Called the godfather of France's New Wave cinema, Jean-Luc Godard never shied from discussing taboo topics or throwing away the filmmaker’s rule book. His unusual techniques are an inspiration for numerous iconoclastic directors since the 1960s SwBREATIt :SS (1960) French director Francois Truffaut’s storyline was hammered into ascreenplay, though Godard rewrote the script, turning itintoa comic love story. Shot like a documentary, with a handheld camera and minimal lighting, the film was given a newsreel effect. He also brought in his maverick style of jump cuts to bring the 2.5-hour-long film into 90 mins, cutting out scenes, some evenwithin shots, breaking away from the seamless continuity of afilm and giving the world a new kind of cinema #QUIXPLAINEDexplained. VIVRE SA VIE (1962) To tell the story of the character Nana’s descent into prostitution, Godard kept to the “theatrical spirit” of the film, withits crisp black-and-white cinematography. This time, he doffed his hat to German playwright Bertold Brecht, using the concept of epic theatre and divided the narrative into distinct chapters. Critics hailed the film as “a new masterpiece”, that could be seen alongside the works of Rosselliniand Bresson and called it “the first absolute flawless film by Godard” #QUIXPLAINEDEXPRESS, oipeaned 1D 0 E (1964) Shot in the Paris winter against the backdrop of billboards and cafes, the film brings alive the fantasies of its three lead characters, who are out to commit a robbery. Godard had ironed out every detail in advance, be it the sprint across the Louvre or the Madison dance in the café, for which the actors had to rehearse daily fora month. Though it’s known to be Godard’s most “accessible film”, he felt he had compromised himself to please people #QUIXPLAINEDexeaned / hh ae ALPHAVILLE (1965) This is Godard at his audacious best, bringing sci-fi and film noir to an apocalyptic crescendo. Set in the future with giant computers and dystopian cities, Godard shot much of the film at night, to give the feel of “alienating darkness”. In creating an expressionistic style, he took everyday things and gave it an eerie twist, making the film more than just a story about a secret agent arriving ina space city to free a missing person from a tyrannical ruler #QUIXPLAINEDexplained. GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE (2014) Even decades after his filmmaking, Godard proved he was still relevant with this film that won a 15-minute standing ovation at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Critics said the 3D film — about and a man and his wife who no longer speak the same language, but need their dog to intervene — “remained faithful to the ideals of the French New Wave by being absolutely contemporary and telling the truth of the modern age” TEXT: AGENCIES; DESIGN: MITHUN CHAKRABORTY #QUIXPLAINED 6