Description
Book SynopsisOffers an interpretation of French New Wave cinema by one of France's leading feminist film scholars. While most criticism of New Wave has concentrated on the film-makers and their films, this book focuses on the social and cultural turbulence of the cinema's formative years, from 1957 to 1962.
Trade Review“Thanks to this unwavering translation, Geneviève Sellier’s bracing exposé has stripped the New Wave of its stylish attire to reveal an unappealing male body. Vigilant and determined, she has trolled a sea of French criticism to net her evidence.”—
Dudley Andrew, Yale University
“This remarkable book will change readers’ view of New Wave cinema. Geneviève Sellier approaches this key movement in French cinema from an original perspective, developing a nuanced yet incisive argument about the links between masculinity, auteurism, and filmic representations.”—
Ginette Vincendeau, author of
Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in ParisTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii
Introduction: The Aesthetic Doxa on the New Wave 1
1. A New Generation Marked by the Emergence of Women 11
2. Cinephilia in the 1950s 22
3. Auteur Cinema: An Affair of State 34
4. Contrasting Receptions 41
5. The Precursors 70
6. Between Romanticism and Modernism 95
7. Nostalgia for a Heroic Masculinity 128
8. The Women of the New Wave: Between Modern and Archaic 145
9. Jeanne Moreau: Star of the New Wave and Icon of Modernity 184
10. Brigitte Bardot and the New Wave: An Ambivalent Relationship 199
11. The Independent Filmmakers of the Left Bank: A "Feminist" Alternative 210
Conclusion: The New Wave's Legacy: "Auteur Cinema" 221
Appendix One: Box Office Results 225
Appendix Two: The Press 227
Notes 231
Bibliography 245
Index 253
