The French Know How Appreciate the Small Things

The French have always seemed to be good at boiling life down o its bare essentials. French thinkers, such as Sartre emphasized the fact that the world as it exists in itself has no inherent meaning, purpose, or higher goals; all of these things are products of the human imagination. Therefore, it seems logical that if we are able to construct meaningful value from high strung topics such as politics, ethics, race relations, etc, then we must also be capable of deriving meaning from simpler things, such as nature, small comedic anecdotes, or even changes in perspective. This is the sort of meaning aimed at by the French New Wave directors.
According to Jill Forbes' essay, "The French Nouvelle Vague," "...the moral message of Nouvelle Vague films was to be indistinguishable from their aesthetics..." Even though many of these New Wave films did include higher level themes such as love, social commentary, and politics, much of the focus in the films was on the minutia of everyday life. An excellent example of this would be the film "The 400 Blows," whos ending scene is shown above. The plot was driven by the story of a troubled child who was not understood or loved by his parents, causing a desire for independence and acceptance. The story included a troubled parental couple, living in a correctional facility, and juvenile delinquency. In a typical American film, these elements would have been the main focus, but at the end of this film, we don't see a neat fix for the poor boy's troubles. All we see is his satisfaction at walking in the ocean, a simple childhood fantasy.
While many viewers in this country would see that and feel frustrated at the apparent clip hanger, someone who understands the film's intention would be satisfied. Even though none of the child's problems have disappeared, (his parents have disowned him, he is alone, and is now a fugitive), this small moment in the water represents his freedom; he sees an open ocean that represents his ability to take himself anywhere he wants to go in his life, and all of that complex meaning was wrapped in a simple minute long experience. That is the power of the Nouvelle Vague; once one understands that meaning can be given to any thing on earth, one can watch the film and derive endless pleasure and satisfaction at life as it is, without the added thrills and twists that Hollywood depends on to keep its audience interested.


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