The French New Wave: An Era Of Experimentation In Film

By Steve Bynum
In this May 19, 2017 file photo, filmmaker Agnes Varda appears at the screening of the film “Visages, Villages,” at the 70th international film festival, Cannes, southern France. Filmmaker Agnes Varda, a central figure of the French New Wave who later won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, has died. She was 90.
In this May 19, 2017 file photo, filmmaker Agnes Varda appears at the screening of the film "Visages, Villages," at the 70th international film festival, Cannes, southern France. Filmmaker Agnes Varda, a central figure of the French New Wave who later won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, has died. She was 90. Thibault Camus / AP Photo
In this May 19, 2017 file photo, filmmaker Agnes Varda appears at the screening of the film “Visages, Villages,” at the 70th international film festival, Cannes, southern France. Filmmaker Agnes Varda, a central figure of the French New Wave who later won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, has died. She was 90.
In this May 19, 2017 file photo, filmmaker Agnes Varda appears at the screening of the film "Visages, Villages," at the 70th international film festival, Cannes, southern France. Filmmaker Agnes Varda, a central figure of the French New Wave who later won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, has died. She was 90. Thibault Camus / AP Photo

The French New Wave: An Era Of Experimentation In Film

By Steve Bynum
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Jonathan Rosenbaum is an internationally renowned film critic, historian and author of numerous books, including Discovering Orson Welles. The legendary former Chicago Reader film critic has published a new two-volume set on the history and importance of film criticism, looking at major film movements like Italian Neorealism and the French New Wave (La Nouvelle Vague) of the 1950s and 60s. Rosenbaum believes that “a critic’s ideal role is to mediate and facilitate our public discussion of cinema.” WBEZ film contributor Milos Stehlik sat down with Rosenbaum for a series of discussions on transformative film movements, independent film and film criticism. In this segment, Stehlik and Rosenbaum discuss the French New Wave, from major players like Alain Resnais and François Truffaut to some of the lesser known, but nonetheless impactful, filmmakers of the era.