Q&A Hero

Q: Alain Resnais is identified with the New Wave because a. he wrote for Cahiers du cinma with Truffaut and Godard. b. he was of the same generation and had the same lack of technical background. c. his first films appeared at the same time as Truffauts and Godards. d. he rejected the French literary tradition and embraced improvisational shooting. e. he was an auteur who did most of the creative jobs on his films by himself. f. all of the above

Q: Resnaiss primary thematic fascination is with a. the struggle between freedom and confinement. b. Marxist politics. c. the tension between spirituality and sexuality. d. the complexity of romantic relationships. e. the effect of time on human memory. f. none of the above

Q: The cinematographer who shot all of Resnaiss early features was a. Henri Deca. d. Sacha Vierny. b. Raoul Coutard. e. Jean Rabier. c. Nstor Almendros. f. none of the above

Q: In the 1960s, Resnaiss films became a. increasingly popular as he moved toward the mainstream in terms of technique and subject matter. b. more interested in emotion and romance than the workings of the human mind. c. increasingly unfashionable and unconventional as he pursued the logic of his own artistic development. d. more financially successful even though he maintained his experimental artistic style. e. nonexistent as he stopped making films altogether after 1968. f. none of the above

Q: Resnaiss Stavisky a. represented his return to filmmaking after five years of being unable to get a film produced. b. was both a critical and a popular success. c. has a score written by Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim. d. is about a financial scandal that toppled the French government. e. was shot in a style meant to evoke the look of two-strip Technicolor. f. all of the above

Q: Claude Chabrol a. unlike most New Wave filmmakers, was not influenced by Hitchcock or the American cinema. b. believed in filmmaking as a collective enterprise and has maintained a steady group of collaborators. c. never returned to form after the early promise of his pioneering New Wave films. d. has always been the least prolific of the New Wave directors, making a film every three or four years. e. was equally known for his comedies and his political films as he was for his thrillers. f. all of the above

Q: Chabrols work most often revolves around the central theme of a. the effect of time on human memory. b. the struggle between capitalist oppression and true democracy. c. the impact of a crime of passion on the relationships of a small group. d. the repressive effects of social structure on individual freedom. e. the existential hopelessness of existence. f. none of the above

Q: Chabrols Le Boucher a. was widely reviled by critics and ignored by audiences when it was first released. b. was the last film he ever directed. c. was his first film about the violence of everyday life. d. was a departure for Chabrol in terms of genre and tone. e. features a sexual psychopath as the most sympathetic character in the film. f. none of the above

Q: The director who worked with Jacques Cousteau before achieving New Wave notoriety with Les Amants (The Lovers) and Zazie dans le mtro was a. Claude Chabrol. d. Agns Varda. b. Jacques Rivette. e. Jacques Demy. c. Eric Rohmer. f. none of the above

Q: Films like Numro deux, La Communication, and Comment a va? represent a departure for Godard because a. they combine film and videotape. b. they are committed to a Marxist ideology. c. they have conventional plots and characters. d. they were made in equal partnership with Jean-Pierre Gorin. e. they go back to a more classical form of filmmaking. f. none of the above

Q: The creative explosion of the French New Wave a. continued unabated until the 1970s then tapered off slowly. b. lasted until the end of the 1960s then ended abruptly when the political climate in France changed. c. was over by 1960 when the established New Wave filmmakers assumed prominence in the French industry. d. ended around 1964 when production funds for new filmmakers dried up. e. is still going on, as it has for the past forty years. f. none of the above

Q: The most commercially successful of all the French New Wave filmmakers was a. Jean-Luc Godard. d. Jacques Rivette. b. Alain Resnais. e. Franois Truffaut. c. Claude Chabrol. f. none of the above

Q: Who or which of the following was NOT a significant influence on the work of Franois Truffaut? a. Alfred Hitchcock b. film noir c. Jean Renoir d. American B-films e. Andr Bazin f. All of the above were influences on Truffaut.

Q: The Truffaut film about a love triangle and the impossibility of achieving true freedom in love that is a tribute to Renoir and the French lyrical tradition is a. Jules and Jim. d. Stolen Kisses. b. Shoot the Piano Player. e. Day for Night. c. The Bride Wore Black. f. none of the above

Q: The director with whom Truffaut published a book-length interview before paying him homage in his next two films was a. Jean Renoir. d. Howard Hawks. b. Alfred Hitchcock. e. Jean-Luc Godard. c. John Ford. f. none of the above

Q: Antoine Doinel was a. one of the leading cinematographers of the French New Wave. b. an important New Wave director. c. the autobiographical main character of four Truffaut feature films. d. an actor known for his work with Jean-Luc Godard. e. the cofounder with Andr Bazin of Cahiers du cinma. f. none of the above

Q: All of the following are true of Truffauts Wild Child EXCEPT a. it is the final film featuring Antoine Doinel. b. it is based on a true story of a boy raised by wolves. c. it explores Truffauts favorite theme of confinement versus freedom. d. it was shot in a semidocumentary style. e. it is set in the 1800s. f. All of the above are true.

Q: The Truffaut film about filmmaking in which Jean-Pierre Leaud stars as an actor in a film being directed by Truffaut is a. Jules and Jim. d. Mississippi Mermaid. b. Bed and Board. e. Day for Night. c. The Wild Child. f. none of the above

Q: Jean-Luc Godard a. is the least prolific of the New Wave directors, having made just a handful of films. b. did not write for Cahiers du cinma like so many other New Wave directors. c. made films that are more emotional and less intellectual than the other New Wave directors. d. unlike most of the New Wave filmmakers, had no political perspective in his films. e. was always interested in the construction of compelling narratives. f. none of the above

Q: The Godard film that was banned by the French government for its comment on the Algerian War is a. The Little Soldier. d. Contempt. b. My Life to Live. e. Alphaville. c. Breathless. f. none of the above

Q: Godards Band of Outsiders is a. a neorealist musical. b. his first return to the gangster genre since Breathless. c. a sociological tract on the problem of prostitution complete with statistics and jargon. d. a war film that pays homage to the early documentary style of the Lumires. e. a film that has no narrative at all but merely attempts to destroy the illusion of cinema. f. none of the above

Q: The scriptless, plotless gangster film that comes closest to achieving Godards stated goal of making a film where there has been no writing, no editing, and no sound mixing is a. Alphaville. d. Le Mpris (Contempt). b. A Married Woman. e. Masculin/Fminin. c. Pierrot le fou (Crazy Pete). f. none of the above

Q: All of the following are true of Godards Made in the U.S.A. EXCEPT a. it is a remake of Hawkss The Big Sleep. b. the characters often speak directly to the audience. c. it has no plot or any other narrative construction whatsoever. d. it represents Godards celebration of the American cinema. e. the dialogue is often rendered purposely inaudible. f. All of the above are true.

Q: Godards Weekend a. is a science-fiction film shot in (then) contemporary Paris. b. is a detective film about the capitalist corruption of the American cinema. c. is about a group of students who form an unsuccessful Maoist cell. d. is about a married woman who becomes a prostitute in order to support her bourgeois lifestyle. e. is about a couple trapped in a monumental traffic jam that changes from a real landscape to a symbolic one. f. none of the above

Q: The name of the partnership between Godard and ideologist Jean-Pierre Gorin was a. the Sergei Eisenstein Group. d. Marxist-Leninist Productions. b. the Weekend Collective. e. Les films du Carrosse. c. the May 1968 Group. f. none of the above

Q: The key year for the French New Wave in which the three main figures of the movement all released their first feature films was a. 1953. d. 1960. b. 1955. e. 1962. c. 1958. f. none of the above

Q: The first feature-length film of the New Wave to be a success was a. Truffauts Le quatre cents coups (The 400 Blows). b. Godards bout de souffle (Breathless). c. Resnaiss Hiroshima, mon amour. d. Malles Zazie dans le Mtro. e. Chabrols Le Beau Serge. f. none of the above

Q: Alain Resnaiss first narrative feature film, which examines the relationship between time and memory, is a. Breathless. d. Les Cousins. b. Hiroshima, mon amour. e. Night and Fog. c. Black Orpheus. f. none of the above

Q: Le quatre cents coups (The 400 Blows) a. was an enormous commercial success. b. was the first feature film of Jean-Luc Godard. c. was completely ignored by critics and the public when it was first released. d. was modeled after American gangster films. e. was photographed by Raoul Coutard in academy ratio but in color. f. none of the above

Q: Which of the following characteristics of the French New Wave is NOT seen in Breathless? a. handheld camera. b. location shooting. c. features an unorthodox sexual relationship. d. natural lighting. e. direct sound recording. f. all of the above

Q: The aesthetic strategy pioneered by Godard in Breathless that became the most important technical characteristic of the French New Wave was a. long, fluid tracking shots. b. Soviet style intellectual montage. c. deep focus, widescreen composition. d. the jump cut and elliptical editing. e. studio shooting with highly expressive decor. f. none of the above

Q: Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the editing of Breathless? a. the elimination of establishing shots b. mismatches between scenes c. opening scenes with spatially disorienting close-ups d. removing sections from the middle of shots then splicing the ends back together e. invisible editing style f. All of the above are characteristic of Breathless.

Q: The French New Wave filmmakers a. were the first filmmakers in history to be film-educated. b. had very little technical experience prior to directing their first films. c. knew more about the medium as an art form than they did about production practice. d. worked on very small budgets. e. shot on location with handheld cameras. f. all of the above

Q: All of the following are stylistic characteristics of the French New Wave EXCEPT a. allusions to films of the past. d. documentary production techniques. b. continuity editing. e. self-conscious cinematic tricks. c. violent camera movements. f. all of the above

Q: The psychological effect of the conventions of the French New Wave was a. to create a reflexive awareness in the audience that they are watching a film. b. to completely absorb the audience in the fictional world of the film. c. to amaze the audience with the spectacle of cinematic effects. d. to create a closer identification with the characters than in more conventional films. e. to make the technical workings of the cinema invisible to the audience. f. none of the above

Q: The number of new directors to make first feature films in France between 1960 and 1962 was a. between fifty and sixty. b. around twenty-five. c. over one hundred. d. less than ten. e. No new directors debuted during those years. f. none of the above

Q: The Cinmathque Franais was a. the French national film school. b. the magazine Truffaut and Godard wrote for as critics. c. the leading film studio of the French New Wave. d. the magazine that first published Alexandre Astruc. e. the French governmental agency created to promote the export of French films. f. none of the above

Q: Henri Langlois a. amassed what has become the largest public film archive in the world. b. was a well-known director of the French New Wave. c. ran the French national film school. d. was the editor of Cahiers du cinma. e. was the codirector of Godards later films. f. none of the above

Q: All of the following were editorial positions of Cahiers du cinma EXCEPT a. a rejection of the montage aesthetic in favor of long take. b. the superiority of the French tradition of quality. c. the film as a product of the directors authorship. d. the celebration of the commercial American cinema. e. the notion that films should be emotional and psychological as well as intellectual experiences. f. all of the above

Q: The critic/filmmaker whose article A Certain Tendency in the French Cinema set forth the ideas that would become known as the auteur theory is a. Jean-Luc Godard. d. Claude Chabrol. b. Andr Bazin. e. Alexandre Astruc. c. Franois Truffaut. f. none of the above

Q: Which of the following directors was condemned rather than celebrated by the critics of Cahiers du cinma? a. Renoir b. Hitchcock c. Roger Corman d. Autant-Lara e. Bresson f. All of the above were favorites of Cahierss critics.

Q: The greatest stylistic influence on the filmmakers of the French New Wave was a. the generation of directors that emerged during the German Occupation. b. French Impressionism. c. poetic realism. d. the French documentary movement of the 1950s. e. American film noir. f. none of the above

Q: The great director of the French documentary cinema during the 1950s was a. Jean Grmillon. d. Jean Cocteau. b. Max Ophls. e. Georges Franju. c. Robert Bresson. f. none of the above

Q: Which of the following is a feature-length fiction film directed by Georges Franju as opposed to a short documentary? a. Le Sang des btes (Blood of the Beasts) b. En Passant par la Lorraine (Passing by Lorraine) c. Htel des invalides d. Night and Fog e. And God Created Woman f. none of the above

Q: Before becoming one of the first filmmakers of the French New Wave, Alain Resnais began his career as a. a documentary filmmaker. d. the founder of the Cinematheque. b. a film critic for Cahiers du cinma. e. a fashion photographer. c. a film professor at IDHEC. f. none of the above.

Q: Melvilles Bob le flambeur was a model for the New Wave in all of the following ways EXCEPT a. location shooting. b. using major stars in the lead roles but real people in supporting roles. c. small crews. d. independent production. e. it was based on American gangster films. f. all of the above

Q: Roger Vadims And God Created Woman contributed to the development of the New Wave a. stylistically, with its daring formal advances in camera movement and editing. b. thematically, by presenting a highly intellectualized treatment of psychological malaise. c. economically, by demonstrating that films by young directors with new themes could be profitable. d. narratively, by utilizing a nonlinear temporal structure that jumps around from past to future. e. economically, by showing that films could be made for almost no money. f. none of the above

Q: Alexandre Astrucs concept of the camra-stylo a. called for a more literary approach to the cinema with subtle dialogue and acting. b. was so far ahead of its time that it had no practical influence on French filmmaking or film criticism. c. argued for the dominance of classical montage editing over long take and the importance of the screenwriter and editor. d. saw cinema as an audio-visual language written by the director with the camera. e. was first published in Cahiers du cinma. f. all of the above

Q: Which of the following New Wave directors was NOT a writer for Cahiers du cinma? a. Truffaut b. Godard c. Chabrol d. Rohmer e. Resnais f. All of the above were critics for Cahiers.

Q: Henri-Georges Clouzot was known for making films in which genre? a. comedies d. fantasy films b. thrillers e. highly intellectual literary adaptations c. gangster films f. none of the above

Q: The most prevalent genre of film in postwar France was a. comedy. d. the fantasy film. b. poetic realism. e. the art film. c. the literary adaptation. f. none of the above

Q: Which of the following would NOT be characteristic of Robert Bressons cinematic style? a. psychological realism b. the moral struggle of the individual c. based on literary source material d. richness of dialogue and mise-en-scne e. austere acting style f. All of the above are characteristic of Bressons work.

Q: Jour de Fte a. is Jacques Tatis first feature film and won him international acclaim. b. like all Tatis films has almost no dialogue, relying instead on a series of sight gags. c. features visual humor that required scrupulous planning. d. is about a village postman who attempts to implement American-style efficiency with disastrous results. e. all of the above f. none of the above

Q: Jacques Tati a. did not act in the films he wrote and directed. b. made over a dozen feature films in his career. c. had his biggest international hit with Playtime. d. shot in a very fast, improvised style with little advance planning. e. worked in a variety of genres. f. none of the above

Q: Max Ophls a. was German but made his most significant films in France. b. came to the United States later in his career but failed to make any films. c. was born in France but spent the majority of his career in Germany. d. regularly went back and forth between France and the United States to make films. e. came to prominence in France during the German Occupation. f. none of the above

Q: Lola Monts a. features a static camera throughout the film. b. features extremely sophisticated widescreen composition. c. was shot in black-and-white and academy ratio because Ophls disliked color and widescreen. d. was a great popular success because of the films melodramatic plot and finely drawn lead character. e. features a naturalistic color scheme and chronological narrative structure. f. none of the above

Q: Max Ophlss style is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT a. a mobile camera. b. meticulous and meaningful composition. c. a strong sense of narrative, dialogue, and character. d. cynicism and wit. e. a great emphasis on mise-en-scne and decor. f. All of the above are characteristic of Ophlss style.

Q: The lasting influence of the French New Wave can be seen in a. the reestablishment of conventional narrative and formal production techniques. b. the distinct separation of labor in the French industry between writers and directors. c. the phenomenon of all French directors having a background in theory and criticism. d. the concept of group authorship of the film, taking into account the work of the screenwriter, cinematographer, producer, etc. e. the idea that film is a medium of personal expression for the director. f. all of the above

Q: During the German Occupation of France a. a new generation of filmmakers emerged. b. film production stopped almost completely. c. the major prewar directors continued to work steadily but there was little room in the French industry for new talent. d. the legacy of Poetic Realism died out completely. e. all of the above f. none of the above

Q: Which of the following films is a product of the collaboration between Claude Autant-Lara and Pierre Bost? a. Golden Helmet b. The Devil in the Flesh c. Forbidden Games d. Wages of Fear e. Beauty and the Beast f. All of the above are Autant-Lara/Bost collaborations.

Q: Jean Cocteau a. directed several important films during the German Occupation. b. was known for his extremely realistic films. c. was opposed to the literary tendency in French films and embraced a purely cinematic style. d. only wrote the screenplays for the films he directed. e. fled France during the German Occupation. f. none of the above

Q: The French director who began as an assistant to Renoir before making several outstanding gangster films, including his acknowledged masterpiece Casque dor in 1952, is a. Jacques Becker. d. Jean Cocteau. b. Ren Clment. e. Henri-Georges Clouzot. c. Claude Autant-Lara. f. none of the above

Q: The French genre that enjoyed a resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s with such films as Jean de Florette, Camille Claudel, and Queen Margot was a. the political thriller. d. the cinma du look. b. the slapstick comedy. e. the fantasy film. c. the heritage film. f. none of the above

Q: The cinma du look is characterized by a. a conventional approach to photography and mise-en-scne but great emphasis on makeup and wardrobe. b. an attempt to appeal to older, more sophisticated audiences. c. austere sound tracks most often limited to natural sound effects and dialogue. d. intertextual allusions to both poetic realism and pop culture. e. low-budget production values. f. none of the above

Q: The director who introduced the cinma du look with his first feature Diva in 1981 was a. Claude Berri. d. Luc Besson. b. Marcel Ophls. e. Jean-Jacques Beineix. c. Leos Carax. f. none of the above

Q: The Leos Carax film that represents the cinma du look at its most experimental with virtually no plot but wild visuals recalling Vigo, Carne, and the New Wave is a. Indochine. d. Les Amants du Pont-Neuf. b. Subway. e. La Haine (Hate). c. Diva. f. none of the above

Q: The director of the cinma du look who has had great success in France but failed when he tried to apply the visual style to the American-produced Alien Resurrection is a. Luc Besson. d. Alain Corneau. b. Jean-Jacques Beineix. e. Claire Denis. c. Leos Carax. f. none of the above

Q: The polar genre, which has been a staple in France for three decades, is a version of a. the romantic comedy. d. the exotic adventure film. b. the horror film. e. the crime film. c. the ethnic subculture film. f. none of the above

Q: The French genre that focuses on ethnic subcultures is called a. the polar film. d. the banlieu film. b. the cinma du look. e. the New New Wave. c. the policier. f. none of the above

Q: The films of the New New Wave a. are as visually stylish as the films of the cinma du look. b. tried to bring back the old studio star system. c. are made by the largest number of women directors working in any national cinema. d. put a renewed emphasis on plot and conventional narrative structure. e. tend toward an overt expression of radical political ideology. f. all of the above

Q: Irma Vep a. was directed by Olivier Assayas. b. is about an attempt to remake Feulliades Les Vampires. c. was a great international success. d. is about the imperiled state of French filmmaking in the face of globalization. e. is layered with allusions to other films. f. all of the above

Q: The state of the French film industry at the beginning of the twenty-first century can be characterized as a. healthy as a result of a complete absence of government protectionism in their national industry. b. in a state of crisis with production plummeting and audiences disappearing. c. the single strongest national industry in the world. d. just beneath the top twenty film-producing countries but holding steady. e. one of the most vibrant and productive in the world because of government regulation and subsidy. f. none of the above

Q: Canal Plus is a. the French government agency that oversees film regulation. b. the private organization devoted to promoting film culture in France. c. the French organization that supports the production of educational and documentary films. d. the French cable channel that underwrites nearly a third of French film production. e. the agreement by which a tariff is placed on foreign films entering France. f. none of the above

Q: Chris Marker is best known for a. his musical films. b. his comedies. c. his Hitchcock-style thrillers. d. his commercially successful but intellectually vapid New Wave films. e. his political melodramas. f. none of the above

Q: The subject of Ophlss documentary The Sorrow and the Pity is a. the place of Haitian voodoo rituals in modern society. b. the collaboration of the French people in the Nazis systematic murder of Jews. c. the student uprisings of May 1968 and their effects on a cross-section of the French public. d. the plight of Catholics in Northern Ireland. e. the struggle for survival in subSaharan Africa. f. none of the above

Q: In the 1960s and 1970s, science fiction a. failed to become more of a mainstream genre. b. attracted serious filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard. c. declined to the point that the genre almost disappeared. d. became the realm of only low-budget exploitation producers. e. continued to be produced but resulted in no notable films. f. none of the above

Q: The first of the American small films to be released and gain notoriety was a. Kiss Me Deadly. d. 12 Angry Men. b. High Noon. e. The Night of the Hunter. c. Marty. f. none of the above

Q: The small film of the 1950s a. was generally produced by the big Hollywood studios. b. was shot on sound stages made to look like ordinary spaces. c. featured Hollywoods biggest stars playing average people. d. represents an early connection between movies and television. e. was influenced primarily by the French New Wave. f. all of the above

Q: The studio that benefited most from the rise in independent production in the 1950s was a. MGM. d. 20th Century-Fox. b. Paramount. e. United Artists. c. Warner Brothers. f. none of the above

Q: By 1958 the percentage of Hollywood films made by independent production companies was a. 10 percent. b. 25 percent. c. 50 percent. d. 65 percent. e. 90 percent. f. None of the above; in 1958 the studios still controlled all production.