Alright, this is a new feature I’ve got called Arbitrary Lists. Basically, I will take a group of things that are connected in some way and rank them. Some categories will be obvious, some will be dumb, hopefully they’ll all be fun. Today, I’m going to do rankings of five of the most famous “New Waves” in film. Let’s meet the contestants!
Fun Fact: If you Google “New Waves” you get this image and a bunch of images from a fan-service manga.
French New Wave (1958-1970) Concerned with pushing boundaries of what will be tolerated in a film. Key Films: Breathless, Jules and Jim, Vivre Sa Vie, Cleo from 5 to 7
American New Wave (or New Hollywood) (1965-1982) Concerned with cementing the auteur theory in commercial cinema. Key Films: The Godfather, Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider
Australian New Wave (1971-1989) Concerned with creating a national identity for Australian cinema. Key Films: Walkabout, Mad Max, Wake in Fright, Picnic at Hanging Rock
German New Wave (or New German Cinema) (1962-1982) Concerned with creating films that reflected the beauty of American cinema but reflecting uniquely German anxieties. Key Films: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, Aguirre, Wrath of God, Paris, Texas.
Romanian New Wave (2004-Present) Concerned with creating aesthetically and narratively bleak films which reflect real life in Romania. Key Films: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Police, Adjective
And now…
THE LISTS
Most Influential
- French
- American
- German
- Australian
- Romanian
Most Depressing
- Romanian
- German
- American
- French
- Australian
By My Favorite Film
- American (The Godfather)
- French (Vivre Sa Vie)
- Australian (Walkabout)
- Romanian (4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days)
- German (Paris, Texas)
Accessibility (i.e. What do my parents think?)
- American
- Australian
- German
- French
- Romanian
Formal Experimentation
- French
- German
- Australian
- Romanian
- American
Movie Snobbiness?
- French
- Romanian
- German
- American
- Australian
And Now: My List
- French
- Amercian
- Romanian
- German
- Australian
How would you rank these? What New Waves did I leave out that you would have included? Do you want to see the rankings I made for Andrei Tarkovsky? I’ve got them! Let me know in comments!
Peter Guilherme 