cinema A |
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Lift to the Scaffold (Ascenseur Pour l’Échafaud) 1958 PG
35MM, 88 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / LOUIS MALLE
Julien has murdered the husband of his beautiful mistress, Florence Carala, carrying out the perfect crime until he finds himself stuck in a lift. Meanwhile, two young lovers steal his car. Jeanne Moreau’s nocturnal wanderings through the streets of Paris in the rain are rendered unforgettable by the bewitching strains of Miles Davis.
Fri 7 Sep 8.00pm / Cinema A |
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Bob le Flambeur 1956 Ages 15+
35MM, 98 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / JEAN-PIERRE MELVILLE
Bob, an ex-crook, now devotes his life to his passion for gambling. Finding himself short of money, he decides to risk one last hit. In this film noir shot in the streets and cabarets of Montmartre and Pigalle, Melville captures the genre’s nocturnal ambiance and delivers a finely wrought thriller imbued with realism and poetry.
Fri 7 Sep 6.00pm / Cinema A |
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The Chasers (Les Dragueurs) 1959 Ages 15+
35MM, 80 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, LIVE SUBTITLING / JEAN-PIERRE MOCKY
Like every Saturday night, Freddy cruises Paris with his friends. He meets Joseph, a shy yet romantic young man who he takes him under his wing. From the banks of the Seine to Montmartre and the Champs Elysées, Jean-Pierre Mocky films the sad and disillusioned nocturnal sexual quest of these two young men.
Sun 28 Oct 3.00pm / Cinema A |
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Le Coup du Berger 1956 Ages 15+
16MM, 28 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, LIVE SUBTITLING / JACQUES RIVETTE
A woman unfaithful to her husband finds herself at the other end of the equation. Produced by Pierre Braunberger and shot in the apartment of Claude Chabrol, who co-wrote the script, Le Coup du Berger is considered to mark the birth of the New Wave. It also features furtive appearances by François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard in the last sequence.
Sun 2 Sep 2.00pm (with The Sign of Leo) / Cinema A
Thu 6 Sep 12 noon (with Paris Belongs to Us) / Cinema A |
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The Sign of Leo (Le Signe du Lion) 1959 Ages 15+
35MM, 103 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, LIVE SUBTITLING / ERIC ROHMER
An American musician lives a bohemian life in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. When he finds out that he is about to inherit a large fortune, he spends all his savings. Alone and penniless, he wanders through Paris in the sunshine. In his first feature, Eric Rohmer sets out to realistically describe a man’s gradual descent into destitution.
Sun 2 Sep 2.00pm (with Le Coup du Berger) / Cinema A |
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The Baker of Monceau (La Boulangère de Monceau) 1962 Ages 15+
16MM, 23 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / ERIC ROHMER
After weeks of hesitation, a young student finally dares to approach a girl he sees every morning walking down the rue de Villiers. She suddenly disappears, however, and he is left to roam the nearby streets in the hope of finding her. While he searches, he starts flirting with the counter girl at a local bakery. The first of Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales, this story is a reflection on games of love and seduction.
Sat 27 Oct 2.30pm (with Suzanne’s Career + Nadja à Paris) / Cinema A
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The Punishment (La Punition) 1962 Ages 15+
16MM, 58 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / JEAN ROUCH
The Punishment follows a day in the life of a teenage girl expelled from her high school. As she wanders through the streets and parks of Paris, she meets a number of men and considers what meaning she can find in life. The spirit of cinéma-vérité suffuses this largely improvised film. Each new encounter in the film is an opportunity for Rouch to challenge the cosy bourgeois existence of his protagonists. The city with its many faces, shot by day and by night, lies at the heart of the film.
Thu 25 Oct 12 noon (with The 15-Year-Old Widows) / Cinema A |
The 15-Year-Old Widows (Les Veuves de 15 Ans) 1966 Ages 15+
16MM, 25 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, LIVE SUBTITLING / JEAN ROUCH
The 15-Year-Old Widows explores the daily life of two girls from the rich suburbs of Paris who are looking for love and happiness among friends and family. Presented as a portrait of adolescent girls in the summer of 1964 in Paris, the film underlines the carelessness and frivolity of bourgeois youth in the 1960s.
Thu 25 Oct 12 noon (with The Punishment) / Cinema A
The 400 Blows (Les 400 Coups) 1959 PG
35MM, 99 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT
Playing up in class and neglected by his parents, Antoine Doinel skips school and runs away from home before being placed in a reform school. In his first feature, which is largely autobiographical, Truffaut revisits the streets of his childhood — the Place Clichy and its vicinity — and unleashes Jean-Pierre Léaud, who is luminous as the freedom-loving Paris street kid. It won Best Director Award at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival.
Sun 2 Sep 6.00pm / Cinema A
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Antoine et Collette 1962 Ages 15+ from Love at Twenty (L’Amour à Vingt Ans) 1962
35MM, 32 MINS, B. & W., MONO, FRANCE, FRENCH, LIVE SUBTITLING / FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT
Antoine Doinel, the street kid from The 400 Blows, is now in his teens. He meets Colette at a concert and falls in love with her. She sees him only as a friend. In this second instalment of the Antoine Doinel series, originally commissioned for the anthology film Love at Twenty, François Truffaut returns to the Place Clichy to paint a poignant portrait of young, unrequited love.
Sun 23 Sep 3.00pm (with Stolen Kisses) / Cinema A |
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Cleo from 5 to 7 (Cléo de 5 à 7) 1962 Ages 15+
35MM, 90 MINS, B. & W., COLOUR, MONO, FRANCE/ITALY, FRENCH, SUBTITLED / AGNÈS VARDA
Cleo, a popular young singer, awaits medical examination results. Fearing cancer, she walks the streets of Montparnasse and the Parc Montsouris, meeting friends and encountering strangers. Varda films Cleo’s wanderings in real time and reveals the true character of the people she meets at this crucial moment. Varda shot this moving portrait in her own neighbourhood.
Wed 5 Sep 6.00pm / Cinema A |
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New Wave Paris: Paris Vu Par curated by Gilles Rousseau (Forum des Images, Paris), with accompanying film notes. |
