French New Wave or Nouvelle Vague Francoise (Introduction to realism) Part 1

1883: Karl Marx, a German philosopher whose body of work contributes to a left-wing school of thought, passes away.

1948: Mussolini’s fascist Italian Republic is overthrown. Italy draws a breath of fresh air as it steps into its post-World War 2 era. The war-torn remains lay the foundations for filmmakers such as Luchino Visconti and Roberto Rossellini.

1950: Alfred Hitchcock just releases ‘Stage Fright’, throughout the 50s he will continue to solidify his legacy with hits such as; Strangers on a Train (1951), Rear Window (1954) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956).

1956: Roger Vadim’s Et Dieu Crea la Femme (And God Created Women), unexpectedly took off despite the young age of its director and the limited funding for the film.

This series of events may seem random, but without them, it is very unlikely that we would be gifted Nouvelle Vague Francoise. Italian neorealism was partially a product of Marx and Christian humanism philosophies; take this, add the backdrop of Old Hollywood crime dramas (notable Hitchcock), sprinkle some young New Wave directors and you create what is now distinguishably French New Wave...

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