Chapter 7 Rough comparison between "New Wave" and "Left Bank"

1.Judging from their respective composition: Most of the producers of the "New Wave" are commentators for the magazine "Cinema Handbook" founded by Bazin. Those who have entered the film world, such as the main players of the "New Wave": Truffaut, Godard, Chabrol, Rivett, Castell and others are all like this.The producers of the "Left Bank School" are a group of literati gathered around the left-wing writer group "Gateway Publishing House" on the left bank of the Seine River.Among them are writers Durat, Robb-Grillet, etc.; dramatists Resnais and Henry Galby; journalists Armand Carty; photographer Agnès Varda, etc.And only Chris and Mark are really engaged in movies.Different experiences determine their different cultural levels.Generally speaking, "Left Bank" directors have higher cultural accomplishment than "New Wave" directors.

2. In terms of time: the "New Wave" movement began in the late 1950s, with 1958 as the date of birth. The exploration of "Left Bank" film directors was earlier than that of the "New Wave" directors. Resnais in 1948 started filming, and Varda also started filming in 1954. 3.In terms of age: Several representatives of the "New Wave" in 1958 were still young men: Truffaut and Louis, Mahler was 26 years old, Godard and Chabrol were 28 years old.Most of the "Left Bank" directors were already middle-aged in 1958: Resnais and Grillet were 36 years old, Galbi and Marc were 37 years old, and Dora was 44 years old.They are people from the Second World War, some have been guerrillas, some have been arrested, exiled, and escaped death.From this point alone, it can be seen that the experience and experiences of the "Left Bank" directors are richer and more complex than those of the "New Wave" directors, and they have a deeper feeling and understanding of life.

4.From the perspective of film themes and techniques: "New Wave" author films have a strong personal biographical flavor, while "Left Bank" author films reflect themes of universal significance and the nature of all mankind; more author films use " The narrative technique of "first person", while the author's film uses more "second person" and "third person" or even confusingly uses the person to narrate; the author's film has a true and sincere style.However, writer's films have a strong literary and dramatic color, and the assumption of art far exceeds that of "New Wave" films.

5.Judging from the choice of shooting location; since "New Wave" movies never reflect major historical events, they do not have social or political themes.Therefore, the selected locations are generally limited to Paris, and the scope of story activities is always carried out in this big city; also based on the different themes of the film, the "Left Bank" directors also shoot in a wide range of locations, with footprints all over the Soviet Union, Japan, Korea and Europe.They are people who cross borders, and their goal is not Paris, but the whole world. 6.From the perspective of aesthetic pursuit: "New Wave" seeks to get closer to life and to go deeper into reality; while "Left Bank" films are interested in people's spiritual activities, people's thoughts, and people's hearts.In their view, the life one creates in the mind is far richer than life itself.They move closer to their inner life, to a new reality.

7.From the point of view of the production cycle: "New Wave" directors shoot films in a sloppy, semi-improvised way, so the production cycle is short, and sometimes they can shoot several films a year; while the "Left Bank" directors use careful consideration Films are shot in the same way, so the production cycle is relatively long, and it often takes several years to complete a film. 8.From the perspective of film passing inspection: "New Wave" films are generally able to pass the screening smoothly because of their simple content and no political involvement (except Godard's "Little Soldier"), while "Left Bank" films are due to their comparative background. Complicated, so generally run into trouble.For example: Resnais and Marc's "The Statue Will Die" (1952) was banned for 12 years.Lei Nai originally planned to participate in the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival, but was withdrawn midway, and only won one critic award.Mark's "If Cuba..." (1961) was banned.Another of his strike films, Hope to See You Soon (1967), suffered the same fate.The artist directly intervenes in life with a clear standpoint, bringing the naked social status to the screen, triggering the audience's emotions and choices, which is rare in French films before the "Left Bank". The "Left Bank" films were a powerful attack on commercial films.In this sense, the writer's films directed by the "Left Bank" are the French "avant-garde" in the 1950s and 1960s.