10 Essential Films for an Introduction to Cinema Du Look

"As well as idolising François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard or Alain Resnais, the Cinéma du Look directors emulated Hollywood directors like Spielberg, De Palma, Scorsese and Coppola. That this should have inspired such vitriol from the Cahiers du Cinéma crowd was surprising, given that respected organ's grand tradition of rejecting stifling hegemonies.
Neither Carax, Besson nor Beineix welcomed their classification as Cinéma du Look directors, and with each new film they deliberately veered in different directions avoiding stagnation and challenging their audiences. Several motifs unite their work in the 1980s, apart from the dazzling (usually) neon-heavy visuals.
There was an obsessive preoccupation with youth and the struggle to be young, a mistrust of the establishment and of the older generation. Doomed love and amour fou were prevalent themes, as was the regular appearance of motorbikes being chased through tunnels".