Cinema & Literature 1/3
I usually write about books here, but today I’m stepping into cinema. I’ve been fascinated by the French New Wave and its place between modernism and postmodernism, so I wanted to share some thoughts. While this blog focuses on literature and storytelling, the techniques these filmmakers used have strong parallels with narrative experimentation in books and theater.
On the Verge of Postmodernism: French New Wave Films Between Modernism and Postmodernism
French cinema witnessed the New Wave transition from modernism into postmodernism, generating a long-standing debate among critics and scholars. Figures such as François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Agnès Varda created cinematic landmarks that defined a period of innovation, yet never fully fit into a new movement. While these films incorporated postmodern tendencies through non-traditional storytelling and experimental narrative structures, they remained rooted in modernism with postmodernist influence. The years between the late 1950s and early 1960s represent this fascinating blend.
François Truffaut and The 400 Blows
The French New Wave gave birth to a new mode of storytelling, often deeply personal and autobiographical. Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (1959) exemplified this, serving as an homage to his childhood. His use of a hand-held camera created an intimate, subjective feel, echoing his belief in the “camera as a pen.” Critics praised the realism of his work: fractured experiences, unsympathetic characters, and explorations of time and perception.
The lack of traditional structure stood out, and Truffaut even allowed his lead actor to improvise an entire scene from his real life. At the same time, The 400 Blows experimented with narrative expectations by beginning at the height of the plot rather than building gradually. Its incomplete ending leaned toward postmodernism, though the use of music imposed a sense of closure that ultimately reinforced its modernist identity.
Jean-Luc Godard and Breathless
Godard’s Breathless (1960) distanced itself further from postmodernism. While experimental in form, its themes revolved around beauty, emptiness, and meaninglessness, often through endless, circular dialogue between Patricia and Michel. Instead of tackling social issues such as gender, race, or class, Godard had his characters dwell on abstract concepts without depth or resolution.
Critics argued that Godard remained too tied to fixed ideas of reality. His reliance on techniques like jump cuts, although visually radical, was seen as an extension of modernism rather than postmodernism. However, some scholars consider Breathless proto-postmodern due to its self-reflexivity and playful narrative fragmentation. The result was a film that felt disorienting and stylish but still largely modernist in spirit.
This echoed similar shifts in other art forms. Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot (1953), for example, sparked debates about whether it was the last modernist or the first postmodernist play. Like Beckett’s work, Breathless blurred boundaries but remained firmly marked as a modernist experiment.
Agnès Varda and Cléo from 5 to 7
Agnès Varda’s Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) also explored beauty, love, and life, but her emphasis on space revealed her modernist roots. At the same time, her narrative style leaned into postmodern tendencies by rejecting traditional structure, dividing the film into acts, and following the protagonist in real time.
Rather than constructing artificial narrative arcs, Varda’s camera trailed Cléo, leaving the audience to absorb meaning through observation. Her nomadic style prioritized the experience of time and space over plot. Critics noted how her focus on transformation and becoming brought her closer to postmodernism.
Still, the film carried modernist weight. Themes of despair, the chronological unfolding of time, and recognizable cinematic techniques such as jump cuts and playful perspective shifts grounded it in modernism while simultaneously pointing forward to new possibilities.
Conclusion
The French New Wave marked a crucial transitional moment. While literature and theater had already experimented with the fusion of modernism and postmodernism, cinema caught up during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Directors like Truffaut, Godard, and Varda pushed boundaries but never fully abandoned modernist foundations. Their films live in the space between, modernist works tinged with postmodern influence, reflecting an era where art itself was in flux.
Note: Some interpretations vary. For example, while I’ve argued that Godard’s Breathless remains largely modernist, some scholars see it as proto-postmodern. Recognizing these debates highlights how fluid the boundaries between modernism and postmodernism can be.
Are there any books that remind you of these films, whether in style, mood, or storytelling? Let me know!
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