Unconventional and artistically innovative filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, well-known as a French New Wave movement member, has passed away. He was 91. French President Emmanuel Macron, who lauded Godard for creating a stubbornly contemporary, fiercely liberated art, announced the director’s passing. Macron stated on Twitter that the nation is sacrificing its asset, a sight of genius.
Masterpieces by Godard
Godard consistently challenged established filmmaking practices. Through art-house masterpieces like “Breathless” (1960), “Band of Outsiders” (1964), and “Alphaville,” he thrilled, aroused, and occasionally perplexed viewers (1965). He explored hand-held camera movements, abrupt “jump cuts,” and other unconventional methods. That freely blended fiction and documentary approach encourage hordes of filmmakers worldwide to challenge established norms bravely.
The French New Wave, also called La Nouvelle Vague, was started by Godard and colleagues like Francois Truffaut and Eric Rohmer. It was characterized by an eruption of avant-garde, loosely plotted, and witty self-reflexive films. His 1st full-length picture, “Breathless,” perfectly captured the spirit of the French new wave: it was jazzy, edgy, and brave. Godard played a virtually imperceptible third character while Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg were the stars, imprinting his presence on each shot.
Godard’s Career
Godard started his career as a critic in the 1950s. He rejected the stuffy conventions of European art film. He supported American directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Howard Hawks in a brave, extremely influential piece again for the journal Cahiers du Cinema.
Godard was well-known for his leftist political opinions, which influenced many of his previous works and occasionally made him a target for criticism. His ideas were influenced in part by his studies of Marxism and existentialism.
Godard has been steadily working over the past few years. He created challenging and enigmatic works like “Film Socialisme,” “Goodbye to Language,” and “The Image Book” that explore the new possibilities of digital technology.
