LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- If French New Wave films sound like boring old foreign movies, then one should really watch a few to see how much fun they can be. Viewers could also check out Nouvelle Vague, in theaters now and on Netflix Friday, which shows what a romp filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard had with cinema.
Guillaume Marbeck plays Godard in Nouvelle Vague, which opens in 1959 France. Godard, just shy of 30 years old at the time, dreams of becoming a film director like his colleagues Francois Truffant (Adrien Rouyard) and Claude Chabrol (Antoine Besson). With his debut feature, Breathless, Godard wants to break all the rules, and he does.
Even at its most anarchic, Breathless belies the rebellion Godard was enacting. The film's 90 minutes only show the footage he captured, but his methods behind the scenes were even more threatening to the status quo.
Godard didn't want to write a script because once actors memorized lines, he felt they became mechanical. Star Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch) in particular would prefer to prepare for a scene, rightfully cautious about how she'd come across Godard's way.
Seberg also bristles at Godard's filming without sound, planning to dub the dialogue in later. This means Godard can speak to her and co-star Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) during takes, giving new direction while the camera is rolling.
