Nouvelle vague (1990)

Composed entirely by literary quotations from many different sources and from several historical periods, Godard's film works as an allegory on film. The loose narrative tells about a ... See full summary »

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard (uncredited)

Writer:

Jacques Audiberti (novel)

Stars:

Alain Delon, Domiziana Giordano, Jacques Dacqmine

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alain Delon	...	Lui / Roger Lennox / Richard Lennox
Domiziana Giordano	...	Elle: Elena Torlato-Favrini
Jacques Dacqmine	...	Le PDG
Christophe Odent	...	Raoul Dorfman, l'avocat
Roland Amstutz	...	Jules, le jardinier
Cécile Reigher	...	La serveuse
Laurence Côte	...	Cécile, la gouvernante
Joseph Lisbona	...	Le docteur
Véronique Müller	...	L'amie de Raoul 1
Joe Sheridan	...	Robert, aka Bob, le manager d'avions
Belkacem Tatem	...	Le maître d'hôtel (as Tatem Belkacem)
Violaine Barret	...	Yvonne, la femme du jardinier
Hubert Ravel	...	Laurent
Laurence Guerre	...	Della, la secrétaire
Pascal Sablier	...	Le client iranien

Storyline

Composed entirely by literary quotations from many different sources and from several historical periods, Godard's film works as an allegory on film. The loose narrative tells about a drifter found by a rich woman who soon falls in love with him. A drowning accident takes place and the drifter dies but some time later, he reappears in the woman's life looking for a job. Or could it be the man's twin brother?

---

Plot Keywords:

lake | disillusionment | wave | femme fatale | female male relationship | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

It has been claimed that every line of dialogue in this film is a quotation.

---

Connections

References The Dirty Dozen (1967)

---

Soundtracks

Sonate für Bratsche und Klavier op. 11-4
Composed by Paul Hindemith (as Hindemith)

User Reviews

a pretentious and largely pointless Art film

This is an empty shell of a film, washed up and abandoned by the vibrancy which once pulsed through the Godard canon. The fresh approach from the sixties has 'matured' into little more than a largely fruitless exercise in intellectual pretension, occasionally engaging (the mere presence of Alain Delon is enough for this), but more often than not wilfully obfuscatory and infuriatingly half-baked.

The editing is as lively as ever but serves for little when used to accompany the thin story of the countess (Domiziana Giordano trying ever so hard to be enigmatic) and her shady business dealings. There are too many only half-explored ideas, such as the familiar Marxist class considerations, expressed in cod philosophical voice-over musings, for the film to achieve a satisfactory sense of wholeness. Indeed, superficially clever but ultimately meaningless assertions such as `Maybe a man isn't enough for a woman, or perhaps he's too much' would be more in place in the glossy surroundings of a Calvin Klein advert. The title acts as an ironic and sad reminder of what the director once was, but I get the feeling he isn't really trying any more.

Details

Official Sites:

Coproducer TSR special on location report Swiss producer's official site

Country:

France Switzerland

Language:

French

Release Date:

23 May 1990 (France)

Also Known As:

New Wave

Filming Locations:

Canton de Vaud, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sara Films, Peripheria, Canal+

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color