European New Wave

In this segment, Marc Cousins singles out four Europeans who he thinks brought the 1950s into the modern era. They are: Ingmar Bergman, a depressing Scandinavian director very much in the mold of Carl Dreyer. He was (possibly) the first to have his actress face the camera.

Robert Bresson, whose masterpiece is "Pickpocket". He lingers on the physical, getting emotions even from a donkey who could not care less that he is being filmed.

Jacques Tati, who was inspired by Chaplin and was more concerned with letting the story tell itself than telling a story that was not there. (Of the four, Tati is the least known in America...) And Federico Fellini, with a special focus on "Nights of Cabiria". While Fellini may be better known for "8 1/2" and "La Vita Dolce", it is through "Cabiria" that I know him and I appreciate the documentary picking it apart.

For good measure, we also throw in Jean-Luc Godard and Visconti. Both of these men are folks whose work I need to look into more.