A history of the French new wave cinema /

Taking a "historical poetic approach," Neupert (Univ. of Georgia) argues that the new wave was not just a film movement but a cultural phenomenon. He explores the critical and commercial, social and technological climate that enabled 120 first-time directors to make features between 1958 and 1964, Chabrol to premiere four in 15 months, and Godard to make eight in four years. Neupert offers brilliant analyses, whether of familiar or neglected films. He starts with the experimental precursors--Astruc, Varda, Melville--and the breakthrough films--Vadim's And God Created Woman, Malle's Lift to the Scaffold and The Lovers. Separate chapters analyze the beginnings of kingpins Chabrol, Truffaut, and Godard. Against orthodoxy, Neupert adds Doniol-Valcroze and Kast to masters Rohmer and Rivette. The result is a masterful sense of the movement, its sources, character, and its continuing influence. Pertinent frame enlargements bolster the close analyses. ^BSumming Up: Essential. All collections. M. Yacowar University of Calgary

In this first history of the French New Wave to be written in English, Neupert (film studies, Univ. of Georgia) traces the development and maturation of the movement through the social, economic, and artistic atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s and its numerous directors and supporters. He begins with forerunners like Agnes Varda and Jean-Pierre Melville and then moves on to early leaders like Roger Vadim and Louis Malle. Finally, he focuses on the critical group of Franois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Claude Chabrol-onetime critics for the leading film journal Cahiers du Cinema who created some of the most innovative and exhilarating European films of the last century. Refreshingly jargon-free and full of interesting details and anecdotes, this book is a pleasure to read. Since most works treat individual directors rather than the movement as a whole, Neupert's book is highly recommended for academic libraries and large public libraries with strong film studies collections.-Andrea Slonosky, Long Island Univ. Lib., Brooklyn, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.