French New Wave

The French New Wave: Critical Landmarks is a new and expanded edition of a classic anthology of writings by critics and film-makers associated with the Nouvelle Vague. The new edition, published to mark the 50th anniversary of the New Wave, features all the articles from the first edition, including Bazin's seminal 'La Politique des Auteurs' and a brand new translation of Truffaut's 'Une certaine tendance du cinema francais' (A Certain Tendency in French Cinema). In addition, the collection includes articles by and interviews with Bazin, Godard, Chabrol and others that helped to shape contemporary debates about the history, aesthetics and practice of cinema, as well as a case study offering three different perspectives on Godard's A bout de souffle. The new edition features a preface by Peter Graham alongside his preface to the 1968 edition, and an introduction by Ginette Vincendeau that contextualises the Nouvelle Vague in the light of recent developments in film theory and history and its influence on subsequent French film-making. There is also a new and substantial bibliography of works on the New Wave in English and French, making this an indispensable point of reference for anyone interested in the movement and its long-lasting effects on the theory and practice of cinema. Contributions by: Alexandre Astruc, Andre Bazin, Robert Benayoun, Raymond Borde, Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard, Gerard Gozlan, Luc Moullet, Georges Sadoul and Francois Truffaut. The Editors: Peter Graham has enjoyed a varied career as a film critic, food writer, translator and film-maker. His publications include A Dictionary of the Cinema (1964 and 1968), Classic Cheese Cookery (1988 and 2004) and Mourjou: The Life and Food of an Auvergne Village (1998 and 2004). He lives in Mourjou, France. Ginette Vincendeau is Professor of Film Studies and Director of the Film Studies Department at King's College London. Her recent publications include Journeys of Desire: European Actors in Hollywood (co-edited with Alastair Phillips, 2006), La Haine (2005) and Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris (2003). She is the editor of the Cine-Files: French Film Guides series at I.B. Tauris and a regular film reviewer for Sight & Sound, BBC Radio 3 and 4 and the BBC World Service.