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Jean-Luc Godard (French IPA: [ʒɑ̃'lyk gɔ'daʀ]) (born 3 December 1930 in
Paris) is a French filmmaker and one of the most influential members of the
Nouvelle Vague, or "French New Wave".
Born to Franco-Swiss parents in Paris, he was educated in Nyon, Switzerland,
later studying at the Lycée Rohmer, and the Sorbonne in Paris, where he studied
anthropology. During his time at the Sorbonne, he became involved with the young
group of filmmakers and film theorists that gave birth to the New Wave.
Known for stylistic implementations that challenged, at their focus, the
conventions of Hollywood cinema, he became universally recognized as the most
audacious and radical of the New Wave filmmakers. He adopted a position in
filmmaking that was unambiguously political. His work reflected a fervent
knowledge of film history, a comprehensive understanding of existential and
Marxist philosophy, and a scholarly disposition that placed him as the lone
filmmaker among the public intellectuals of the Rive Gauche.
Cahiers and early films
After attending school in Nyon, Godard returned to Paris in 1948. It was there,
in the Latin Quarter just prior to 1950, that Paris ciné-clubs were gaining
prominence. Godard began attending these clubs, where he soon met the man who
was perhaps most responsible for the birth of the New Wave, André Bazin, as well
as those who would become his contemporaries, including Jacques Rivette, Claude
Chabrol, François Truffaut, Jacques Rozier, and Jacques Demy.
Despite its intricate manifesto, the guiding principle behind the movement was
that "Realism is the essence of cinema." According to Bazin and other members of
the New Wave, cinematic realism could be achieved through various aesthetic and
contextual media. They favored long, deep-focus shots that embodied a more
complete scene, where visual information could be transmitted consistently, and
avoided "unnecessary editing"; they did not want to disrupt the illusion of
reality by constant cuts. This technique can be seen in some of Godard's most
celebrated action sequences.
An interesting aspect of Godard's philosophy on filmmaking was his inherent and
deliberate embrace of contradiction. In short, Godard used "mass-market"
aesthetics in his film to make a statement about capitalism and consequent
societal decline.
His approach to film began in the field of criticism. Along with Éric Rohmer and
Rivette, he founded the film journal, Gazette du cinéma, which saw publication
of five issues in 1950. When André Bazin founded his critical magazine Cahiers
du cinéma in 1951, Godard, with Rivette and Rohmer, were among the first
writers. Most of the writers for Cahiers du cinéma started making some brief
forays into film direction in the years before 1960.
Godard, while taking a job as a construction worker on a dam in 1953, shot a
documentary about the building, Opération béton (1955). As he continued to work
for Cahiers, he made Une femme coquette (1956), a ten-minute black and white
picture; Tous les garçons s'appellent Patrick (1957) another short fiction
piece; and Une histoire d'eau (1958), which was created largely out of footage
shot by Truffaut that had gone unused.
In 1958 Godard, with a cast that included Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anne Colette,
made his last short before gaining notoriety as a filmmaker, Charlotte et son
Jules, a homage to Jean Cocteau.
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