French New Wave

French New Wave films can be seen as a contrast of Hollywood film which most of the elements apply in the film is opposite. However, some elements are still similar to Hollywood films, yet, has a different style as Hollywood films. Such mise-en-scene expression are most common style uses in both of the period. And Breathless, as an example film during the French New Wave, which directed by Jean-Luc Godard is one of the most influential film utilizing editing, mise-en-scene and cinematography to convey the information to the audience in the period. The mise-en-scene uses in the film establish the character’s personality, also, creates the mood through spaces. The male protagonist Michel’s relationship between the young female character Patricia
Because of the low budget film, also, to create the realism of the film, the entire film applies natural lighting. During 1950s to 1960s, although Hollywood had already added technicolors to the films, the French New Wave directors whose style were somewhat inspired by Hollywood’s films, decided to make film noirs which they believe it creates the realism of the film. Also, handheld camera shot on the characters to create the illusion of audiences themselves were in the film watching the characters. Thus, in order to create the realism, they chose not to use lighting technique, but any natural lights that was available on the location. In Breathless, most of the scene take places outdoors. Despite some scenes were shot indoors, the lights alway come from outside through the window. Unlike the other gangster films, which usually either shoot at night or shoot in the alley, using road lights as the lighting. To take an example of lighting from Breathless, in the beginning of the film, which Michel sits in the car and be chased after the police officers, a shot shoot from the back sit to the front, the light only comes from two of the side where the car's windows are set. Another example is when Michel stays in Patricia’s room, the light inside the room is completely come from the huge windows on the side of the bed. Furthermore in the entire film, uses sunlight on the character, like what we usually
Not all the audience will understand it is a signature of respectfulness to the actor Humphrey Bogart, just like Patricia, not knowing the meaning of the gesture. The reason of Godard applies the gesture here is an iconography of Bogart and the gangster films that associate with him. In the film, Patricia is testing Michel to know if she loves him, she accept most of his action and even help him escape from the police officer initially. But all Michel believes is he likes Patricia and wants to take her to Italy. He may also believe Patricia is loving him gradually. The misunderstanding of the gestures make the man and the young woman have a different feeling about each other. And at last, Patricia asks if that means that gesture mean that she makes Michel