Craving a taste of the Parisian lifestyle? Look no further than these French New Wave films.

As a culture grounded by <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/art/new-young-artists-to-watch-2022-gallery">art</a>, beauty, and unparalleled creativity, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/travel-living/french-girl-nyc-guide-french-restaurants-bakeries-shopping">French</a> films have been praised by viewers and critics alike for generations. But beginning in Paris during the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/elvis-presley-best-movies">late '50s</a>, a modern <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/new-movies-tv-shows-stream-august-2022-actors-actresses-netflix-hbo-max-disney-plus">cinematic</a> movement emerged&mdash;New Wave. Characterized by the&nbsp;rejection of traditional filmmaking, these movies favored directorial control, favoring improvisational storytelling over strict narratives.&nbsp;
Led by the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, and Eric Rohmer, films were often shot on location with non-professional <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/richest-actors-in-the-world-wealthiest-hollywood-actresses">actors</a> as well as innovative camera techniques that are now standard practice today like hand-held <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/female-fashion-photographers-womens-history-month-annie-leibovitz-petra-collins">cameras</a> to get more intimate shots of their subjects. With an intimate touch to cinematography, here L'OFFICIEL pays homage to the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/french-girl-style-designer-runway-inspiration">French</a> films that revolutionized an industry.

The 400 Blows (1959)

Fran&ccedil;ois Truffaut&rsquo;s autobiographical film masterfully captures a portrait of the artist as an unhappy adolescent. A touching coming-of-age tale, the movie follows the young Parisian, Antoine Doinel, through boyhood as life becomes one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults and neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antonie realizes he's in for more than any 14-year-old boy can handle.

Breathless (1960)

Directed by French film legend Jean-Luc Godard, the movie's cinematography feels almost poetic. Yet despite the movie's visual artistry, the plot is anything but. Viewers are catapulted into the world of Michel, an amateur delinquent who flees to Paris after murdering a police officer. Upon arrival, he hides with his former girlfriend and American student Patricia. However as on-the-run Michael waits for money to escape to Italy, things grow more and more complicated.

Les Bonnes Femmes (1960)

In his fourth feature film, Claude Chabrol tells the tale of four Parisian shopgirls&mdash;Jane, Jacqueline, Ginette, and Rita&mdash;who work in a grim appliance store and cling to their romantic dreams. However as the plot unravels, it becomes more and more evident each girl has contrasting goals and intentions. While divisive upon release, Chabrol gives viewers a glimpse into the romanticized city's somber and rather seedy underbelly.&nbsp;

Vivre Sa Vie (1962)

Just two years after Breathless, Godard's landmark drama solidified his career and his status as an architect of the French New Wave film movement. Vivre Sa Vie is a <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">highly introspective look at the life of Nana, a young Parisian woman who dreams of becoming a film star. Over the course of the visually stunning film, Nana becomes increasingly disillusioned with the world, <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">eventually turning to prostitution as she yearns for a life of glamorous independence. Even today, Godard's thought-provoking work is recognized as a standout of the movement.

Contempt (1963)

After a declaration of love, and devotion, financially struggling French playwright, Paul Javal, asks his wife Camille to join him on a trip to Cinecitt&agrave;. Summoned by an American producer to commercialize Fritz Lang's adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey,&nbsp; Paul quickly finds himself compromising professionally and personally. A story of tortured love, the film witnesses the disintegration of a marriage and the uncanny power of money.

The 5 Most Iconic French New Wave Films

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