New Wave: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 16, 2026

Facts

Also Known As	Nouvelle Vague

Photos

Jean-Paul Belmondo stands shirtless beside Jean Seberg, who faces a mirror and applies makeup, in a black-and-white scene from the film Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard.

See All Images →

Topics

Left Bank school auteur theory film cinéma vérité History of film Homer’s Odyssey vs. Christopher Nolan’s Film: Changes from Poem to Screen Explained: Controversies About Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey documentary directing 12 Essential Brat Pack Flicks Why Was the Black Panther Film So Popular?Animation 20 Under 40: Young Shapers of the Future (Film and Visual Arts)

Key People

Jean-Paul Belmondo stands shirtless beside Jean Seberg, who faces a mirror and applies makeup, in a black-and-white scene from the film Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Paul Belmondo

French actor

Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, with her dog, Toto, from the motion picture film The Wizard of Oz (1939); directed by Mervyn LeRay. (cinema, movies)

Classic Closing Lines