Noah Baumbach

Overview

Noah Baumbach is an American filmmaker known best for writing and directing witty intellectual comedies that are typically set in New York. Growing up, he was inspired by Woody Allen's films. Additionally, he notes Steve Martin as a comedic inspiration.^[1]

Filmography

Baumbach's Direction

Noah Baumbach has directed 12 feature narrative films which are:

Kicking and Screaming (1995)
Mr. Jealousy (1997)
Highball (2002) *film was never fully finished
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Margot and the Wedding (2007)
Greenberg (2010)
Frances Ha (2012)
While We’re Young (2014)
Mistress America (2015)
The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)
Marriage Story (2019)
White Noise (2022)

Baumbach's Writing

Noah Baumbach writes all of his own films. Noah Baumbach collaborates frequently with Wes Anderson. He was a writer on the following Anderson's films: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). ^[2] He also works with his partner Greta Gerwig. He was a writer and producer on Gerwig's 2023 smash hit Barbie (2023).

Filmmaker's Aesthetics

Mumblecore

Noah Baumbach was an important icon in popularizing the sub-genre of Mumblecore.^[3] Mumblecore was inspired by films by Andrei Tarkovsky and the film Slacker (Linklater 1990). Common aesthetics of mumblecore include natural feeling and sounding dialogue, static camera movements, and natural lighting. Frances Ha, directed by Baumbach and written by himself and Greta Gerwig was one of the first mumblecore films to skyrocket the genre. Even in his more recent films like Marriage Story (2019) and White Noise (2022) there are still mumblecore-like aesthetics like lower budget filmmaking techniques about characters struggling through life and leaving their youth.

Common Themes

Baumbach has been called an auteur. He has many reoccuring themes and motifs in his films.

Locations Set in NYC

Most, if not all of his films are set on the East Coast, specifically New York City. ^[4] Thus, he has many scenes set on a train or subways.

Divorce and Step Families

He is inspired by his own personal experiences and uses it for his films. All of Baumbach's films contain broken families or step families.

Prestigious References

Noah Baumbach is known for having characters with artistic careers, and these characters having intelligent conversations about high art.^[5]

Moments in His Films

Drawing from his love of Steve Martin, Noah Baumbach is known for having moments of screwball comedy in his films; as well as, moments of deep wisdom between the comedy.

Reception/Awards

Noah Baumbach was been nominated for multiple prestigious awards during his career. Some of the highlights include:

2020 Nominee Oscar - Best Motion Picture of the Year - Marriage Story^[6]
2020 Nominee Oscar - Best Original Screenplay - Marriage Story
2020 Nominee BAFTA Film Award - Best Screenplay (Original) - Marriage Story
2017 Nominee Palme d'Or - The Meyerowitz Stories
2006 Nominee Oscar - Best Writing, Original Screenplay - The Squid and the Whale

References

[1] ttps://www.indiewire.com/features/general/noah-baumbach-influences-filmmaker-spielberg-scorsese-max-ophuls-1201883274/

[2] ttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000876/fullcredits

[3] ttps://faroutmagazine.co.uk/noah-baumbach-and-the-importance-of-the-mumblecore-movement/

[4] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qip9FvdOBM&feature=youtu.be

[5] ttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0950236X.2021.1965293

[6] ttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000876/awards/

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