French Directors Who Left Their Mark on Film History with Sci-Fi

The flagbearers of the Nouvelle Vague, meaning 'new wave,' who pioneered a new era in filmmaking with techniques like simultaneous sound recording and improvisational direction. Among them, François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, hailed as masters, ventured beyond romantic films into science fiction. The event 'Nouvelle Vague Sci-Fi Film Showdown! Truffaut x Godard' at Theater Image Forum will screen digitally remastered versions of their representative sci-fi works: Truffaut's 'Fahrenheit 451' and Godard's 'Alphaville.'

France, often perceived as a 'nation of romantic films,' has also made significant contributions to film history through science fiction. Jules Verne, who penned novels like 'Around the World in Eighty Days' and 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' and is known as the 'father of science fiction,' and Georges Méliès, the 'inventor of science fiction film' who developed numerous special effects techniques such as slow motion and multiple exposures, were both French. In recent years, filmmakers like Luc Besson and Jean-Pierre Jeunet have emerged, drawing attention to France once again as a country producing captivating sci-fi works.

The 'Sense of Wonder' World Unveiled by the Revolutionaries of the Nouvelle Vague

'Fahrenheit 451' is known for being Truffaut's first film shot in color, on studio sets, and with English dialogue, marking a significant departure from his previous work. This adaptation of Ray Bradbury's seminal sci-fi novel depicts a near-future totalitarian society where reading is forbidden, focusing on the interactions between a fireman and a woman who possesses books, rendered with stark visual beauty.

Meanwhile, Godard's 'Alphaville' is a hard-boiled sci-fi film shot in cool monochrome, set in the city of Alphaville, ruled by the artificial intelligence Alph 60. It portrays the struggle of a lone agent attempting to restore humanity to the dictator's daughter, who has lost all emotion. Utilizing the modern architecture of 1960s Paris as real-world settings, and featuring dialogue rich with literary allusions, this film, brimming with Godard's characteristic experimental spirit, is celebrated as a cult masterpiece.

The 'sense of wonder' world created by two directors who revolutionized cinema with the Nouvelle Vague. It is an experience best enjoyed on the big screen.

『Nouvelle Vague Sci-Fi Film Showdown! Truffaut x Godard』
Dates: Saturday, December 27th – Friday, January 16th
Venue: Theater Image Forum
2-10-2 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-5766-0114
Admission: General ¥1500, Students/Seniors ¥1200, Elementary/Middle/High School/Members ¥1000 (¥1100 from January)
http://mermaidfilms.co.jp/sf/

'Fahrenheit 451' (Digitally Remastered Version)
Director: François Truffaut
Starring: Oskar Werner, Julie Christie
1966 / 113 minutes
©1966 Vineyard Films, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

'Alphaville' (Digitally Remastered Version)
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Starring: Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina
1965 / 99 minutes
©1965 STUDIOCANAL-Filmstudio