Nouvelle Vague is a bit of a movie miracle. It's a great movie about an even greater film. One of the first challenges for the film is how does one make an entertaining movie about the hippest, coolest, and arguably one of the most groundbreaking cinematic films in history? It is almost impossible to pull off.
🎬 Production Credits
The Linkletter Touch
Director Richard Linkletter chooses to present the film in the same way as Breathless was presented: with the same aspect ratio, black and white, and the same breezy, fly-by-your-seat flair as the original film.
💡 Fun Facts
- The film was shot entirely in Black and White to mirror the aesthetic of the French New Wave.
- Richard Linklater originally conceived the project while researching the history of Cahiers du Cinéma.
- The lead actors underwent extensive training to capture the specific cadence and physical mannerisms of Jean Seberg and Belmondo.
The Performances
- Zoey Deutch: Excellently captures the charm of Jean Seberg.
- Aubry Dullin: Does an uncanny job of capturing the cool of Jean-Paul Belmondo.
- Guillaume Marbeck: A great job playing the moody Jean-Luc Godard.
✅ Pros
- Stunning recreation of the French New Wave aesthetic.
- Magnetic performances from the lead trio.
- Visually evocative cinematography.
❌ Cons
- Heavily dialogue-driven; requires focus on subtitles.
Full Review
Nouvelle Vague is a bit of a movie miracle, a great film about an even greater landmark in cinema history. The challenge of making an entertaining movie about the hip, groundbreaking creation of Breathless is immense, yet director Richard Linklater pulls it off with a breezy, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants flair.
By utilizing the same black-and-white aesthetic and aspect ratio as the original, Linklater imbues the film with the sense of fun and camaraderie that artists experience in the trenches of a challenging project. In an era of bland, paint-by-numbers biopics, this film thrives on both style and substance, offering loving recreations of iconic moments while carving out its own biting irony and laugh-out-loud scenes.
The performances are uncanny. Zoey Deutch excellently captures the charm of American star Jean Seberg, portraying her as affable and patient while navigating a frustratingly loose shoot. Alongside her, Aubrey Dullin does a masterful job capturing the effortless cool and magnetism of Jean-Paul Belmondo, making the audience fall in love with him just as fans did when he became a global sex symbol. Guillaume Marbeck rounds out the trio with a tricky, successful turn as the moody Jean-Luc Godard, delivering the director's famous cinematic quotes without ever slipping into pretension.
Ultimately, Nouvelle Vague is better experienced than described. It is a captivating love letter to art and cinema that will leave viewers wanting to watch Breathless immediately after the credits roll. To watch both in succession is a true gift to movie lovers. Seek this out; it’s a testament to why we love the medium.
The film is a love letter to art and cinema. It will have the viewer wanting to watch Breathless immediately after—which is a true gift to audiences.
No comments:
Post a Comment