''Nouvelle Vague'' (English: ''New Wave'') is a 1990 French film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It follows the story of hitchhiker Lennox (
Alain Delon) credited as "Lui" ("''Him''"), taken in by a wealthy industrialist, Elena Torlato-Favrini or "Elle" ("''Her''"), played by
Domiziana Giordano
Domiziana Giordano (born 4 September 1959) is an Italian artist, actress, photographer, and video artist. Giordano has played roles in work directed by Mauro Bolognini, Jean-Luc Godard, Neil Jordan, Ken McMullen, Nicolas Roeg, and Andrei Ta ...
. The film was entered into the
1990 Cannes Film Festival
The 43rd Cannes Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 May 1990. The Palme d'Or went to '' Wild at Heart'' by David Lynch.
The festival opened with '' Dreams'', directed by Akira Kurosawa and closed with ''The Comfort of Strangers'', directed by Pau ...
.
It has (as of 2019) never been released on any home video format in North America, but the audio was issued as a 2CD set by ECM.
Plot
La Contessa Elena Torlato-Favrini (her last name taken from ''
The Barefoot Contessa
''The Barefoot Contessa'' is a 1954 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz about the life and loves of fictional Spanish sex symbol Maria Vargas. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, and Edmond O'Brien. The film's sl ...
'') is a wealthy Italian industrialist living in a sprawling estate near Lake Geneva, Switzerland. She is attended by Jules the Gardener, his wife Yvonne, their daughter Cécile, the chauffeur Laurent, and the mysterious Della La Rue (or "Della Street," a reference to
Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner (July 17, 1889 – March 11, 1970) was an American lawyer and author. He is best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories, but he wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces and also a series of nonfiction b ...
's
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
stories). At the film's opening, Elena goes for a drive by herself and encounters Roger Lennox (his last name taken from ''
The Long Goodbye''), an apparent drifter. Elena's trajectory is brought to an abrupt halt as she stops to help Roger, who has evidently been forced off the road by a truck and is severely incapacitated. Roger offers Elena his hand, and Elena accepts his offer (the "miracle of empty hands," borrowed from ''
Diary of a Country Priest
''Diary of a Country Priest'' (french: Journal d'un curé de campagne) is a 1951 French drama film written and directed by Robert Bresson, and starring Claude Laydu in his debut film performance. A faithful adaptation of Georges Bernanos' nove ...
''). The series of exchanges constituting their relationship begins.
The narrative continues with Roger now Elena's
kept man
A gigolo () is a male escort or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship, often living in her residence or having to be present at her beck and call.
The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifest ...
. He dotes on her and is obedient to her retinue that includes Elena's lawyer Raoul Dorfman, Raoul's girlfriend, the Doctor (one of Elena's shareholders), and the Doctor's wife Dorothy Parker, a writer like her
namesake
A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another.
History
The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake",
which originates in English Bible translations ...
. After a series of episodes in which both members of the couple express dissatisfaction with the other, and together ruminate on regret, Elena decides to take a motorboat across the lake to visit some friends. Roger obediently drives the boat, and stops when Elena wants to get in the water, but refuses to join her, citing his inability to swim. In a mishap evocative of their first meeting, Roger falls into the water as Elena gets back into the boat. Elena watches him drown and does not help, appearing indifferent to his plight.
The servants and Raoul quickly attempt to cover up any existence of Roger but almost immediately there is a new crisis: a man identical to Roger, calling himself Richard Lennox and claiming to be Roger's brother, appears. He claims to know about the boating incident and is apparently using that as leverage to take over one of Elena's companies. Where before the figure of Lennox was passive and docile, he is now shrewd and aggressive; it is Elena that now becomes pliant.
The power struggle reaches a climax in a recapitulation of the boating scene. Now it is Lennox who decides to take the boat out (this time a rowboat), and it is Elena who falls into the water, apparently unable to swim. Richard, at first as indifferent to Elena as she was to Roger Lennox in the same situation, abruptly takes Elena's hand and saves her. In the end, an equilibrium is reached. Elena realizes that Richard Lennox is the same man as Roger Lennox ("the same, but different"). Richard has taken on a controlling role in Elena's affairs but Elena remains in charge. With renewed vigor, Elena warmly bids ''arrivederci'' to her servants (Richard having earlier arranged to sell the estate for a large sum of money), and Elena and Richard in turn drive away, apparently off to have more adventures as equals.
Cast
*
Alain Delon as Richard Lennox/Roger Lennox ("Lui")
*
Domiziana Giordano
Domiziana Giordano (born 4 September 1959) is an Italian artist, actress, photographer, and video artist. Giordano has played roles in work directed by Mauro Bolognini, Jean-Luc Godard, Neil Jordan, Ken McMullen, Nicolas Roeg, and Andrei Ta ...
as Elena Torlato-Favrini ("Elle")
*
Jacques Dacqmine
Jacques Dacqmine (1923–2010) was a French stage, film and television actor.Hayward p.242 He was married four times, including to the actress Odile Versois.
Partial filmography
* ''Premier rendez-vous'' (1941) - Un élève du collège (uncredi ...
as the PDG
*
Christophe Odent Christophe may refer to:
People
* Christophe (given name), list of people with this name
* Christophe (singer) (1945–2020), French singer
* Cristophe (hairstylist) (born 1958), Belgian hairstylist
* Georges Colomb (1856–1945), French comic str ...
as Raoul Dorfman, the lawyer
*
Roland Amstutz as Jules, the gardener
*
Laurence Côte
Laurence Côte (born 11 February 1966) is a French actress and writer. She has appeared in such films as ''Thieves'', '' Up, Down, Fragile'' and ''Gang of Four
The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Comm ...
as Cécile
* Laurence Guerre as Della, la secrétaire
* Joseph Lisbona as Dr. Parker
*
Laure Killing as Dorothy Parker, the doctor's wife
* Véronique Muller as Raoul's first girlfriend
* Maria Pitarresi as Raoul's second girlfriend
* Jacques Viallette as the factory director
* Brigitte Marvine as the journalist in the restaurant
* Cécile Reigher as a servant
* Pascal Sablier as the Iranian client
* Violaine Barret as the gardener's wife
Music
*
Paolo Conte
Paolo Conte (; born 6 January 1937) is an Italian singer, pianist, songwriter and lawyer known for his distinctly grainy, resonant voice. His compositions fuse Italian and Mediterranean sounds with jazz, boogie and elements of the French and L ...
: ''Blue Tango''
*
David Darling : ''Far Away Lights'', ''Solo Cello'', ''Clouds'', ''Solo Cello And Voice''
*
Gabriella Ferri
Gabriella Ferri (18 September 1942 – 3 April 2004) was an Italian singer born in Rome.
Ferri's career began in a Milan nightclub in 1963. By 1965, she had broken into the Rome singing scene by singing popular Roman songs, thereby becoming ...
: ''A Zaza''
*
Paul Giger
Paul Giger (born 1952 in Herisau, Switzerland), is a Swiss violinist and composer. He plays contemporary classical music, jazz, and free improvised music, and specializes in extended techniques.
He has released six CDs on the ECM label and co ...
: ''Crossing''
*
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...
: ''Mathis der Maler (Grablegung)'', ''Trauermusik'', ''Mathis der Maler (Versuchung des heiligen Antonius)'', ''Sonate für Viola (1937)'', ''Sonate für Bratsche allein Op. 25/1''
*
Heinz Holliger
Heinz Robert Holliger (born 21 May 1939) is a Swiss virtuoso oboist, composer and conductor. Celebrated for his versatility and technique, Holliger is among the most prominent oboists of his generation. His repertoire includes Baroque and Classic ...
: ''Trema für Violoncello solo''
*
Werner Pirchner
Werner Pirchner (13 February 1940 – 10 August 2001) was an Austrian composer and jazz musician.
Life
He was born in Hall in Tirol, and had his musical start playing jazz. In 1963 he played vibraphone in the Oscar Klein, Oscar-Klein-Quartett. ...
: ''Kammer-Symphonie'', ''Sonate vom rauen Leben'', ''Do You Know Emperor Joe'', ''Kleine Messe um „C“ für den lieben Gott''
*
Dino Saluzzi
Timoteo "Dino" Saluzzi (born 20 May 1935) is an Argentinian bandoneon player. He is the son of Cayetano Saluzzi and the father of guitarist José Maria Saluzzi.
Early life, family and education
Timoteo "Dino" Saluzzi was born in Campo Santo, ...
: ''Winter'', ''Transmutation'', ''Andina''
*
Arnold Schoenberg : ''Verklärte Nacht''
*
Jean Schwartz
Jean Schwartz (November 4, 1878 – November 30, 1956) was a Hungarian-born American songwriter.
Schwartz was born in Budapest, Hungary. His family moved to New York City when he was 13 years old. He took various music-related jobs including dem ...
: ''Charta Koa''
*
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946)
is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''.
Called the "punk poet ...
: ''Distant Fingers''
Discography
*
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
: ''Jean-Luc Godard / Nouvelle vague'' (ECM NEW SERIES 1600/01 449 891-2,
ECM Records,
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
), box including :
** Portfolio with the track listing.
** Booklelt containing the essay ''Le Regard intérieur'' by Claire Bartoli, author and play-writer.
** CD 1, 50 minutes
** CD 2, 38 minutes
Background
Most of the dialogue in the film consists of quotations from various sources, mostly literary.
The chauffeur periodically asks the Lennox character "was you ever bit by a dead bee?" – a reference to the Bogart and Bacall film ''
To Have and Have Not
''To Have and Have Not'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1937 by Charles Scribner's Sons. The book follows Harry Morgan, a fishing boat captain out of Key West, Florida. ''To Have and Have Not'' was Hemingway's second novel set in th ...
''. Though Godard's previous films had been peppered with quotation and allusion, this is his first film where the dialogue is almost entirely quotation, a practice that he has continued in films such as ''
Film Socialisme'' and ''
Adieu au Langage''. This is also the first film of many in which Godard takes the soundtrack music from the catalogue of
ECM Records, whereas in the 80's he made extensive use of classical music. ECM has in turn released
complete soundtrackto the film from beginning to end, including the film's music, dialogue, and ambient sounds.
Themes
Godard has said that the film is an allegory of the history of film. Elena represents the film industry. In the first half Lennox represents film and its makers that are taken in hand by the industry and nurtured but allowed to perish, or almost perish. Film is reborn in the figure of the
French New Wave ("La Nouvelle Vague"), the filmmakers of which arrived armed with knowledge of the history of film but shrewd enough to manipulate the industry for their own ends, thus saving the industry from its own demise. Godard scholars like
David Sterritt
David Sterritt (born September 11, 1944) is a film critic, author and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for ''The Christian Science Monitor'', where, from 1 ...
,
Kaja Silverman
Kaja Silverman (born September 16, 1947) is an American art historian and critical theorist. She is currently the Katherine and Keith L. Sachs Professor of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania. She received B.A. and M.A. degrees in Englis ...
, and
Harun Farocki
Harun Farocki (9 January 1944 – 30 July 2014) was a German filmmaker, author, and lecturer in film.
Early life and education
Farocki was born as Harun El Usman FaroqhiMargalit Fox (3 August 2014)''New York Times''. in Neutitschein, which is n ...
have identified other themes in the film.
Reception
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...
, writing in
contemporaneous reviewin ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', damned the film as little more than a "feature-length lipstick commercial," concluding that "only people who despise the great Godard films ... could be anything but saddened by this one." The reviewer's final pronouncement in a review that sealed the film's lack of success in the United States was "the party's over," apparently washing his hands of Godard's career as well as the film. However, the film was championed elsewhere and was hailed as one of the very best films of the year by such critics a
Jim_Hoberman_of_''
Jim_Hoberman_of_''The_Village_Voice">Jim_Hoberman">Jim_Hoberman
_of_''The_Village_Voice''.html" ;"title="The_Village_Voice.html" ;"title="Jim Hoberman">Jim Hoberman
of ''The Village Voice">Jim Hoberman">Jim Hoberman
of ''The Village Voice''">The_Village_Voice.html" ;"title="Jim Hoberman">Jim Hoberman
of ''The Village Voice">Jim Hoberman">Jim Hoberman
of ''The Village Voice''an
Jonathan Rosenbaum of ''The Chicago Reader'']. Canby's opinion has been disputed by later critics and scholars as well. In his boo
''The Films of Jean-Luc Godard: Seeing the Invisible'' David Sterritt devotes an entire chapter to the film, calling it a "complicated work" that has "especially strong links to ''
Hail Mary
The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...
'' and the other 'sublime' movies." Kaja Silverman and Harun Farocki likewise devote an entire chapter to the film in their ''Speaking About Godard''. Based on 6 reviews, ''Nouvelle Vague'' has an approval rating of 67% on review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Jean-Luc Godard
1990 films
Swiss fantasy films
1990s French-language films
French avant-garde and experimental films
1990 fantasy films
French fantasy films
1990s romantic fantasy films
Films directed by Jean-Luc Godard
1990s avant-garde and experimental films
1990s French films