Jean-Luc Godard, an icon of French New Wave film who revolutionised popular 1960s cinema, has died, according to French media. He was 91. Multiple French media outlets confirmed that they had learned the news of his passing from his relatives on Tuesday.
Born into a wealthy French-Swiss family on December 3, 1930, in Paris, the ingenious “enfant terrible” stood for years as one of the world's most vital and provocative directors in Europe and beyond — beginning in 1960 with his debut feature "Breathless".
His films propelled Jean-Paul Belmondo to stardom and his controversial modern nativity play “Hail Mary” grabbed headlines when Pope John Paul II denounced it in 1985.
Jean-Luc Godard iconic movies
Throughout his career, Godard chose novelty and experimentation over convention. His movies were marked by his own expression of political interests and leanings. Breathless, The Little Soldier, My Life to Live, Les Carabiniers and Contempt, Weekend and Band of Outsiders are some of his most popular works. His movies were in collaboration with actress Anna Karina, who was also married to Godard.
Godard and his French New Wave cinema contemporary François Truffaut were also responsible for the shutdown of the 1968 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Godard, Truffaut and other protestors stated that the Cannes did not showcase any movies that represented their causes.
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Twitter mourns death of 'icon' Jean-Luc Godard
Godard was a cinema heavyweight, whose work and contribution to cinema history were unparalleled. After the news of his passing surfaced, many mourned his demise. "Heartbreaking but a beautiful and creative contributor to an ugly world. we were lucky to have him. #breathless (sic)." Another one commented, "Jean-Luc Godard did not make cinema. He was cinema (sic)."
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(With inputs from AP news)
