One Shot: The indelible ending of 'Nouvelle Vague,' explained

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Richard Linklater’s love letter to Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 debut “Breathless,” shot by cinematographer David Chambille, pulsates with the rhythm, rebellion and romance of the French New Wave, crafting an artistic interpretation of the classic film’s production and the transformation of its director.In its closing chapter, Godard’s signature sunglasses catch a reflection of his own iconic film — an amateur is now the auteur.

“There’s a similar shot at the beginning of the movie where he’s looking at ‘The 400 Blows’ at Cannes and Godard is nothing at that moment.Then at the end, you see him in sunglasses looking at what he has achieved,” says Chambille, who shot “Nouvelle Vague” in black and white as an homage to the original.

The visually magnetic image — created in-camera without visual effects — was one of the first ideas Linklater had in creating his Godard character, played by Guillaume Marbeck.The sunglasses are not only an accessory, but a barrier to keep the world, and perhaps himself, at a distance.

“Richard wanted to say something deeper.That he’s living movies, he’s living cinema and he has moving images instead of eyes,” says the cinematographer.

“We often say that we can read the sound of somebody through their eyes.And in this case, you can see the sound of Godard through movies.”Get exclusive awards season news, in-depth interviews and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis straight to your inbox.

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