I really enjoy film and cinema but I am not very knowledgeable about the history of film or anything outside my preferred shoot-em-up genre. I decided to take my first dip into French cinema with a box set from a man at the forefront of the so called French New Wave (nouvelle vague), Jean-Luc Godard. In post war France, cinema viewing was declining and people were more drawn to their televisions and a new political regime with Charles de Gaulle. Film critic turned film writer, Godard influenced and was influenced by Hollywood.
The British Film Institue (BFI) is currently hosting a season dedicated to Jean Luc Godard which runs until Marh 16th, but if you want to watch the films in the comfort of your own home, form Monday 1st February you can pick up The Essential Blue Ray Collection from Studio Canal. Godard directed over forty films between 1959 and 2014 but this set give a flavour of his work during the French New Wave
A Bout de Souffle / Breathless (1959) A young man steals a car which leads to a series of unforeseeable events and end up with him being in Italy.
Un Femme est un Femme / A Woman is a Woman (1961) A woman wants a child, her husband doesn’t so she decides to bring a friend into their relationship to help her get what she wants.
Le Mepris / Contemp (1963) Adapated from the novel by Moravia,, a French writer is hired to rewrite a Hollywood script. Whilst doing so, his wife spends an intense hour with the films producer and which showcases the flaws in their marriage
Pierrot le Fou / Pierrot The Madman (1965) Bored husband runs away from his life, encounters a (beautiful) woman who is doing the same and follows their life on the road.
Alphaville (1965) A view of a futuristic world where logic and conformity are required and human emotions are outlawed.
Whether you are interested in the language, the fashion, the makeup, are a film buff or just want to while away some hours seeing the world in a different way, the Jean-Luc Godard Essential Blue Ray Collection Collection is great addition to your collection.