Importance of French New Wave's influence upon British cinema

[CJ DeLarge]

I personally feel that French New Wave has had the biggest influence on British film since the 1960's, and has more or less shaped what we now feel is conventional British cinema. Do you think that New wave has had a lasting effect on British cinema. Has it had a bigger effect on U.S. cinema? Is there any particular film which stand out to you as a homage to New Wave?

[Mr Dean]

It's an interesting question. Undoubtedly the French New Wave had an impact on UK filmmaking –– but I'm not sure it was as great as you imply. I'm most conscious of the impact on filmmakers such as Tony Richardson. A film like A Taste of Honey is often cited as an hommage to Truffaut.

However, there has been a strong tendency to overemphasise the French New Wave over the British New Wave – partly I suspect because of a certain snobbery in Anglo-American film studies about British Cinema. It's worth remembering that Free Cinema in the UK predated the French New Wave (and invited some of the French filmmakers to take part). Other Europeans were quite as snotty about UK cinema as Truffaut and Godard. I've been watching some of the Czech New Wave films form the mid 1960s recently and they seem to me to be more influenced by British ideas about social realism than by the French New Wave, which some commentators claim. In turn, the Czech New Wave then made a big impact on both Lindsay Anderson and Ken Loach.

It also depends on what you mean by the French New Wave. As a journalist's term it referred to the phenomenon of 200 or more films by new young directors over four or five years from 1958-63. Most of those were never seen in the UK. If you mean the famous directors, their work was very varied. I think a film like Claude Chabrol's Les bonnes femmes (1960) could have fitted into the British New Wave (although darker than most British films), but I can't imagine anything in the UK quite like Lola (1961) or any other of Jacques Demy's films.

[rskershaw]

Originally Posted by CJ DeLarge I personally feel that French New Wave has had the biggest influence on British film since the 1960's, and has more or less shaped what we now feel is conventional British cinema. Do you think that New wave has had a lasting effect on British cinema. Has it had a bigger effect on U.S. cinema? Is there any particular film which stand out to you as a homage to New Wave?

You could argue that the MaCarthy refugees to the UK had more influence than the French New Wave.

[billy bentley]

Good point rickshaw, I would certainly agree that the blacklist refugees mark on British film has been indelible.

[rskershaw]

Originally Posted by billy bentley Good point rickshaw, I would certainly agree that the blacklist refugees mark on British film has been indelible.

You have rickshaws in NYC?

I suppose Wall Street has to keep up with Asia nowadays.

[billy bentley]

Practically, we have these contraptions called pedi-shaws or pedi-cabs or whatever. Basically some poor unfortunate soul pedals God knows who around the city in what I would describe as half bicycle/half rickshaw. Maybe I'm missing something, but to me the whole enterprise seems sad for both passenger and ???? mule/driver/slave/ idiot . I'll leave it to you.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by billy bentley Practically, we have these contraptions called pedi-shaws or pedi-cabs or whatever. Basically some poor unfortunate soul pedals God knows who around the city in what I would describe as half bicycle/half rickshaw. Maybe I'm missing something, but to me the whole enterprise seems sad for both passenger and ???? mule/driver/slave/ idiot . I'll leave it to you.

They're to be seen in London and a few other cities here as well. But I've never used one.

Steve

[rskershaw]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook They're to be seen in London and a few other cities here as well. But I've never used one. Steve

Take it you've been hanging around Soho then?

[David Brent]

Originally Posted by CJ DeLarge I personally feel that French New Wave has had the biggest influence on British film since the 1960's, and has more or less shaped what we now feel is conventional British cinema. Do you think that New wave has had a lasting effect on British cinema. Has it had a bigger effect on U.S. cinema? Is there any particular film which stand out to you as a homage to New Wave?

Influenced by French New Wave? I do not think it has had a great influence on Brit films.

Future French influence could be arriving though in the form of former supermodel Carla, now wife of French President Sarkozy.
Going by the way the UK press are gushing over her on the current French President's state visit to Britain, I'm sure she will be appearing in the media spotlight for some time yet.

C'est la vie.

Dave.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by rskershaw Take it you've been hanging around Soho then?

Yes, I go to Soho quite often, but they're seen in a much wider area than that

Steve