Paris, Texas: Richard Linklater and Nouvelle Vague

Richard Linklater, Austin’s easygoing spinner of cinematic yarns, wasn’t the obvious candidate to make Nouvelle Vague, a fact-inspired fable about the creation of Jean-Luc Godard’s innovative, era-defining French classic Breathless. Stylistic and temperamental differences abound between these artists, especially in their later careers. Even so, as preface to the 61st Festival’s double feature of both films, we will chart some Godardian resonances in Linklater’s best- and least-known features, eager in their own ways to revise cinematic grammar, revisit iconic figures and spaces, and channel youthful energies on screen.