Frances Ha
by Noah Baumbach · film · 2012
unverified
Frances Ha is a 2012 film directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, who stars as a struggling 27-year-old dancer. shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a consumer-grade photographic camera, using Canon L-series EF prime and zoom lenses designed for still photography rather than cinema lenses. a scene featuring "Modern Love" by David Bowie remakes a sequence in Leos Carax's Mauvais Sang, where Denis Lavant runs through the streets.
what shaped this
the makers, scenes, and predecessors this work came out of, grouped by how the influence reached it
scene and geography
- Something Wild · Jonathan Demme
in the room
baumbach and gerwig watched this film during production.
“Baumbach and Gerwig also have cited the films of the French New Wave and Woody Allen as influences, as well as Something Wild (1986) and Lost in America (1985) which they watched during the production.”
source ↗ - Lost in America · Albert Brooks
in the room
baumbach and gerwig watched this film during production.
“Baumbach and Gerwig also have cited the films of the French New Wave and Woody Allen as influences, as well as Something Wild (1986) and Lost in America (1985) which they watched during the production.”
source ↗
lineage
- Manhattan · Woody Allen
visual reference
baumbach shot in black and white to emulate collaborations between allen and cinematographer gordon willis.
“Baumbach filmed Frances Ha with his cinematographer Sam Levy digitally and in black-and-white, the latter to emulate, in part, collaborations by Woody Allen and his cinematographer Gordon Willis, in films like Manhattan (1979).”
source ↗ - Mauvais Sang · Leos Carax
visual reference
the running scene to david bowie's modern love is a remake of a sequence where denis lavant runs through the streets in carax's film.
“'Modern Love' is featured in a scene in Frances Ha that is a remake of a sequence in Leos Carax's Mauvais Sang, where Denis Lavant runs through the streets.”
source ↗ - Mauvais Sang · Leos Carax
referenced
baumbach cited the mauvais sang sequence when editing the running scene and decided to license modern love for it.
“So when I was looking at it in the editing room – because I've always loved that sequence from Mauvais Sang – I thought I've got to look at getting Modern Love.”
source ↗ - The 400 Blows · François Truffaut
referenced
baumbach and gerwig cited truffaut and the french new wave as influences, made clearer by the black and white cinematography and music.
“I love those movies and I've always felt that they have influenced my work. I think with Frances it's just clearer, just because of the subject matter, the fact it's black and white and the music.”
source ↗ - Jules and Jim · François Truffaut
referenced
baumbach referenced truffaut specifically, including the use of music by georges delerue from truffaut's films.
“I was thinking of François Truffaut, and Eric Rohmer, particularly.”
source ↗ - Annie Hall · Woody Allen
referenced
gerwig cited annie hall as an inspiration for the film.
“Gerwig cited Joseph Conrad's novella The Shadow-Line and Woody Allen's film Annie Hall (1977) as inspirations for the film.”
source ↗