Italian Neorealism and French New Wave

In class we talked about neorealism and French New Wave. Italian Neorealism is is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class. They were often filmed on location and frequently used nonprofessional actors. Famous directors who helped developed this style are Michelangelo Antonioni, Luchino Visconti, Gianni Puccini, Cesare Zavattini, Giuseppe De Santis and Pietro Ingrao. The first neorealist film was “Ossessione” by Luchino Visconti in 1943. It became famous globally in 1946 with Roberto Rosselini’s “Roma, citta aperta.” Neo-realism eventually went on to influence another type of film movement known as French New Wave.

French New Wave came about in the 1950s and 60s. It was influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. These directors were experimental in their films. They rejected the normal conventions of filmmaking and tried new things such as with editing, themes, and shot compositions. Some famous directors include Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut.
In class, we watched scenes from the film “Breathless.” It was made in 1960 by director Jean-Luc Godard. It was his first-feature length film and one of the first ever created in the French New Wave era. It is about a small-time thief who steals a car and murders a police officer. It is also a love-story as he tries to renew his relationship with his old flame Patricia. It won the silver Berlin Bear for director Jean-Luc Godard.