The system of the genius: the French New Wave’s politique des producteurs

Abstract

ABSTRACT This essay constructs a post-auteurist historiography of the French New Wave centred on the role of the producer. Examining the scattered recollections and contradictory accounts of producers Pierre Braunberger, Anatole Dauman, Georges de Beauregard, Mag Bodard and Christine Gouze-Rénal, the author builds a case for considering the New Wave’s director-oriented legacy, its aura of genius creators, as in part the product of producers’ own tactics and attitudes of self-effacement. By conceiving of the New Wave producer figure as curatorial – curating a movement and a sensibility in the role of patron and promoter of both films and directors – this investigation finds a production culture shaped by particular economic, cultural and intellectual contexts that enabled the New Wave to exist and thrive. This production culture positioned itself outside the established production industries of France. It was also masculinist and characterised by gender imbalance. Finding that women productrices faced unique challenges and setbacks, sometimes at the hands of their fellow producers, the essay analyses the hidden role of the New Wave producer while recognising that this role’s agency varied based on gender.