lacan film challenge

Applying Laura Mulvey

In this scene from the transformers the female protagonist is shown in an objectifying way. The camera lingers on the females body in close up shots to clearly focus upon her appearance and body shape. This automatically creates the male gaze as the camera moves down the females body like a male is looking at her.

Laura Mulvey

Laura Mulvey coined the term 'male gaze'  in 1975. She believes that in film audiences have to view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male. For example, the camera lingers on the curves of a female body, and events which occur to women are presented largely in a context of the mans reaction to these events. This regulates women to the status of objects. The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by identification with the male. 

The theory suggests that the male gaze denies some human identity and are only to be admired for physical appearance. However, the presence of a female in a mainstream film text is somewhat vital. Often a female character is not there to have any real importance herself it is how she makes the male protagonist within the text feel or act that is the importance. 

Mulvey states that the role of a female character in the narrative has two functions:

- As an erotic object for the characters within the narrative to view

- As an erotic object for the spectators within the cinema to view

Applying Lacan Theory

In the film Enemy the main male protagonist is portrayed as never being fulfilled. This is shown throughout particular scenes in the text. In some scenes the male protagonist is seen having sex but then after never looking happy, he is always looking like he has a desire which is never going to be filled or achieved. The lighting throughout the film also connotes this idea as the lighting is very low key and a very dull colour this shows his feelings throughout the scenes.

Jacques Lacan Theory

Jaques Lacan was a French psychoanalyst who reconceptualized Freud using post-structuralism.  Lacan rejected attempts to link psychoanalysis with social theory, saying 'the unconscious is the discourse of the Other' -- that human passion is structured by the desire of others and that we express deep feelings through the 'relay' of others. He thus saw desire as a social phenomenon and psychoanalysis as a theory of how the human subject is created through social interaction. Desire appears through a combination of language, culture and the spaces between people. Lacan focused largely on Freud's work on deep structures and infant sexuality, and how the human subject becomes an 'other' through unconscious repression and stemming from the Mirror phase. The conscious ego and unconscious desire are thus radically divided. Lacan considered this perpetual and unconscious fragmentation of the self as Freud's core discovery. Lacan thus sought to return psychoanalysis on the unconscious, using Ferdinand de Saussure's linguistics, structural anthropology and post-structural theories. Lacanian psychoanalysis is rather ruthless in its aggressive challenging that seeks to dismantle the imaginary sense of completeness (as in the Mirror phase) and to remove illusions of self-mastery through a mirror image. A strong ego is seen as defensive deceit and expressing it during analysis is seen as resistance to change. Fear of disintegration and lack drives the person to realize themselves in another imaginary individual. Lacan's theory was the mirror theory. He said when toddlers first see their selves in the mirror they see a perfect version of theirselves which they look up to and want to fulfil. This then carries on later in life with desires. Everyone has a desire and as soon as that desire is filled we want something else. we are never truly happy with ourselves.  Lacan created the idea of 'lack' and that it causes desires to arise. This is similar to Freud's approach of the ID acting on the hedonistic lifestyle whereas the superego acts on moral principles and what 'lack' relates to is the ego which is in-between.

Applying Freud's Theory

In this scene from Jaws the shark is the ID. The female protagonist is swimming in the water but the shark wants to eat her. This is intensified by non - diegetic sound adding an atmosphere to the scene as the camera is filming from the sharks perspective. The lighting is also low key as it is filmed underwater and at night time this also adds tension to the scene as it is unclear as to what is going to happen.

Film Outline

Overall story line: 

Narrative:

Man with mental health issues kidnaps girl, and keeps her hostage. Superego, telling him to let her go, its not her fault. The Id is constantly telling him not to release her as nobody helps him in society with his problems, so this is his revenge. In the end, he has a breakdown and in despair makes a decision whether to let her go.

Beginning:  

Focusing on the man homeless on the streets focusing on people just walking past him and ignoring him, resulting in him taking action/trying to take revenge. Fast shots of him looking at the victim (through binoculars) through this scene it's apparent that he is the ID as he doesn't back down until he gets what he wants. The man who thinks he isn't accepted within society, takes desperation by kidnapping a young girl, who is innocent and vulnerable. Through these series of shots throughout the beginning of the short film, it is clear that this man is the ID in Freud's theory. 

Middle:

Once the desperate homeless man has captured the girl and taken her hostage by locking her in an abandoned location, we witness that the girl becomes the Ego, as she tries to take control of the situation by compromising with him. Through dialogue and long shots that feature both characters in the frame, the audience can observe the conversation between the two protagonists. We are able to understand that the young girl is the Ego, as she confines in him by saying this isn't appropriate or right but at the same time she understands his grief and why he's desperate for help. These two sections of the film will demonstrate a complete contrast in characters, as the homeless man who has got mental health issues is the ID character, where as the girl conforms to the Ego. 

End:

As the man isn't in the correct mind set, he locks up the small, derelict building and leaves her on her own, not knowing if he will ever return to release her. The ending focuses on the young girl shouting for help in utter desperation as she now starts to panic. We then see a new character incorporated within the film, which results to be the Superego. This character tries helping the female and in complete shock, rings the police as this person has better morals and a better state of mind. This protagonist is outlined to be the Superego, due to their correct principles. 

Freud Theory

ID, Ego, Superego.

According to Freud, personality consists of the id, ego, and superego. These three parts work together to create a complete personality. The superego is the social component and is your conscience. The id is your instinct, while the ego is your conscious decisions. 

The id - is the primitive and instinctive component of personality. It consists of all the inherited (i.e., biological) components of personality present at birth, including the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), and the aggressive (death) instinct - Thanatos.

The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts. 

The personality of the newborn child is all id and only later does it develop an ego and super-ego.

The ego - develops to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision-making component of personality. Ideally, the ego works by reason, whereas the id is chaotic and unreasonable.

The ego operates according to the reality principle, working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society. The ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave.

Like the id, the ego seeks pleasure (i.e., tension reduction) and avoids pain, but unlike the id, the ego is concerned with devising a realistic strategy to obtain pleasure. The ego has no concept of right or wrong; something is good simply if it achieves its end of satisfying without causing harm to itself or the id.

The superego - incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. It develops around the age of 3 – 5 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. 

The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection.

The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to the id's demands, the superego may make the person feel bad through guilt. 

https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html

https://endofthegame.net/2014/04/15/child-development-101-history-and-theory/5/http://freudsigmund.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/id-ego-super-ego.html

New Wave Video (rough cut)

Video Essay

health and safety

• check appropriate lighting for task 
• make sure all cables are clear and out of way
• no damp or wet in area
• no liquids or food around electrical items
• make sure light doesn't get too hot

Video Essay Evaluation

Evaluation

To produce my French new wave video essay I had to conduct vast amounts of research on why it had such an impact on cinema and how it all began. I started off my research by just simply researching where the French New Wave began, and how it was created. I researched the basic information about the film movement and then started to expand my research more specifically. I then researched the key individuals who went from writing reviews for the film magazine ‘Cahiers Du Cinema’. Godard and Truffaut both shared a vital role in the New Wave as they decided to go from writing about films, to directing them. I then watched a few of the most famous texts from the New wave. This included the likes of Godard's 'Breathless' (A Bout De souffle) and Truffaut's 400 Blows (Les 400 Coups).

For my video essay I decided to focus the first few minutes on the French New Waves history and how it all began. I felt by doing this it would give the viewers of my video essay a good in sight to what the New Wave specifically is and be able to understand more as my essay went on. I tried to include video clips from the three films I had chosen to focus on specifically, these were Breathless, 400 blows and Jules and Jim. I felt by using clips from these particular films it gave the essay more depth as the whole thing linked together. Once I felt I had gone into enough detail about the context of my chosen new wave I decided to talk about my chosen films and their directors, Godard and Truffaut. I found it difficult to find videos of the directors talking about their films and in interviews so I used clips of their films and began to introduce them into the video. Once I felt I had given a good explanation on their impact to cinema I analysed a clip from their film, which were my focused texts within my research. I felt this gave a good insight into the directors and their films and also the techniques used within this genre.

I did change my video essay last minute as throughout the video the text in which I was using to evaluate my chosen new wave was going over the moving image. After looking back at my video I found that there wasn’t enough time within the clips to read the text I had added on top. I resolved this by separating the clips with the text and using the text as an introduction for the oncoming clips and found that this worked better.

New Wave Brief

Having researched new waves and specifically focusing and analysing The French New Wave and three of its most successful films it is clear the main aspect of New Waves is their rejection and rebell against typical hollywood film making, whether that be social issues or actual film techniques. i specifically focused on looking at the French New Wave and found that they revolutionised cinema by changing typical hollywood cinematic camera techniques. 

I plan to film in busy locations, Bristol City Centre and Train stations. All of my videos will be shot with natural lighting and hand held camera as i want my audience to be aware they are watching a film, i also want it to seem realistic so my audience feel as though they are part of the film, making it more realistic. The main action of my film will be shot in train stations and on trains to capture a journey which will be the main narrative of my film.

I plan to cut scenes rapidly to stick to French New Wave conventions and make the film void of any strict narrative. The use of fast cuts and hand held camera will make the film look rough which is also another convention of French New Wave. The sound within the film will be diegetic as all of  french new wave films are rough cut and include sound which was in the scene when being shot. 

lighting

Butterfly Lighting - Butterfly lighting is one of the oldest techniques for lighting a subject. Named for the butterfly-shaped shadow that forms underneath the subject's nose, this setup is a proven method to ensure your subject is well-lit in a pleasing manner.

Edge Lighting - Split lighting is a technique that produces a sense of drama to a portrait. This form of lighting is when half of the subject's face is lit, while the other half is left dark. The light is evenly divided over the subject. Below is an example of edge lighting and how to create an image using the lighting technique.

Rembrandt Lighting - Rembrandt lighting is a lighting technique that is used in studio portrait photography. It can be achieved using one light and a reflector, or two lights, and is popular because it is capable of producing images which appear both natural and compelling with a minimum of equipment.The technique rembrandt lighting 

Using Reflectors - Using a reflector helps with this by reflecting available light into those areas of your subjects face that would be in shadow without it. Quite often the best place for one is below your subjects face reflecting light back up into those dark under-spots. i experimented with using a gold reflector and found that with the gold reflector it filled the light on the subjects face and made it more 

Bristol Planning

i will be making a promotional video for the city of Bristol. The video will be made in a group and will be around 3 minutes long.

The main places we will be visiting will be, Park Street, Christmas steps and The bear pit. We will also try and gather Banskys Art work.

In our group we will all have specific role which will either be filing, setting up etc and then will all edit our own version of the footage individiually.

To the left is a map where all of the places we will be visiting are pin pointed and separated with numbers.

1) Bristol City Centre
2) Park Street
3) Christmas Steps
4) Bear pit
5) Temple meads station

The use of this map helps us work out the distance between all the locations we will be visiting. we have decided to start at the station then continue to Park street and finish at Bear pit as that makes our journey more fluent and simple. We have also found out some of Banksys art work is on park street so we can film and get a variety of shots using his art work. We also want to try and capture other attractions whilst we are there to add a variety of clips to our promotional video, for example Bristol University.

This is the weather forecast for Bristol on the day we are visiting to film. The weather looks quite mild which will allow decent lighting within our films and will enable us to shoot to our full ability.

Aperture

Aperture refers to the opening of a lens's diaphragm through which light passes. It is calibrated in f/stops and is generally written as numbers such as 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16. The lower f/stops give more exposure because they represent the larger apertures, while the higher f/stops give less exposure because they represent smaller apertures. In these videos aperture is shown clearly, especially with F2.8 as the window ledges are completely blurred. If I were to improve these videos I would shoot in a better location so that you can clearly see the aperture in a larger dream with a clearer example.

Shutter Speed task

Shutter Speed.

Shutter Speed is the amount of time the shutter in the camera is open. this allows light to enter the sensor inside the camera. The longer the shutter speed is open, the more light will be let in. In the examples below different shutter speeds have been used. A shorter shutter speed captures motion blur when the video is stopped. A longer shutter speed will allow the full image to be clear when the video is stopped. To improve on the videos i have shot i would film the cars for longer to be able to show full movement.

Shutter Speed 1/30

Shutter Speed 1/50

Shutter speed 1/250

ISO task

ISO 100 - Outdoors




ISO 1600 - Indoors



ISO effects moving image as its tricky to get correct lighting. When shooting outdoors with an ISO of 100 the video was very over exposed. I solved this by changing the aperture to a higher number which allowed less light to enter the camera, resulting in a correctly exposed video. When shooting indoor with a high ISO of 1600 i had to lower the aperture as the lighting inside was dark. The video i produced still included low light which was part of the set task. If I were to improve the videos i made i would shoot in different locations to make them more interesting. Although i did use some camera techniques such as, panning and tilt i feel as though with a different location i could've experimented more.

pull focus

Pull Focus is a creative camera technique in which you change focus during a shot. Usually this mean adjusting the focus from one subject to another.

The French New Wave

The French new wave started in the late 50's. The french new wave films go against the normality of usual films, they're roughly made and mainly filmed with a hand held camera.

The French New Wave - why does it matter?

An artistic movement whose influence on film has been as profound and enduring as that of surrealism or cubism on painting. The new french wave was also the birth of the 'auter' and the rise of the 'camera stylo'. The french new wave is also an explosion of young vibrant film makers who in their films were capturing the zeitgeist of the times - a cultural revolution.
The film makers of the French New Wave are unique and distinctive enough to stand out on their own but they collectively compromised one of the most influential movements in cinema history. Some of the films have aged better than others, even though they weren't aiming for mainstream success, many of these films became popular and critically acclaimed worldwide, the subject of much debate, and, ultimately, the inspiration of film makers everywhere.

A technical practice - An Aesthetic

The auteur director of French New Wave films is also the scriptwriter for the film. The director does not follow a strict pre - established shooting script, as well as this the director also privileges shooting in natural locations. A small crew is also used in the making of the film. The director opts for 'direct sound', also, the director does not depend on additional lighting. Non - professional actors are also chosen by the director. By using this approach to create a film it allows flexibility and creativity as you are able to erase the boundaries of an ordinary film. Another advantage from using this approach is that it allows a low budget within the film. This approach also allows an exploration of the contemporary. The techniques of filming used in The French new wave were alternative framing and also making mistakes. Collaboration with cinematographers was also used. Natural lighting and liberation from the camera to the tripod was also a technique used of the French New Wave film making.

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/the-french-new-wave-revolutionising-cinema/

French New Wave, which is also known as French Nouvelle Vague, can be considered as one of the most influential film movements that took place in the history of cinema. The ripples created by this cinematic movement can even be felt today. A group of critics, who wrote for a French film journal called Cahiers du Cinema, created the film movement.

It began as a movement against the traditional path that French Cinema followed, which was more like literature. The French New Wave had the potential to bring a radical change to French cinema.

The manifesto of Alexandre Astuc, The Birth of a New Avant-Garde: The Camera-Stylo can be considered as the starting point of the French New Wave movement. This event took place in 1948. This manifesto outlined several ideas that were explained by Cahiers du cinema and François Truffaut at a later stage.

They argued that the French cinema was similar to the literature, which expresses the same ideas that are depicted in novels and paintings. In other words, the artists at that time used movies to voice their thoughts. Some of the leading film producers, whose names are mentioned above, wanted to change it and this is the birth of the radical movement in the history of French cinema.

Morris Engel, who was an American film director, also contributed a lot towards the French New Wave. He produced a movie called Little Fugitive back in 1953 as he was impressed with the concept of French New Wave. This film clearly shows how the cinema industry in France got International support to carry forward the much-needed move. The French movie producers still appreciate the contribution of Morris Engel.

Therefore, the directors took necessary measures to add a personal signature to the film. The directors who lived in France at that time praised the films produced by Jean Vigo and Jean Renoir because they were pioneer figures who fought against this theory.

They were able to create few memorable films with the help of talented script writers. The participation of script writers helped them to stay away from adding their personal opinions and views into the movies that they created.

One of the most important foundations of the French New Wave was an interest in and respect for realism; few sets were constructed for these films, and most of them were made on location. This enabled the filmmakers to work with relatively small expenses. The famed Left Bank of the movement, whose practitioners included Alain Resnais, Agnes Varda, and Chris Marker, took this idea even further, building some films almost entirely out of photographs and other factual, research-based materials. 

The French New Wave pioneers pushed the limits of cinema technique. In Godard's special use of the jump cut—where time passes with each successive cut—the space between the cuts suggests a wealth of information. This technique has influenced directors for decades. The long take was also a favorite of the New Wavers, given that it could allow the viewer to immerse himself or herself in a location, the mise-en-scene, or a character's face.

The French New Wave is one of the most significant film movements in the history of the cinema. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the New Wave rejuvenated France's already prestigious cinema and energized the international art cinema as well as film criticism and theory, reminding many contemporary observers of Italian neorealism's impact right after World War II. The New Wave dramatically changed filmmaking inside and outside France by encouraging new styles, themes, and modes of production throughout the world. Suddenly, there were scores of new, young twenty- and thirty-something directors, such as Louis Malle, François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Claude Chabrol, delivering film after film while launching a new generation of stars, including Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Claude Brialy, and Jean-Paul Belmondo.

 the characteristics of French New Wave can be identified through setting, lighting, staging and sound in terms of mise-en-scène. The setting of this film movement usually shoot on real or natural locations, therefore the films usually had a casual and natural look due to the choice of location filming in and around Paris. Eventually, the mise-en-scène of Parisian streets (Figure 2.0) and coffee bars became favorite shooting spots of the films. For example, “Breathless” is shot on location in the urban setting of Paris. Shots of famous historic monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, were placed in the film. Moreover, the action of this film centered on locations such as the cafe scene where Patricia meets journalist Van Doude, the scene of Michel and Patricia take off for St-Germain in a stolen car at the street of Place de la Concorde, Boulevard Montparnasse, Paris and so on. The use of on location shooting eventually became a trademark of French New Wave films that refused the constraints of the studio.

Figure 2.0 Champs Elysées, Paris, the street where Patricia sells newspaper

French New Wave Films

Breathless 1960 

Jean-Luc Godard - Born in Paris, France, on December 3, 1930, Jean-Luc Godard is one of the central filmmakers of the French New Wave movement of the 1960s.

Breathless (French: À bout de souffle; "out of breath") is a 1960 French film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard about a wandering criminal (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and his American girlfriend (Jean Seberg). It was Godard's first feature-length work and represented Belmondo's breakthrough as an actor.

Breathless was one of the earliest, most influential examples of French New Wave (nouvelle vague) cinema. Together with François Truffaut's The 400 Blows and Alain Resnais's Hiroshima, Mon Amour, both released a year earlier, it brought international acclaim to this new style of French filmmaking. At the time, the film attracted much attention for its bold visual style, which included unconventional use of jump cuts.  

Although some people may not be as impressed with Breathless's structure as it was set in 1960, it remains a terrific, breathtaking film experience and has aged wonderfully. Such masterpieces live up to the hype and time, even though they're not as technically impressive as they were 40 years ago, and they're still powerful thanks to what great films consist of: passion. As another user rightfully stated, we have to look at "Breathless" from a historical point: it's different from any other previous film. Godard was truly a visionary and an incredibly talented, passionate "auteur".

About Godard

Like his New Wave contemporaries, Godard criticized mainstream French cinema's "Tradition of Quality", which "emphasized craft over innovation, privileged established directors over new directors, and preferred the great works of the past to experimentation." As a result of such argument, he and like-minded critics started to make their own films. Many of Godard's films challenge the conventions of traditional Hollywood in addition to French cinema. In 1964, Godard described his and his colleagues' impact: "We barged into the cinema like cavemen into the Versailles of Louis XV." He is often considered the most radical French filmmaker of the 1960s and 1970s; his approach in film conventions, politics and philosophies made him arguably the most influential director of the French New Wave. Along with showing knowledge of film history through homages and references, several of his films expressed his political views; he was an avid reader of existential and marxist philosophy.

In a remarkable burst of creativity, Godard made 15 full-length features between 1959 and 1967. He followed Breathless with The Little Soldier, a political thriller that introduced the actress Anna Karina. Other films of this period are Pierrot le Fou, starring Karina and Belmondo as young lovers on a crime spree; Band of Outsiders, a stylish crime drama; Alphaville, which combined science fiction and film noir; Contempt, with Brigitte Bardot and American actor Jack Palance; and the darkly humorous road-movie Weekend.

Above is a review from The guardian Newspaper online praising the film on its 50th year anniversary release naming the film 'fresh'.


The 400 Blows

Francois Truffaut -  6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984 was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic, as well as one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry, having worked on over 25 films. Truffaut's film The 400 Blows came to be a defining film of the French New Wave movement.


Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows" (1959) is one of the most intensely touching stories ever made about a young adolescent. Inspired by Truffaut's own early life, it shows a resourceful boy growing up in Paris and apparently dashing headlong into a life of crime. Adults see him as a troublemaker. We are allowed to share some of his private moments, as when he lights a candle before a little shrine to Balzac in his bedroom. The film's famous final shot, a zoom in to a freeze frame, shows him looking directly into the camera. He has just run away from a house of detention, and is on the beach, caught between land and water, between past and future. It is the first time he has seen the sea. 

François Truffaut’s first feature is also his most personal. Told from the point of view of Truffaut’s cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) sensitively re-creates the trials of Truffaut’s own childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime. The film marked Truffaut’s passage from leading critic to trailblazing auteur of the French New Wave. 

The 400 Blows earned François Truffaut the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival -- doubly impressive when you consider that a) it was his first movie, and b) the award came only a year after Trauffaut's mercilessness as a film critic had gotten him booted from Cannes' invite list altogether. That's like being thrown out of a comedy club for heckling one weekend, then winning the open-mic competition the next. Upon its release in the United States a few months later, the New York Times' Bosley Crowther said it "brilliantly and strikingly reveals the explosion of a fresh creative talent in the directorial field" and called it "a small masterpiece." 

We wrote about François Truffaut and the French New Wave in our treatment of Truffaut's Jules and Jim, which came three years after The 400 Blows. We probably should have used 400 Blows as our intro to New Wave, not Jules and Jim, but oh well. We cannot change the past. Actually, Jules and Jim is a better representation of many of the New Wave's stylistic touches: freeze-frames, zooms, jump cuts, breaking the fourth wall, and so forth. The 400 Blows doesn't have much of that. What makes it New Wave-y is that it's so deeply personal. 

Jules and Jim

Jules and jim is a 1962 French romantic dramafilm, directed, produced and written by François Truffaut. Set around the time of World War I.

François Truffaut's "Jules and Jim" opens with carousel music and a breathless narration that tells of two young men -- one French, one Austrian -- who meet in Paris in 1912 and become lifelong friends: "They taught each other their languages; they translated poetry."

The movie was released in 1962, at the time of the creative explosion of Godard, Chabrol, Rohmer, Resnais, Malle and the other New Wave directors, and it was Truffaut's third feature (after "The 400 Blows" in 1959 and "Shoot the Piano Player" in 1960). Although a case can be made for Godard's "Breathless" (1960) (based on a story by Truffaut), "Jules and Jim" was perhaps the most influential and arguably the best of those first astonishing films that broke with the past. There is joy in the filmmaking that feels fresh today and felt audacious at the time. In the energy pulsing from the screen you can see the style and sensibility that inspired "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967), a film Truffaut was once going to direct, and which jolted American films out of their torpor. And you can see the '60s being born; Jules and Jim and their great love Catherine were flower children -- for a time. The 1960s ended sadly, as did "Bonnie and Clyde," as did "Jules and Jim," as did "Thelma and Louise," a film they influenced; the movement from comedy to tragedy was all the more powerful for audiences who expected one or the other.


When François Truffaut's Jules et Jim was released in 1962, it was an instant hit with girls like me, francophile, penniless and non-monogamous. In those days, when contraception was available if you were sufficiently guileful, there were a fair few sex adventuresses about, though nowhere near as many as there are now. Enough of us took Jeanne Moreau's Catherine as a role model to establish a fashion for heavy black eye-liner, pale lips, sloppy jumpers and flappy skirts. Some even went so far as to try the Jackie Coogan cap worn by Catherine when she is masquerading as Thomas. We could all whistle "Le Tourbillon de la Vie". Catherine seemed a woman after our own hearts, who followed her desires rather than the rules.

Those of us who spoke the language of the Cahiers du Cinéma rejoiced in the film's innovation, its daring introduction of still photography, the occasional fleeting freeze-frame, pans, dolly shots, wipes and masking. In retrospect, it is obvious that some of these innovations, such as using newsreel of the first world war instead of shooting new footage, were made necessary by a shortage of funds following the box-office failure of the preceding production from Les Films du Carrosse, Tirez sur le Pianiste

Cinematography has followed in the path carved out by Truffaut. The sequence in which Moreau comes freewheeling towards us on a bike, faithfully followed by her lovers, was shot by a lightweight camera mounted on a bicycle that Moreau and the men had been directed to follow, so we feel airborne along with the action. 

Truffaut called his film Jules and Jim after a novel he had fallen in love with which followed the volatile friendship of the men over the course of two decades, but I entered it through the portal of Catherine, who was its dangerous spark.