Sunday, August 7, 2011

Two in the Wave (2010)

Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)
Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)

Genre: Documentary
Director: Emmanuel Laurent
Starring: Isild Le Besco
Duration: 91 min.
Rating: 6.0  

Summary:
Jean-Luc Godard was born in 1930; Francois Truffaut two years later.  Love of movies brings them together.  When Truffaut's "The 400 Blows", triumphs in Cannes in 1959, he helps his older friend shift to directing, offering him a screenplay, A bout de souffle or "Breathless".  Through the 1960s the two loyally support each other. History and politics separate them in 1968, when Godard plunges into radical politics but Truffaut continues his career as before.  Between the two of them, actor Jean-Pierre Leaud is torn like a child between two squabbling parents.  Their friendship and their break-up embody the story of French cinema.



Two in the Wave is a French documentary by Emmanuel Laurent.  It premiered at the 2010 Rotterdam International Film Festival.  It tells the story of Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, two men who changed cinema forever.

I'm not sure what the director was going for here as he misses the potential target audiences for this film.  Both glossing over details and insight that would interest film buffs, and also inadequately explaining the unique styles and techniques of The New Wave for those just discovering French cinema.  It comes across as an amateurish production that reminded me of old history films that I used to fall asleep to in high-school or the throwaways lazy studios put into their DVD extras. 

The inclusion of Isild Le Besco is also baffling.  We she shots of her in the present day leafing through old magazines and photographs, as a voice over (not her's) tells us the story, interspersed with clips from Godard and Truffaut's films.  But to what real purpose that serves only the director knows.

Their story is no doubt a fascinating one that deserves to be told.  I hope eventually someone comes along and does it properly.  But as it stands, reading the summary above will give you just as much information as this film manages to do.

Bonjour Tristesse

Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)

Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)

Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)

Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)

Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)

Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)

Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)

Two in the Wave / Deux de la Vague (2010)

8 comments:

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah it was a very dry delivery for what should be a fascinating topic.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

It was fun to try and play "guess the clip", but it really isn't all that entertaining or informative.

d_4 said...

Sounds.. terrible. I've been  avoiding the sleep inducing movies for years, so thanks for the heads up.

Hoi-Ming Ng said...

I agree with your assessment, Jack.

Jack L said...

Sounds boring, such a shame as it's a very rich subject matter.

blahblahblahtoby said...

oh no! this has been on my viewing list for quite some time. but i just never found toby time to watch it. i'm not kidding myself that french new wave cinema documentaries are of interest to leah. but it seems like maybe i shouldn't bother after all.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

That is another thing that is disappointing because the film should have been better since it is based on De Baecque's essays and he also narrates it. 

Michael Parent said...

It's sad because I think this is probably the subject that has so much to say and write about! The bad reviews around this release kept me away from seeing it. However, I am passionate about both cinéastes and instead I read Antoine De Baecque's biography on Godard which is very very much informative and full of contextual elements on the life and works of Godard.

Post a Comment