Jean-Luc Godard, Influential French New Wave Director, Dies At 91

Jean-Luc Godard, a pioneer of cinema and one of the most influential members of the French New Wave, has died at the age of 91. Godard was known for his films of the 1960s including Breathless, Alphaville, and Pierrot le Fou, which helped shape the French New Wave and bring the movement to international audiences. In his later years, Godard continued to direct, but also expanded into making art installations and continued experimentation with film technology like 3-D visuals.

The French New Wave was characterized by its bucking of traditional filmmaking in favor of experimentation, with many modern editing and narrative techniques emerging from the movement. One of Godard’s most famous films, Breathless, popularized the use of jump cuts, in which a continual shot is broken into multiple parts, giving the viewer the impression of jumping around. The effect is still used today, especially to emphasize confusion with District 9 and A Serious Man employing the technique.

The Guardian reports that Godard passed away on September 13, 2022, at the age of 91. No cause of death has been reported. He’s survived by Anne-Marie Miéville, his longtime partner of over 50 years and artistic director on many of Godard’s projects. The couple had no children.

Godard was known for his eclectic and improvisational filmmaking process, pioneering many ideas on how stories on the big screen can be told, with his contributions from narrative, to sound, to editing, to cinematography being felt in the modern day. Godard was also known for his political views, with existential and Marxist philosophies embedded in the theming of his work. Godard also popularized including homage and references to other films, a practice used by modern filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino.

Godard will be most remembered by film historians and classical film aficionados, but his work can be felt in the DNA of films to this day, where he shirked modern trends and struck out on his own, leading to some of the most fascinating and influential films of his time. Even in his advanced age, Godard was still making films, with his final project The Image Book receiving positive reviews from critics and old-school movie fans. In an industry that’s been taking refuge in the same popular genre films, perhaps it would do Hollywood some good to channel Godard’s unique spirit into taking chances on some truly exciting and fresh ideas, thus paying true homage to one of the art forms greatest masters.

Source: The Guardian