In the early 1960s, Anna Karina played muse for one of the French New Wave’s most iconic directors: Jean-Luc Godard. Despite the ups and downs of their personal relationship, they managed to find common ground on a professional level, resulting in numerous classics full of unforgettable moments. In films like Le Petit Soldat, Vivre Sa Vie, and Bande à part, Karina played vulnerable characters with an emotional hold over men, a reflection of how life and cinema seemingly became one. In later collaborations with Godard, such as Pierrot le Fou and Alphaville, Karina’s characters are more enigmatic, which shows not only the director’s changing perspective, but also Karina’s growth as a performer and command of her craft. This video focuses on motion and common ground, the ebb and flow of a career that helped change cinema forever.
Our passion for “La Nouvelle Vague” is anything but vague! Keep surfing the wave with our videos on the films of Claude Chabrol, François Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows,” and Agnès Varda’s “La Pointe Courte.” We also have great videos on The Sounds of Agnès Varda and the colors of Jean-Luc Godard.
