Godard. I feel like I’ve written so much about Godard over the years. I’ll be the first to grant that if you consider documentaries and experimental cinema alongside narrative fiction cinema, then Godard would probably be closer to a top 5 auteur. I don’t…. so he isn’t. All of my top 10 films of Godard are from his 60’s period. From 1960-1967 Godard went on an incredible run both with big masterpieces (Breathless, Pierrot le Fou, Contempt) and high productivity (10 archiveable films in 8 years). It’s reminiscent of Coppola’s run from 1972-79 with 4 masterpieces (3 of them giant), and Hitchcock’s run from 54-60. If I’m hard on Godard it’s because I lament what happened to his career after Weekend. I mean if I didn’t give a crap about him I wouldn’t complain- I’d just ignore him. It’s similar to how I ride De Niro for not capitalizing more on the last 20+ years of his career (though I love his work with Russell) so you can imagine how frustratingly disappointed I am in Godard for giving me little to nothing the last nearly 50 years. Enough doom and gloom. Even without believing fully in the Godard Revolution and his heady prognostication of cinema’s compete demise I still have him as a top 16 director all-time and the way he narratively and stylistically questioned cinema’s conventions and the brilliant 1960’s oeuvre he gave us will be forever remembered. For all of these categories below I’m leaving out his “experimental” and documentary work. It’s a fine line with some films, but that’s the decision I’ve made.
Best film: Breathless. Every time I get angry with Godard for his incredible decline since 196 I should pop this in. It’s a landmark film for jump-cut editing, stylistic rule-breaking and genre deconstruction.
total archiveable films: 12
top 100 films: 2 (Breathless, Pierrot le Fou)
top 500 films: 4 (Breathless, Pierrot le Fou, Contempt, Weekend)
top 100 films of the decade: 6 (Breathless, Pierrot le Fou, Contempt, Weekend, Band of Outsiders, Vivre sa vie)
most overrated: Vivre sa vie is TSPDT #131 and his 4th. I’m not there. I don’t have it in my top 500 (last saw it in 2012 so I’m due) and I have it as his 6th best film.
most underrated : Band of Outsiders is TSPDT’s 10th best Godard film and I have it as his 5th. It’s Godard—so everything he’s sneezed on is really highly praised on the TSPDT list but I think actually Pierrot le Fou is slightly underrated, too. Both it and Band of Outsiders (bande a part) are better than their TSPDT rankings. Weekend probably is, too but all three only slightly.
gem I want to spotlight: Pierrot le Fou. It may be the least touted #2 film from any great director! It’s brilliant, beautiful, and a little difficult—but fun difficult with the focus still on making a great film with artistic flair.
stylistic innovations/traits: He’s one of cinema’s great Hollywood counter-points. Godard is the co-father of the New Wave with Truffaut and a cinematic rebel. Jump cuts, genre and narrative manipulation and examination (deconstruction). Certainly Breathless is one of the best films of all-time. The greatest period of cinema in cinema history was the 60’s and he, like Fellini, Antonioni, Truffaut and others were at the absolute center of it—and nobody had a run like Godard. He was prolific and dazzling through that era—10 archiveable films in 8 years, 7 of those were in the top quality 10 of their year, and 3 masterpieces.
top 10
- Breathless
- Pierrot le Fou
- Contempt
- Weekend
- Band of Outsiders
- Vivre sa vie
- A Woman is a Woman
- Masculine, Feminine
- Alphaville
- Two or Three Things I Know About Her
By year and grades
| 1960- Breathless | MP |
| 1961- A Woman Is a Woman | R |
| 1962- Vivre Sa Vie | HR |
| 1963- Contempt | MP |
| 1964- Band of Outsiders | HR |
| 1965- Alphaville | R |
| 1965- Pierrot le Fou | MP |
| 1966- Masculine, Feminine | R |
| 1967- Two or Three Things I Know About Her | R |
| 1967- Weekend | MS |
| 1972- Tout Va Bien | R |
| 1980- Every Man For Himself | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
@Drake- These pages are not working.
* Les Carabiniers (1963)
* Made in U.S.A. (1966)
* Passion (1982)
* First Name: Carmen (1983)
Study Summary: Jean Luc Godard French New Wave Films (1960-1967)
Jean Luc Godard is one of the Godfathers of The French New Wave along with his friend/fellow critic/rival François Truffaut. There are many other key players of course, but those two are in a league by themselves. More on that below
Repeating what I said in my Breathless review holds up for Jean Luc Godard in general
“Breathless (1960) will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the film that reignited my interest in movies after a substantial hiatus. One of Roger Ebert’s reviews (I cannot remember which) referenced it so I decided to check it out. After watching it, I got my hands on every French film I could find, most from the public library, and the next 25-30 movies I watched were all French and most of them were French New Wave. My interest in international cinema skyrocketed from there and has not let up since. Within a couple of years, I discovered the Criterion Channel and Cinema Archives, amongst other great resources”
Of course, Godard’s greatness for me goes far beyond simple nostalgia for reigniting my interest in Cinema. In fact, if anything I may have underrated Godard’s non-Breathless films prior to this Study. I understand that recency bias can play a factor, but I really do believe that I either forgot just how great some of Godard’s films were or underrated the first time around
His run from 1960 to 1967 was ridiculous and possibly the greatest 7 year run I have come across. What makes it stand out so much aside from the quality of the films is the exploration of various genres, subject matter, and stylistic approaches while retaining authorship. Godard seemed to give himself challenges. For example, after A Woman is a Woman which was his first color film and utilized a 2.35 aspect ratio, he follows up with the monochrome boxy look of My Live to Life and then follows up with a magnificent use of color and CinemaScope in Contempt (1963)
Godard was regarded by many as a rebel due to his genre deconstruction and his reputation as one of Cinema’s premier film critics. Yet, Godard himself rejected this label in stating that he did not consider himself a rebel or that his innovations were examples of him “rebelling” against the art form. Godard stated “it’s not really rebelling. It’s annoying not to be able to do what you want.”
Godard covers numerous genres and subject matter while retaining authorship. He does this by unloading his entire stylistic arsenal or at the very least the majority of it in many of his best films. Unlike most directors who aim to immerse viewers into the world of their film, Godard made sure to remind the viewer that what they were watching was indeed a movie; this can be seen within the first 5 or so minutes of his debut Breathless (1960) when Belmondo’s character Michel turns to the camera and breaks the 4th wall by speaking directly to it and by extension the viewer. Godard films will sometimes even reference other Godard films via movie posters within the movie. The use of playful and often flat out ridiculous sequences is another way to remind the viewer they are watching a film. One of my favorites is a scene from Pierre le Fou where the Belmondo and Karina characters stop at a gas station despite not having any money. When it comes time to pay they beat up the attendants in the most cartoonishly manner possible. Karina’s characters lifts her left arm up as a temporary distraction and she punches the man with her right hand in the softest way imaginable yet it somehow incapacities him. The deaths of characters in several of his films are intentionally poorly acted such as the death of the Jean-Pierre Léaud character in Made in USA. Godard also likes to blur the line of fiction and reality with real life cameos including real life film directors like Samuel Fuller, Jean Pierre Melville, and Fritz Lang
For a number of his films, Godard uses blue, white, and red for the title cards in the opening credits; I always love when auteurs treat the opening credits as more than just functionary. Godard’s use of primary colors in the mise en scene is incredibly consistent in A Woman is a Woman, Contempt, Pierrot le Fou, Made in USA, Two or Three Things I Know About Her, La Chinoise, and Weekend. For several of these the dedication to a particular color palette is just about as thorough as humanly possible
It is unfortunate that Godard stopped making narrative films for the most part. None the less I try to take the position of being grateful for whatever a brilliant artist does give to the world than lamenting over what could have been. Still, I can certainly understand why some Cinema lovers do lament Godard’s departure from narrative filmmaking. In these Director Studies I have avoided documentaries with the exception of Werner Herzog and even there I made separate lists when ranking his narrative films and his documentaries
It is impossible to overstate the value of Godard’s muse/wife/ex-wife Anna Karina during their reign together. She is one of the major players in The French New Wave. And while yes, there are certainly better pure actresses than Karina, she is none the less a skillful actress. But that is not what makes her a screen legend. It is her combination of acting, screen presence, attitude, chic fashion sense, and demeanor that gave her an unmatched level of cool. Her performance in Vivre Sa Vie is one of the best and most iconic performances of the New Wave
While he most associated with François Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Léaud appears in way more Godard films than I realized. Of course, some of these were basically cameo but he had significant roles in several of his films and was the lead or co-lead in a couple of them including Masculin Féminin(1966) and La Chinoise (1967)
I was not sure if I would go beyond Weekend (1967) but I am fine with stopping the Study here. I do plan on watching some of Godard’s post Weekend films at some point but for the purpose of this Study I think his work from Breathless to Weekend captures his incredible contributions to The French New Wave and just Cinema in general. The run he went on in just 7 years is almost superhuman. It is a little like what The Beatles contributed to music. You look at it and the output in such a condensed time period is utterly ridiculous
Regarding Godard vs Truffaut:
Prior to this Study I believed Truffaut’s oeuvre to be superior but now I am not so sure. Then again, I probably prefer Truffaut’s best 3 films to Godard’s 3 best. However, Godard’s top 10 might be superior, it certainly is close.
If I made a combined list the top 10 would probably be:
# 1 Jules and Jim
# 2 The 400 Blows
# 3 Breathless
# 4 Shoot the Piano Player
# 5 Contempt
# 6 Pierre Le Fou
# 7 Vivre Sa Vie
# 8 Day for Night
# 9 Alphaville
# 10 Weekend
Godard was more inventive, stretching the limits of filmmaking with new techniques and genre deconstruction. I also think that some of Godard’s lower graded films probably have a better chance of being upgraded than Truffaut’s on repeat viewings. At the same time, I cannot overstate how much I love the entire Antoine Doinel Series. While none of the subsequent films can come close to touching The 400 Blows (1959) the Series gives Truffaut something unique. I try not to get too swayed in the moment as recency bias can be quite impactful. Regardless they are both amongst the greatest auteurs of all time
They are so different as Truffaut is accessible with more straight forward narrative structures. I can watch a Truffaut film anytime. I don’t really see myself just casually throwing on a Godard film in the future except for Breathless. Next time I revisit any of these films I’ll probably go on a full on Godard binge again. Okay, maybe not necessarily every single one but I think my point is clear. And that Is fine by me and really quite fitting given that my first French New Wave film was Breathless and that led to the French New Wave becoming an obsession for me
Final Ranking and Grades:
# 1 Breathless (1960) – MP
# 2 Contempt (1963) – MP
# 3 Pierre Le Fou (1965) – MP
# 4 Vivre Sa Vie (1962) – MP
# 5 Alphaville (1965) – MP/MS
#6 Weekend (1967) – MS
#7 A Woman is a Woman (1961) – MS/HR
# 8 Band of Outsiders (1964) – HR
# 9 Made in U.S.A (1966) – HR
# 10 Two or Three Things I Know About Her (1967) – HR/R
# 11 La Chinoise (1967) – HR/R
# 12 A Married Woman (1964) – R
# 13 Le Petit Soldat (1960) – R
# 14 Masculin Féminin (1966) – R
@James Trapp- Have you done a Rainer Werner Fassbinder study?
@Malith – not yet, on the short list with a few others but I am doing Jim Jarmusch next
@James Trapp- that’s exciting- forgive me but I forget- coming in now- what of Jarmusch’s work have you seen?
@Drake – I am not 100 percent sure but I believe that I have seen the following:
Dead Man, (2 viewings)
Stranger Than Paradise (1 viewing)
Down By Law (1 time)
Mystery Train (2 times)
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (several viewings I love this one)
So I have seen 5 of his 10 best films (by your rankings on Jarmusch page) but for some of them I have not seen in a while, Stranger Than Paradise, I believe my only viewing was back in 2021 and Down by Law was probably around the same time
@James Trapp- very cool- looking forward to hear what you think regarding this study
@James Trapp- thank you for sharing this- love the tier by tier breakdown and the Godard vs. Truffaut breakdown here
@Drake – Thanks, given substantial upgrades to Alphaville and A Woman is a Woman and an upgrade of Vivre Sa Vie from HR to MS, would I be correct in assuming Godard has surpassed Truffaut for you? It is very close for me
@James Trapp- yes, that’s fair to say for sure
Weekend (1967)
Notes:
Mireille Darc as Corinne
Jean Yanne as Roland
Starts with primary color letters in opening credits “a film adrift in the cosmos”
1:40 “a film found in a dump” hilarious
2:47 overhead shot held following car crash as passengers act out their road rage
4:13 high contrast lighting with silhouette as a man talks in the most casual manner possible about giving relatives to inherit their money
5:05 slow zoom out to silhouette two-shot
5:45 mocking dramatic music drowns out the conversation
14 min intentional hilariously terrible fight sequence, the
16 min to 24 min is an extended tracking shot although there is a quick cut at some point, but it is basically an 8 minute tracking shot of a traffic jam along the countryside with the camera gliding roadside capturing, angry drivers, cars flipped over, dead people, and all this with unceasing honking
27:17 pop art background
30:03 characters biting off attackers
31:09 inept car jacking
36:06 another laughable fight sequence, here in a field full of sheep
37:33 car crash resulting in car burning with screaming characters including a woman comically yelling about her expensive handbag the way you expect someone to be yelling about their child
38:27 Jean-Pierre Léaud
40:00 yellow painted phone booth in the middle of some field, with Jean-Pierre Léaud’s character inside of it making a call
42:52 bright orange flames from cars on fire and dead people scattered over the road
50:53 primary color title cards
52:12 “a little torture will change her mind” this is stated in matter of fact casual way
55:11 tracking shot with music playing off camera
59:21 another slow and long pan
1:11:00 Jean-Pierre Léaud in French military costume
1:14:00 long stretch of static camera as political speeches read off camera
1:20:53 screaming off screen followed by splashes of blood over dead animal
1:25:38 overhead shot with red shirt sticking out in sea of green
1:28:04 references to The Searchers and Battleship Potemkin
1:31:20 nice blocking in this composition in the woods with characters holding guns
1:36:04 another tracking shot, here on outskirts of the woods
1:38:02 man playing drums in woods with back to camera
1:41:11 woman shot in medium close up with arms behind her head
The final credits read “the end of cinema”
Thoughts:
While Godard would continue making films for decades, this marked the end of an era. And while I plan on watching some of his work post The French New Wave, for the purpose of this study this is going to be the final film I will cover
Given it being the final film of an era for Godard, it is certainly a great film to go out on. You have the classic Godard staples; dedication to primary colors in mise en scene, montage, satirical mockery of the bourgeoisie, breaking of 4th wall, references to real life people
Interestingly Godard expands stylistic approach using long takes, no pun intended. This includes the film’s most famous sequence, an 8 minute tracking shot of a countryside traffic jam which captures angry drivers, cars flipped over, dead people, and all this with unceasing honking
Godard sure loves shooting car sequences, I could be wrong, but I think every single film in this study as a minimum of one car scene and some have numerous car scenes. Here though, it is largely focused on car accidents, road rage, and massive traffic jams
The social satire is particularly dialed up to hilarious effect. During a sequence following a car crash, a woman is screaming in sheer horror at the realization that her high end hang bag is on fire. The fight sequences are hilarious in how intentionally amateurish they are, like something you might expect out of a High School kid making home movies with his buddies
Godard uses historical figures, or fictionalized version of historical figures blending fiction and reality
A number of similarities to Pierre le Fou (1965) as you have elements of road trip that becomes a bizarre journey with characters who reject their upper middle class roots. This is darker than Pierre le Fou and less playful
This might be Godard’s funniest film, obviously humor is a bit more subjective than other elements of film
Verdict: MS
La Chinoise (1967)
Notes:
Anne Wiazemsky as Véronique
Jean-Pierre Léaud as Guillaume
No line notes
Thoughts:
Godard with a highly charged political film. Like any other film I do not care about the political ideas and/or beliefs, for the matter of evaluating the film. Godard identified as a Marxist-Leninist around the time this film was made
The film functions as a sort of docufiction, as you have a group of politically left students who identify as Maoists. The film is loosely based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1872 novel, Demons
Godard with his trademark use of primary colors in the mise en scene
Primary colors dominate the mise en scene
Godard continues with his fascination with pop art but here he is using it in a scene with the sound of a machine gun firing which is matched with comic drawings of Captain America and Sgt. Fury, both are Marvel Comic characters
While the film is Around the 21 min mark is a great sequence where Godard uses a slow pan outside of the room where several characters are conversing, there are some nice frames in frames created with the doorways
Even with the politically charged subject matter, the film is playful. Around 30 minute mark 4 of the characters spontaneously walk onto a balcony and engage in a synchronized chant. There are other scenes featuring characters walking back and forth with their heads down and repeating a phrase or slogan
Jean-Pierre Léaud’s presence is always welcome in a French New Wave Film. Anne Wiazemsky does solid work
While the film does come off as a bit of a mess at times, it captures a time period in a way that is similar to Masculin Féminin (1966) although this film is visually superior and closer to a film essay
Verdict: R
2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967)
Notes:
Marina Vlady as Juliette Jeanson
Roger Montsoret as Robert Jeanson, Juliette’s husband
Godard with primary colors in the lettering of the open credits
The film opens with shots of construction in modern Paris while a narrator speaks in a whisper
8:01 Juliette doing the dishes, product placement with objects in the kitchen with company names in large bold lettering
9:18 360 degree pans of downtown Paris
9:45 red, white, and blue mise en scene
11:30 cutaway to pop art consisting of comic drawings with heavy use of primary colors
13:38 Juliette’s children and disturbing taken to the place where she works as a prostitute
14:50 pop art on wall including image resembling Anna Karina
16:48 consumerism as Juliette shops at clothing store with rows of clothes that seem indistinguishable from each other
19:07 cutaway to chapter titles
24:39 woman working as prostitute sits on bar stool while speaking to camera
27:40 extreme close up on the top of a coffee cup following it be mixed
33:35 Juliette standing in front of mirror while conversing with a man off screen
35:23 low angle shot of construction with beautiful shot of blue sky
45:55 “living characters are already dead”
47:01 screen drenched in dark red
51:56 American Flags used in mise en scene
54:16 fake out where Juliette seems to be breaking 4th wall looking at camera, but it is actually revealed that she is speaking to a man at a photoshoot the character is partaking
58:35 there are four characters in the frame in three depts of field yet there feels like a disconnect
1:00:05 pop art dominates mise en scene
1:06:12 mirror composition with multiple depths of field through mirror in café
1:12:10 cut to chapter title with same blue and black pattern used throughout the film
1:12:40 nice splitting of the screen a la Bertolucci, creating frame in frames side by side
1:13:30 cut to a canted angle shot of exterior of building
1:13:45 Juliette in foreground speaking to camera with blue/gray building serving as backdrop of the frame. A minute later this is followed up by Juliette pointing out the building followed by camera panning 360
1:15:56 one of best images with multi-color collage in backdrop of frame
1:22:32 Robert fires toy gun inside his apartment and shortly after says “yes I may be confusing thoughts and reality”
1:24:00 Robert and Juliette briefly share frame but Juliette’s head is out of view, adding to the lack of genuine human connection present throughout the film
1:26:30 extreme close up on tip of lit cigarette
1:26:58 the film ends with a slow zoom out over a shot containing various consumer products, still in their packaging, on a green lawn
Thoughts:
Godard with a film essay about contemporary life in France, this was shot in 1966 and released in 1967 during a time when Godard was a film making machine
Godard himself is the narrator here; he often speaks in a whisper. I think the whispering is used for two purposes: they give Godard an avenue to share his philosophical musings, and they remind us we are watching a film. I do find it irritating but to be fair that might be more of a personal taste than objective criticism. I do love the whispering thoughts in several of Malick’s films such as The Thin Red Line (1998). But in this film, I find it to be a distraction
The film captures a culture of consumerism with characters spending time at clothing stores, reading cheap magazines, and talking about money
Characters in the film appear unfulfilled and rarely waver in regard to their emotions. It is as if everyone is going through the motions of a life but do not seem alive. Even scenes with multiple characters sharing the frame you can still feel the disconnect
The use of primary colors is aesthetically pleasing but I wonder if this is a film which might have actually benefited from using a more drab and desaturated color palette. Then again maybe the chasm between the beautiful use of bold primary colors and the emotionless characters is the point. During one sequence which cuts between Juliette and her car in the car shop, Godard via voiceover philosophizing that “living characters are already dead”
Much of the film uses montage. This is not a one off, Godard has been moving in this direction over time
Verdict: HR/R
Made in U.S.A (1966)
Notes:
Anna Karina as Paula Nelson
László Szabó as Paul Widmark, a police inspector in Atlantic-Cité
Jean-Pierre Léaud as Donald Siegel, Widmark’s sidekick
Opens with Anna Karina’s face tilted as you lies on the ground with a book in her hands. Her character is named Paula Nelson
4:04 Paula’s colorful sweatshirt contrasts with the all-white wall inside her apartment
4:48 Paula talks to herself in the mirror
5:50 Paula twirls gun in theatrical fashion, there is a liquor bottle and glass on the table next to her
6:22 close up of Paul’s face with an amused look on her face
7:34 Paula shot in profile with her head taking up 2/3 of the screen
8:50 Paula knocks out a man with a shoe
9:04 “fiction takes over reality”
9:14 Paula’s internal dialogue name drops Humphrey Bogart
10:38 white, red, and blue color palette of the note Paula finds
11:37 random singing girl in the bathroom
16:38 magnificent frame with Paula in medium close up with a cigarette in her mouth with yellow, blue, red, and white pop art in back of frame
19:14 low canted angle shot outside neon light billboards
25:00 Jean-Pierre Léaud’s character makes his appearance serving drinks at bar
26:18 cutaway shot to neon lights
34:56 canted angle with bold use of primary colors in mise en scene
38:23 primary colors on wall in background of the frame
38:48 pop art in background
50:04 Paula repeats a line “I can’t tell you how much I hate the police” like she was doing another take, she even pauses between the lines
51:55 reference to a man killed, red paint splattered across screen
52:52 bright green outfit
53:08 Paula standing with her back to yellow painted wall with Paula only about a quarter into the vertical frame
54:25 frame in frame with colorful pop art on both sides
55:11 pop art used in splitting of the frame
1:00:26 near identical shot of neon lit billboard shown around 19 minute mark of the film
1:03:04 series of black and white photographs
1:04:52 Jean-Pierre Léaud as Donald Siegel is killed with an intentionally ridiculous death that is certain satire of exaggerated deaths in these type of detective films
1:11:36 Karina breaking 4th wall while standing in front of a wall
1:21:17 even shots near tolls contain primary colors in mise en scene
The film ends in a car which is fitting for Godard
Thoughts:
“All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl” – Jean Luc Godard
Godard’s final film with Anna Karina who by this time is his ex-wife. They divorced for a few reasons from what I read but regardless the Godard/Karina is one of the all-time great director/actress pairings and this is certainly a great film to end on
Anna Karina as a bad ass female detective is awesome to watch. I cannot help but feel like Tarantino based Uma Thurman’s The Bride in Kill Bill off of several of Karina’s characters in her work with Godard
The film unsurprisingly has little plot. There is barely a skeleton of a story here but what you do have is Karina’s Paula Nelson going to Atlantic-Cité to meet her ex-boyfriend who wrote communist magazine editorials
The fascination with primary colors continues and just like Contempt and Pierre Le Fou, the dedication is extremely thorough with almost no significant stretches of the film without it
The pop art fascination also continued throughout the film. Many of these appear as cutaway shots or are present on bold painted walls behind Karina’s character who is often shot standing in front of walls. I love the use of the billboards in the background including a Walt Disney movie
The self-referential elements are present in various ways. It is a nice touch, the tape which contains the voice Paula’s ex-boyfriend is Godard himself. By this time Godard and Karina were divorced and as mentioned before this is their final film together. Karina’s character repeats some of lines after a brief pause as if you was doing another take
The exaggerated deaths are part of the genre deconstruction. In particular, Jean-Pierre Léaud’s character
The film ends in a car. The aforementioned quote “All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl” should be amended to “All you need for a movie is a gun, a girl, and a car”
Verdict: HR
@Drake – Does Godard having any films post Weekend (1967) that you ranked above a basic R? And you could even include borderline HR or R/HR
I still have not decided in I will end the Study at Weekend or keep going
@James Trapp- certainly not telling you what you should or shouldn’t do with the study- but there are a few I believe that are R/HR or HR… if you just search “Godard” on the site I should have individual pages for every archiveable film from Godard.
@Drake – okay thanks, yeah I was able to find them. I might do a compromise and watch some of them without the time consuming line notes and just do the thoughts and grade sections
@James Trapp- I had to see sort of see it through to see what happened to Godard ya know? So I’ve seen as much of his films as I can through the years. But there’s nothing essential after Weekend if you want to move on to something more important/vital before coming back some day.
Masculine Feminine (1966)
Notes:
Chantal Goya as Madeleine Zimmer, a young singer
Jean-Pierrot Léaud as Paul, a romantic young idealist
Michel Debord as Robert Packard, a journalist
No line notes
Thoughts:
One of Godard’s best and most famous quotes:
“This film could be called The Children of Marx and Coca-Cola”
Like other Godard works the film is light on plot. While this would still qualify as narrative filmmaking it does seem to function as a sort of film essay about modern day (for the time) youth. At the very least it is part of a transitionary stage for Godard
Godard normally makes sure to remind the audience that they are watching a movie via editing techniques, having characters break the 4th wall, or some other ways. This film is different as it feels like it is capturing a particular time and place. The entire film almost feels like a time capsule of 1960s French youth culture
The youth in this film hang out at cafes, bars, walk the streets, and always seem to have sex on their minds. Jean-Pierrot Léaud is the perfect actor for the role of Paul. So much of what this character does here he does during the Antoin Doinel Series. He is naïve and a bit annoying at times but also charming and endearing
Verdict: R
@James Trapp-Have you seen The Dreamers (2003)? It is set in France in 1968 and has the youth riots as the backdrop. It’s a very well made and powerful film at the end there. A lot of references to Godard and the French new wave. Jean-Pierre Leaud has a 10 second cameo in it.
@Malith – I have not but I noticed similarities between Bertolucci and Godard during my Bertolucci Study. In particular, Before the Revolution (1964). The following is a paragraph from that study
“Hard not to think of French New Wave Cinema with this film, in particular Jean Luc Godard who explored conflicted middle class young adults who identified as Marxists. The film employs a loose narrative like some Godard’s work. And this was before 2 of the characters actually go into a Cinema to watch Godard’s A Woman in a Woman. And then after that they go to a café and discuss the film and name drop Hitchcock, Rossellini, Nicholas Ray, Godard, and others”
@James Trapp- The Dreamers is actually Bertolucci’s most well known film. I’m surprised you didn’t see it. It’s very solid.
@Malith – there are a few possibilities. I might have had trouble finding it or at least a version with an acceptable transfer quality. I am not saying that is what happened but there are always a few reasons why I might not have covered a particular film during a director study
@James Trapp- Also I believe The Dreamers and Stealing Beauty are inherently connected. Stealing Beauty is a beautifully photographed film even if a bit unfocused and leisurely. Both are about youth adjusting to the environment in a new country with journal writing and loosing virginity haha.
@James Trapp- The film made Eva Green an instant Hollywood star. Kingdom of Heaven and Casino Royale just after this. She hasn’t really capitalized on that though. Apart from underrated things like Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and Based on a True Story. There are many poor blockbusters there sadly.
Pierrot le Fou (1965)
Notes:
Jean-Paul Belmondo as Ferdinand Griffon, a.k.a. “Pierrot”
Anna Karina as Marianne Renoir
Color coded open credits using red and blue
Opens with Belmondo’s Pierrot narrating
2:27 painterly image with dark blue sky and red in deep background that is revealed to be a book Pierrot is reading while taking a bath and smoking a cigarette
4:08 intensely saturated pink dress with other saturated colors in mise en scene
4:20 Johnny Guitar referenced (Godard loved Nicholas Ray)
5:15 mocking consumerism
5:40 Anna Karina as Marianne Renoir, she babysits for Pierrot’s children as he goes to cocktail party
6:14 intensely red neon lighting covering the entire frame as a bored Pierrot stands off to the side and smokes a cigarette while guests talk about various consumer goods while listing adjectives like you are watching a commercial
7:00 Pierrot moves to another room with the frame changing to a saturated neon green while striking up a conversation with real life American film director Samuel Fuller
8:27 screen changes to saturated neon dark as a topless woman speaks with a man
9:06 frame changes colors multiple times
10:07 cutaway shot to fireworks after Pierrot insults guests and intentionally knocks a cake over
11:28 green, blue, and red lights flash over screen with medium close up on Anna Karina’s Marianne who is sitting in passenger seat as the unhappily married Pierrot runs away with her to escape his dull bourgeoisie life
14:20 flashing colors continue with shot of Marianne
16:20 Marianne spontaneously starts to sing like she is in a musical
21:17 an amusing sequence where random men appear leading to Marianne assaulting them
23:58 amusing sequence featuring Belmondo shadowboxing gas station attendant after Marianne hilariously knocks him over
29:21 cutaway shots of pop art
30:15 Pierrot and Marianne, who I’ll refer to as the couple, from here on out stage a car accident next to an actual car accident with a man and a woman still inside the crashed car
32:27 the couple literally walks into a body of water with the mockingly dramatic score blaring
41:20 cutaway shot to flashing tricolored letters
41:29 “To do what? Nothing. Just Exist” this sums up Belmondo’s character perfectly
42:07 beautiful shot during sunset with orange hues
44:30 the couple are revealed to be under the sand after a sex scene is alluded to
48:12 close up on a parrot giving a tropical island vibe
56:00 tracking long shot with large trees in background, a contrast highlighting their isolation from society, it is quite playful as well
59:49 Marianne breaks 4th wall as he looks into camera and talks about Pierrot
1:05:52 fade out followed by sweeping shot of the landscape
1:11:44 Marianne holding scissors which are in foreground along with her exaggerated hand size while she stands in midground
1:16:38 Godard holds shot of Pierrot isolated sitting on the ground somewhere in the countryside
1:25:12 cutaway shot of letters spelling out “CINEMA” in red, white, and blue
1:31:57 sniper rifle POV shot as Marianne kills the 2 random gangsters
1:42:38 boat painted in saturated green, red, and blue
1:43:23 shaky camera tracking Pierrot on the boat to the Island
1:44:07 Pierrot goes in guns blazing and enacts his revenge on Marianne and her boyfriend (who initially pretended to be her brother to fool Pierrot)
1:44:40 frame in frame resembling a movie theatre screen. In fact, I think the frame in frame is nearly identical to the film’s aspect ratio of 2.35 to 1; this would be attuned to Godard’s blending of reality and the fictional world of the film
1:46:17 even the explosives come in primary colors
The film ends with one of Godard’s best images as you have Belmondo in blue face paint and color coded dynamite as he blows himself up. Following this there is a sweeping shot of the surrounding waters and whispers about Eternity
Thoughts:
Godard the genre deconstructionist has taken on gangster films, film noirs, science fiction, documentaries, war/spy films, and even musicals. Now he is taking on one of the most cherished and quintessential of all American film genres in the road film. In fact, several of the most important films from the American New Wave fit into this genre; Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970), and Badlands (1973) amongst others. This genre is one of my favorites and works perfectly for Godard as road movies invite all sorts of unusual characters and bizarre scenarios. And of course, it gives Godard the opportunity to shoot characters in cars which he seems especially fond of given their presence in practically all of his work
Just about all the Godard traits are present; genre deconstruction, primary colors in mise en scene, playful vignettes, characters breaking the 4th wall, limited plot, the blurring of fiction and reality, and of course Godard’s two favorite actors/actresses in Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina
There are some hilarious sequences. My personal favorite occurs early on when they fill up the car at a gas station despite a lack of funds. When it comes time to pay the duo beat up the gas station attendants in the most cartoonishly manner possible including Belmondo showing off his boxing skills (he had an extremely brief boxing career) and Anna Karina faking out the other attendant by putting her left hand in the air and when he is distracted by it, she hits him with the softest right hand punch imaginable, yet it somehow incapacitates him
Godard’s dedication to primary colors in the mise en scene might even surpass Contempt (1963) as almost every frame contains white, red, and blue and in many of the frames all three are present. The dinner party sequence early in the film is one of the best uses of color I have seen as Belmondo’s character moves between rooms and this is matched with changes of saturated neon red, green, and blue colors filling out the frame
Godard is heavily using montages during the film. There are cutaway shots present throughout the film with many of them capturing various pop art. Some of this comes from advertisements or other signs and some comes from other forms of media such as novels, comics, paintings, etc. Using seemingly random objects to cutaway to serves the purpose of reminding the audience of the fact that this is a movie. A forementioned dedication to primary colors is also reflected in the use of pop art throughout the film making this a gorgeous film but in a different way from films filled with painterly images like Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence (1993) to name one example
The blending of fiction and reality is a Godard staple, and it is present. Not only do characters break the 4th wall but you have a scene where Belmondo’s character converses with real life film director Samuel Fuller at a cocktail party. And in that scene Godard drenches the screen with expressionistic colors. The aforementioned pop art consists of numerous mediums, but the use of real life products, companies, and people further contribute to the blending of fiction and reality
The performances from the film’s leads in Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina are excellent. Belmondo’s character is desperate to escape his dull bourgeoisie life, so he goes on, but it amounts to a grown up adventure. He is not quite old enough to call it a mid-life crisis. The dinner party sequence early in the film foreshadows this, as Belmondo’s Pierrot walks from room to room but never settles in one place for too long as he finds those around him uninteresting. Unlike his character in Breathless (1960) his character in this film frequently reads novels and is a bit more cultured. Karina plays a young woman who ends up a bit more deceitful than you expect but it is the chemistry between the two that really makes the performances click. They are adults who behave like children
This is one of the most revered films of the French New Wave and for good reason
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp “This is one of the most revered films of the French New Wave and for good reason” – indeed!
@Drake – this might seem like a strange question but when did movies start regularly using swear words? I am watching Pierre Le Fou, amazing to revisit btw and will post my review later. But I was struck by a scene where Anna Karina’s character wants to have sex and tells Belmondo’s character to f**k her. And to be clear I am not complaining or even criticizing. It was just a moment where it all of the sudden hit me how unusual that language is for a film around that time. I revisited Uncut Gems (2019) the other day, and it has an absurd number of swear words, but certainly in a way that was fitting into the world of that film and those characters. Maybe that is part of the reason the single swear word in Pierre Le Fou jumped out to me
@James Trapp- “regularly?” I mean 1968 and 1969- I think of 1969 with Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy— The Wild Bunch and you’re off and running with The New Hollywood era– but you’re right- there are examples in the 1960s prior of course- especially in European cinema
Alphaville (1965)
Notes:
Eddie Constantine as Lemmy Caution
Anna Karina as Natacha von Braun
Akim Tamiroff as Henri Dickson
Howard Vernon as Professor von Braun/Leonard Nosferatu
Opens with blinking light which is actually soon revealed to be the Alpha60, a machine that starts as voice over narrator
1:55 classic film noir visual style instantly noticeable as Lenny Caution lights cigarette while surrounded by darkness
2:26 low angle shot of stark cityscape including train and various buildings
7:24 Caution casually beats up random henchmen
8:20 Beatrice, a level 3 seductress who Caution photographs
9:20 cutaway shot to industrial structure as Voice speaks to Caution
10:24 cutaway shot to a close up of a lighter
10:33 Anna Karina as Natacha von Braun, she is introduced dressed in black smoking a cigarette
12:48 close up on Natacha’s face, her eye lashes accentuated
14:09 reverse tracking shot using handheld camera with Caution and Natacha darkened by shadow
15:42 surveillance camera angle followed by foreboding score
18:44 profile shot of Caution in elevator before fending off attacker
19:49 low angle shot inside floor of office building with rows of lights
23:03 Akim Tamiroff as Henri Dickson
25:01 cutaway shot to neon white lighting of letters of Einsteins famous math equation E = MC^2
25:35 light bulb swinging back and forth in hallway as Caution speaks with missing agent Henri Dickson who appears to have become a drunk
29:11 Caution snaps pictures of Henri Dickson and a young lady on top of him
31:14 high contrast light in shot of cityscape at night
32:18 Caution inside large building with empty hallways
34:50 lights flashing on and off repeatedly while Alpha60 philosophizes on various subjects
38:08 depth of field with rows of lights outside and flashing light in foreground
39:42 beautiful long shot of exterior of building with lights inside and with frames in frames
40:35 spiral staircase
41:36 swimming pool sequence consists of executions inside an indoor swimming pool as Caution takes photographs
42:57” they acted illogical” is the reason given for the executions
46:57 long corridors as Caution is brought to small room
47:35 medium close up profile shot of Caution as lights blink on and off while he is questioned by Alpha60 and surrounded by microphones
50:32 close up of Alpha60 which is a circular machine
54:24 close up on Caution smoking a cigarette being questioned about his answers
56:26 naked woman in glass display case
56:55 flashing neon letters and numbers of math equations
59:28 depth of field with rows of lights and Caution walking into frame via reflection
59:59 cutaway shot to industrial structure
1:01:30 POV distorted in high angle shot
1:01:50 Caution in background of frame with rows of tables taking up frame
1:03:06 girl with number on ID number written on her shoulder
1:04:06 shaky camera tracking shot through hallways
1:04:53 Natacha returns
1:10:15 another photograph of Professor von Braun/Leonard Nosferatu
1:12:26 close up on Natacha’s face
1:16:14 lights flashing on and off with montage of Natacha shot in profile and close ups
1:17:15 series of great two-shots of Caution and Natacha resembling a Bergman film
1:18:17 Natacha as holographic image
1:20:14 camera panning back and forth with Natacha flanked by two men
1:21:36 Caution is back in room with Alpha60
1:21:55 low angle shot of Alpha60
1:24:33 Caution kills several men in rapid fire fashion, there is a slightly canted angle following this as Caution escapes down the stairs
1:25:05 frame in frame from Caution’s POV
1:25:30 the film briefly changes to an unprocessed photography visual
1:28:30 Caution in the control room with Professor von Braun/Leonard Nosferatu
1:30:17 low angle shot of Caution moving through stairs
1:30:41 frame in frames with deep focus in this long shot
1:31:15 the unprocessed photography returns
1:32:29 cutaway to flashing neon signs
1:33:20 unprocessed photography returns again
1:34:19 shaky camera moving down hallway as Lenny Caution looks for Natacha, showing an urgency not previously seen
1:35:54 I love the siren like warning noises and overly dramatic tune used as Lenny Caution and Natascha make their escape
1:36:02 the score goes into overdrive with a near menacing pace
Thoughts:
Godard’s bizarre mix of science fiction, noir, and dark comedy produces a thoroughly entertaining and endlessly creative film that is a gem of The French New Wave
The basic set up revolves around a world weary hardboiled detective named Lemmy Caution. Between his trench coat, fedora, and stoicism, you would be forgiven for thinking he was straight out of a Jean Pierre Melville gangster flick. His introduction comes in the form of a lighter illuminating the otherwise dark screen as Caution sparks a cigarette
The film opens with Caution’s arrival at a Hotel in “Alphaville” which we quickly learn is a dystopian future City that has outlawed poetry, love, feelings, and anything else that involves human emotions. Being labeled as “illogical” is literally a death sentence as observed during a strange sequence inside an indoor swimming pool
The film’s Orwellian atmosphere is ruled from the top down by Alpha60, a Supercomputer that functions as the film’s Villain. While there are clear differences, it is impossible not to think of HAL 9000, the central antagonist in 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968). But of course, HAL 9000 was a machine that went rogue primarily due to self-preservation. Alpha60 is more unsettling though, ruling as a sort of dictator of Alphaville, complete with a harsh voice
What is particularly impressive is Godard’s effective world building without substantial funds for the type of special effects or massive sets that are often associated with this particular genre. Instead, Godard combines on location shooting with stark black and white cinematography to turn nighttime Paris into a futuristic dystopian world. There are no street signs, billboards, landmarks, and almost no establishing shots; this contributes to the foreign, even disorienting atmosphere. Godard’s trademark jump cuts are a natural fit with the lack of establishing shots. There is an excellent sequence with a series of two shots of Lenny Caution and Natascha
The architecture is crucial to the world building as you have spiral staircases, long corridors, massive office buildings with glass windows, and industrial structures. Some of the shots of the interior of government buildings reminded me of Orson Welles The Trial (1962) as you have compositions with low angles and rows and rows of lights and desks
The score is simple but effective as it primarily consists of stabs of low brass that heightens the tension throughout the film
Eddie Constantine as Lemmy Caution and Anna Karina as Natacha von Braun are both phenomenal. Eddie Constantine’s face is an invaluable asset for his character. It is rugged and screams out world weary
Like other Godard films there are scenes that serve no narrative purpose and make it clear you are watching a film. For example, early on there is an amusing sequence when Lenny Caution casually beats up a random henchman who somehow invades his hotel room. He then continues with whatever he was in the middle of like nothing happened
Godard uses unprocessed photography a couple of times. He did this in A Married Woman (1964) a couple of times and I was not really sure what to make of it in that film, but it did not seem to fit. In this film I am not sure what he is going for with it, but it does seem to fit into this film’s world
The level 3 seductresses are an amusing jab similar to the opening scene of Contempt where Brigitte Bardot’s character asks for complements on each part of her body. The seductresses being a parody of femme fatales or at least that was my take
The Godard/Truffaut debate has been in my mind throughout this Study. Before it, I had Truffaut solidly ahead but I either underrated Godard or just forgot how great some of these films were. Will be fun to write up about it in the Study Summary
Verdict: MP/MS
@James Trapp- Really good write-up “The Godard/Truffaut debate has been in my mind throughout this Study. Before it, I had Truffaut solidly ahead but I either underrated Godard or just forgot how great some of these films were. Will be fun to write up about it in the Study Summary”
@Drake – thank you. I like that you upgraded Alphaville from R to MS. I know you did a Godard Study a couple of years ago. When did you last do a Truffaut Study?
@James Trapp. I’ve seen a number of them over the years- but not many Truffaut films recently. Day For Night, Love on the Run, and The Last Metro are the only ones I’ve seen in the last 10 years actually. I think my big 20+ film study of Truffaut was in 2011.
A Married Woman (1964)
Notes:
Macha Méril: Charlotte
Bernard Noël: Robert, the lover
Philippe Leroy: Pierre, the husband
Opens with close up on arm and hand of a woman wearing a wedding ring followed by a man extending his arm while they speak without seeing their faces
2:35 first shot of Charlotte who is naked but covers up parts of her body
5:30 brief cutaway shot of airplane
6:11 first shot of Robert’s face
6:28 montage of close up shots of Charlotte’s face
10:35 discussion of product Robert wears on his waist
13:26 internal dialogue from Charlotte as we hear her musings
14:28 car scene with Eiffel Tower in background
18:39 camera tilt 90 degrees
19:49 Charlotte seems quite unworldly
24:15 Charlotte and her husband discuss her prior affair and the fact that her husband hired a PI to follow her in the same way you might expect a couple to casually discuss what to have for dinner
25:30 Godard seems to love shots of characters standing in front of mirrors
28:28 close up profile shot of Charlotte’s face as she sits with Pierre
38 min Pierre’s friend Roger discusses the Holocaust
42:35 nice use of splitting frame with Charlotte and Pierre in separate frames
45:02 playful sequence of cat and mouse chase
45:55 return to close up shots early on in the film with both characters only partially visible, only here this is with her husband Pierre instead of Robert
59:05 windows used to frame shots throughout sequence as camera pans tracking Charlotte moving from room to room
1:03:03 change to unprocessed photography
1:05:43 flipping through magazines
1:08:10 two young attractive women sitting in a café with Charlotte listening on in background
1:16:30 Charlotte falls running through the street after learning she is pregnant and realizes she does not know who the father is
1:19:19 Charlotte enters the movie theatre; stage is frame in a frame
1:20:10 inside the theatre there is a showing of Night and Fog (1956), Alain Resnais documentary about the Holocaust
1:23:37 Charlotte and Robert are intimate in a hotel room with similar use of close ups from earlier
The film ends with Bookend in which Charlotte and Robert are intimate in a hotel room
Thoughts:
While this would still fall under the category of narrative filmmaking, it has a documentary style with some similarities to My Life to Live (1962) but is probably closer to a film essay. I have only seen it once and it was at least 4 years ago if not longer but there are similarities to Godard’s Two or Three Things I Know About Her (1967) which I will be covering in this Study
Similar to My Life to Live (1962) there are numerous close ups, only instead of close ups on Anna Karina’s face, there are close ups on Macha Méril’s face but also legs, arms, hands, and other body parts. Charlotte’s lover, Robert, is with her in several scenes where you rarely see his face. There are close ups on the arms of the two. And despite there being a number of scenes in bed, it is not really erotic. It is not completely dispassionate either
The monochrome is not nearly as stunning as My Life to Live (1962). There are shots using unprocessed photography, I am not sure as to their purpose as it occurs an hour into the film and is not used again
The film can be viewed as an examination of life of bourgeois. The subject matter resembles Antonioni as the main character is a young attractive woman who lives a comfortable life. Her husband, who is about 15 to 20 years older than her and is well off
The film may be making a statement about consumerism vs intellectualism. The film makes multiple references to The Holocaust, when early on Charlotte seems to barely know anything about it when a man makes a vile joke, Charlotte seems to only faintly understand the reference. Later her husband and an intellectual friend of his discuss the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials. There is even a scene at a movie theatre where the Alain Resnais documentary Night and Fog (1956) is playing
This was my first viewing, I was impressed by the use of close ups in the early sequences with Charlotte and Robert. The various musings from Macha Méril’s Charlotte becomes stale. It is certainly worth a viewing but is a lesser Godard film
Verdict: R
@James Trapp- Macha Meril is the mind reader lady that gets murdered at the beginning of Deep Red.
@Malith – okay, she did look familiar
Band of Outsiders (1964)
Notes:
Anna Karina as Odile
Sami Frey as Franz
Claude Brasseur as Arthur
Opens with rapid fire montage of the 3 main characters during the opening credits
3:45 driving scene with Franz and Arthur, bare surroundings are noticeable as they are in small village with not much to do
4:08 car wide matches frame creating boxed in or claustrophobic mood
6:42 Franz and Arthur playfully acting out classic westerns, mentioning Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett
9:17 Anna Karina as Odile, she rides a bicycle and has a bow in her hair
14:57 childish note passing during a class for learning to speech English
16:44 Close up on Anna Karina looking into her character’s handheld mirror, her wide open eyes and long eyelashes are accentuated
18:08 Odile becomes acquainted with Franz and Arthur outside of the classroom
23:40 the three friends drive in a car with Odile sitting in the middle of Franz and Arthur
24:40 Godard changes camera angle to shooting the three from behind while Franz and Arthur discuss the idea of stealing money
30:00 Odile lives in a Parisian suburb with her Aunt Victoria, who is wealthy and Mr. Stolz
30:30 close up shots of money
33:57 Odile sprinting away from house with bag of money
34:08: Jazz score as Odile continues to run
44:10 the three friends drink and hang out in café
48:00 to 51:26 famous dance sequence with the three characters, Odile in the middle wearing a hat
59:04 Arthur’s terrible home life is revealed
1:00:27 Arthur poses with a gun like a kid with a new toy
1:02:10 Franz confronts Odile
1:05:32 medium shots of Odile and Franz with street posters in background
1:08:09 the three friends race through The Louvre, one of the most famous museums in the world, as a way to kill some time. They claim an American holds the record for “fastest trip through the museum” so they naturally strive to break the record
1:13:11 Arthur and Franz enter the house of Odile’s Aunt with masks on
1:21:55 low canted angle shot as Arthur and Franz stand outside house of Odile’s Aunt
1:23:51 Arthur and Franz tie about Victoria
1:30:40 Arthur and his uncle kill each other
The film ends with Victoria living while Odile and Franz and Odile running off to South America with a small amount of money
Thoughts:
Godard returns to the crime genre as well as 1.33 aspect ratio and monochrome. I like the use of monochrome here as it reflects the characters dullness of life in a small village. The aspect ratio adds to this mood as well
I like the exchange between Odile and Arthur at 52:46 “I love you” “Already?” It always amuses me how quickly characters fall in love in older films, especially from Hollywood’s Golden Age
The iconic dance sequence starting around the 48 min mark is Godard at his most whimsical and spontaneous aside from A Woman is a Woman (1961). Around the 68 minute mark there is the race through The Louvre in Paris. It is hard not to think of Godard’s fellow critic/director/rival François Truffaut’s Jules and Jim
Anna Karina plays a naïve schoolgirl who befriends a pair of small time hoods with bigger dreams but not much in the way of intelligence or people skills. Karina’s schoolgirl look includes a handheld mirror, pigtails, and a childlike gaze
While the film includes the aforementioned trip to the Louvre, much of the setting is the bare landscape and rivers surrounding Arthur and Franz. The brief homelife we see of Arthur leaves little wonder as to why to why he ended up becoming the lowlife we see in the film
There is an inspired use of a canted angle before the start of the pathetic robbery attempt, again these guys are not exactly criminal masterminds, and this is not the skillful robbery of a Jean Pierre Melville film
This is relatively straightforward as far as plot goes. I like the use of Jazz score during the scene with Odile running away from her Aunt’s house after finding a small pile of money which leads to her going out with Arthur and Franz to the café where they get drinks and have the infamous dance sequence
Verdict: HR
@James – Could you please remind me what page(s) you poster your Kim Ki Duk study from last year on?
@Harry – Unfortunately I did not go through with it but do want to cover him. I have covered 3 South Korean directors; Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon Ho, Lee Chang-dong. I will try to get to Duk soon
Contempt (1963)
Notes:
Brigitte Bardot as Camille Javal
Michel Piccoli as Paul Javal
Jack Palance as Jeremiah Prokosch although I will refer to him as Palanceb
Giorgia Moll as Francesca Vanini
Fritz Lang as himself
Opens with a film crew in Italy, the film is set in Capri and in Rome
Static camera while crew in background steadily moves toward the foreground
3:09 cut to Camille Javal (played by Brigitte Bardot) lying nude in her bed with her husband Paul Javal (played by Michel Piccoli) asking to be complimented on each part of her body, the frame has red lighting throughout
5:52 the red tinted frame becomes yellow, and then blue
7:08 Jack Palance playing an obnoxious American film producer named Jeremiah Prokosch
7:54 “cinema will never die”
8:38 tracking shot through empty street during conversation with Palance’s character talking about an Odyssey inspired film which includes Fritz Lang who is playing himself in this film
10:52 Palance driving red sports car recklessly
11:44 Fritz Lang playing himself
12:15 camera push in on Greek statues
12:33 widescreen frame in frame via window in projection room
12:56 statues rotating
14:36 nude “mermaid” swimming in place
15:25 profile shot with primary colors in mise en scene
17:17 sweep shot of blue water
21:29 blue and yellow in mise en scene via outfits
22:26 Palance’s character drives literally in between Camille and Paul who are both in the frame
22:51 poster of Psycho in background of frame along with other posters of films from around that time period
24:26 Paul tells Camille to enter car with Palance’s character despite her visibly being uncomfortable about it, and of course Palance speeds off
26:26 Camille in profile shot
30:52 Francesca with red and yellow outfits
31:04 Francesca and Paul on opposite sides of frame, the 2.35 aspect ratio becomes noticeable
36:06 Camille and Paul on the far right side of frame
37:16 references to other films including Rio Bravo
43:07 Paul with white robe and black hat inspired from Dean Martin
43:28 Paul hits Camille
44:10 sequence begins with Camille and Paul talking is a casual manner that becomes progressively more bitter
45:28 Camille in red bath robe identical in style to the white one Paul is wearing, she is wearing black wig similar to Anna Karina’s hair
47:20 frame in frame using multiple doorways
50:38 red, yellow, blue, and white mise en scene
56:10 profile shot of Camille as she uses vulgar language in protest
57:13 Camille with seductive pose
57:40 Shot of Camille with another seductive pose
1:04:37 Antonioni composition with physical barrier between the arguing couple
1:06:17 slow pans back and forth keeping only a single face in the frame during sequence
1:08:24 highly emotional outburst from Paul
1:12:06 slow pans used again inside of show
1:14:54 Camille is isolated in dimly lit frame inside the theatre
1:17:54 primary colors is mise en scene
1:20:36 Cinematic painting overlooking the intensely blue water
1:23:21 another stunning shot, this one a high angle long shot
1:24:12 cinematic painting with Camille standing on platform and water extended to the horizon
1:25:25 frame in a frame using window as a suspicious Paul looks for Camille who is with Palance
1:31:01 overhead shot of steps leading to platform
1:31:44 Camille lying naked on the platform over a yellow towel
1:33:45 another cinematic painting with Camille in yellow robe
1:39:53 pans across the letter while Palance and Bardot are killed in a car crash off which occurs off screen, but we are shown the aftermath
Thoughts:
This film is absolutely stunning and praiseworthy in nearly every way from the Godard’s use of color, use of widescreen, grand score, stunning cinematic paintings, and subversive wit
Godard’s dedication to primary colors in the mise en scene is extremely inspired and thorough as almost every frame contains blue, yellow, or red and in many of the frames all three are present
This makes a great double billing with François Truffaut’s Day for Night (1973) not only because they are both great films but also because they function as a microcosm in comparing and contrasting the two titans of The New Wave. Truffaut has a famous quote:
“I demand that a film express either the joy of making cinema or the agony of making cinema. I am not at all interested in anything in between; I am not interested in all those films that do not pulse.”
If Day for Night is about the joy of making a film than Contempt is about the agony.
One of the film’s more controversial elements is the nude sequence near the beginning of the film where you have Brigitte Bardot’s character lying on the bed she shares with her husband and asks for compliments for each part of her body. The subversiveness is palpable as Godard seems to be mocking the producers who demanded Brigitte Bardot to have at least one nude scene
Godard changes up the aspect ratio again, going to 2.35 to 1. This is an effective choice as it allows Godard to enhance the sense of isolation the characters experience. It also accentuates the grandeur of several of Cinematic Paintings in the final 25 minutes
The marital strife is captured with some Antonioni style compositions that use various physical barriers between the couple when they share the frame. There is some great splitting of frames a la Bertolucci. He also uses slow pans that slowly move back and forth keeping only one of the characters in the frame during the sequence
Georges Delerue’s score is so magnificent that Scorsese would go on to use it 32 years later for Casino (1995), a film with multiple layers including the disintegration of a marriage between the characters played by Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone. The score is actually only used for a relatively small percentage of the film, but it is absolutely crucial as it is used during significant stretches in the film as the husband and wife are becoming increasingly hostile toward each other and rather than a complete blow up argument this growing marital strife manifests itself in a more passive aggressive manner
There are certainly similarities between this and Antonioni’s work in the early 1960’s as you have characters who are young, physically attractive, and well off financially yet are filled with ennui
The set piece villa in Capri is perfect for several of the film’s most spectacular images which combined with the pensive score
Jack Palance’s character is almost cartoonishly obnoxious, but the performance works, nonetheless. In one scene he tosses reels of film across the room, he drives like a maniac and is extremely aggressive in the way he talks to people. Additionally, the other characters are rather passive and never really stand up to him with the exception of Fritz Lang
Godard blurs the line between fiction and reality in a variety of ways; you have a character, Fritz Lang playing either himself or a fictional version of himself. The marital strife depicted in the film between Paul and Camille supposedly reflected Godard’s real life marital problems with his then wife Anna Karina. There are movie posters outside of a Cinema including one where you can actually see Godard’s name. Godard himself even has a brief cameo as Fritz Lang’s assistant director. There are numerous references to film, literature, and pop culture including Homer and The Odyssey not to mention the great Fritz Lang playing himself or maybe more accurately a fictionalized version of himself
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp- really well done here “This film is absolutely stunning and praiseworthy in nearly every way from the Godard’s use of color, use of widescreen, grand score, stunning cinematic paintings, and subversive wit. Godard’s dedication to primary colors in the mise en scene is extremely inspired and thorough as almost every frame contains blue, yellow, or red and in many of the frames all three are present”
@Drake – thank you, it is funny how interests can come and go in cycles. I am so into The French New Wave again
@James Trapp- such a good movement/era to get into. Years ago on a vacation I read this book- I’d recommend it. A History of the French New Wave by Richard Neuper
@Drake – this looks great. Who do you think is the 3rd most important director of the movement after François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard?
@James Trapp- tough- what do you think? Varda?
@Drake – Not sure, I know he is not as explicitly associated with the French New Wave but I was blown away by my Alain Resnais Study. I might cover Varda or Jacques Demy next.
Vivre Sa Vie (1962)
Notes:
Starts with a note with a thank you to B movies
Opens with somber score and a close up profile shot of Anna Karina who was Godard’s muse and wife at this time
Anna Karina is playing a character named Nana Kleinfrankenheim
The film is told in 12 parts
Chapter 1
3:16 starts in a diner with Nana’s back to the camera as she speaks to a man who is off screen and is revealed to be her husband Paul that she is leaving in order to become an actress
5:32 “the more we talk the less the words mean”
8:31 Nana and Paul start to play pinball with backs to camera
Chapter 2
9:57 Nana inside record store she works at
This segment of the film uses a single long take with Nana walking back and forth in the store
Chapter 3
13:16 frame in frames with doorway and Nana in silhouette
14:50 low angle shot of movie theatre at night
15:12 Nana watches Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) inside movie theatre
17:23 close up shot is held on Nana’s face as a single tear moves down her cheek near the end of the movie as Nana and Joan’s images match up
Chapter 4
Nana in police station being questioned, her face darkened by shadow with look of shame as she admits to attempting to steal cash dropped by a woman
23:51 close up profile shot of Nana with tears in eyes ends interview
Chapter 5
24:00 tracking shot down Paris Streets then by reverse tracking shot of Nana walking in streets
26:09 noticeable contrast of black coat and white apartment walls
28:29 hard to watch as Nana seems repulsed by the man she is serving
Chapter 6
28:47 Nana meets up with a female friend to discuss their lives
Chapter 7
37:40 close up on handwriting letter
40:05 Paris streets in background
41:53 character blocking briefly erases Nana in this shot, followed by camera oscillating back and forth with the city in the background
Chapter 8
47:37 Nana is briefed on her new job as a prostitute
48:28 some dark humor in the casual way her new job is explained as if it was just like any other job
49:27 camera over naked Nana who is shot from the shoulders up
Chapter 9
50:50 Nana attending some type of show with a client
54:03 another shot with Karina in profile
55:35 extended dance sequence in pool hall with music starting and stopping
Chapter 10
57:40 Medium shot of Karina standing in front of wall smoking a cigarette with the camera in close proximity to where she is standing
1:00:36 Nana goes from room to room in the brothel
Chapter 11
1:03:03 camera tracking through street
1:03:51 frame in frames via mirrors making the room mildly disorienting
1:04:28 Nana dressed up with gorgeous fur coat
1:05:45 close up on Nana in profile
1:10:10 older gentlemen at diner philosophizes in conversation with Nana
Chapter 12
1:14:33 Nana with shadow over her like the shot of her during the opening credit
1:14:57 young man reads Edgar Allen Poe story “The Oval Portrait” only it is actually Godard himself who is reading/narrating the book
Tragic ending with Nana shot to death
Thoughts:
This is not only an excellent film but is one of the most quintessential films of The French New Wave. In fact, if you were asked to select 10 films that best captured the essence of The French New Wave it would be difficult to leave this one off. And even if you reduced the question to 5 films it would be hard to leave this one off
The film uses 12 Vignettes that center around the life of Anna Karina’s character, a 22 year old Parisian woman who is named Nana. She leaves her husband and young child to become an actress but ends up a prostitute. This film is a combination of a character study, tragedy, and documentary. Karina’s Nana is not presented as all that sympathetic, certainly not a “hooker with the heart of gold” you would expect from a Hollywood film about similar subject matter. Nana has a detached nature with the exception of the pool hall dance scene where we see true joy for the first and only time
Godard’s blending of reality and film is on display within the first few minutes during a scene when Anna Karina’s character Nana repeats a line multiple times during her conversation with her husband Paul who is confused by this only for Nana to explain that she is practicing a line as Nana is an aspiring actress and after saying a particular sentence which was a naturally spoken line during her conversation, she spontaneously decided to repeat the line in order to practice her craft as an actress
Godard goes back to monochrome and 1.37 to 1 aspect ratio. The black and white photography is so crisp and striking with such stark contrast as the blacks and whites are heavily saturated
I like the use of the boxy aspect ratio and all of the close ups on Karina’s face. There are numerous shots of Karina in profile. There are shots of her face throughout the film even when she is listening to someone off screen
This might be the ultimate “muse film” if that is even an actual subgenre. I love how Godard uses profile shots of Anna Karina during the opening credits, the side of her face takes up the entire frame which seems appropriate for a film that is hyper fascinated by this iconic actress who can effortlessly hold the breath of any man. The opening shots of Karina’s face magnifies the impact of the later use of Dreyer’s The Joan of Arc (1928) in the 3rd Chapter when Nana watches the film in a movie theater
Anna Karina has a coolness to her that very few actresses can touch. Karina’s porcelain skin contrasts with her intensely black hair. She is basically always smoking a cigarette and has a cool detachment, as she outwardly shows little emotion. I love Tarantino’s casting of Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction (1994) and using the Anna Karina look, particularly the hair color and style
Michel Legrand with another simple but effective score that comes and goes several times; this is even established in the film’s opening credits which consists of several poses of Anna Karina’s face with the music starting and stopping multiple times without a clear pattern. Significant stretches of the film involve no score
Apparently, Godard tried to only use first takes to give the film a sense of realism and authenticity. The results of this strategy are stunning
The ending is appropriately abrupt as Nana is murdered in the streets followed by everyone else running away, nihilistic ending
Verdict: MP/MS
A Woman is a Woman (1961)
Notes:
Anna Karina as exotic dancer Angéla
Jean-Claude Brialy as Émile
Jean-Paul Belmondo as Alfred
4:55 medium low angle reverse tracking shot with Angéla walking through the streets
5:54 music starts and stops abruptly
9:00 beautiful shot using red curtains to create a frame in frame with Angéla singing along with man playing piano in background and during sequence Angéla walks progressively closer to the camera
10:17 Angéla playfully tossing hair over her face in close up
10:48 pink neon lighting washing over a closer up of Angéla’s face
12:04 Jean-Paul Belmondo as Alfred
12:10 high angle shot of city
14:31 handheld camera in reverse tracking shot
14:54 Angéla wearing blue outfit and holding while posing on the sidewalk in a theatrical position holding a red umbrella and even references other films including Gene Kelly which is likely a reference to Singin’ in the Rain (1952) which is one of the most famous musicals
15:34 Angéla and Alfred start posing in theatrical positions while walking through the streets
15:55 music abruptly starts and stops
26:40 camera panning back and forth Angéla and Émile
29:10 fight over whether they should have a child and start a family as Angéla is interested
33:45 two-shot of the couple as they pose like someone is taking their picture and camera pans to the left with text on bottom of screen appearing and telling audience information about their relationship
35:20 Belmondo’s character references Breathless (1960)
36:15 saturated red lighting tinting screen when Angéla and Alfred are both in the frame
38:29 triangle composition with Angéla and literally standing in between Émile and Alfred
38:46 Alfred shadow boxing, Belmondo had a very brief amateur boxing career
42:21 standout image with tri-color neon lights serving as the backdrop
43:02 low angle shot of neon lit hotel lights
43:51 camera oscillating between tables inside club
54:07 shoutout to Shoot the Piano Player (1960)
54:48 high angle shot of busy streets
58:00 Angéla and Alfredo with extended scene at bar
1:03:35 red and pink in mise en scene in shot of jukebox
1:08:55 red and yellow background in medium shot of Angéla
1:10:45 low angle shot of apartment building held with music crescendo
1:12:08 sequence summing up relationship of Angéla and Émile
1:13:13 high angle long shot of city
1:13:55 shot reverse shot with increasing speed in the cuts
1:15:00 mirror shot of woman from club in Émile’s bed
1:18:01 Angéla playfully tossing hair over her face in close up under saturated red lighting
1:18:52 playful cat and house before Angéla admits to sleeping with
1:22:47 series of score crescendos
1:23:06 humorous use of cut as Angéla and Émile prepare to sleep together
The film ends using colorful lettering similar to opening
Thoughts:
Godard’s first film using color. I always love when auteurs treat the opening credits as something other than perfunctory and Godard certainly does that here with the alternating color of the letters and words
While this was released after Breathless it was actually the 3rd feature film that Godard made, Le petit soldat was not released until 1963 due to its politically controversial nature of its subject matter and themes
The film transitions from the excellent opening credits to the story with an audio declaration of “Lights, Camera, Action!” which is appropriate for Godard’s self-referential style. There are references to other films including Godard’s very own Breathless and Truffaut Shoot the Piano Player and even Singin’ in the Rain (1952) which is one of the most famous musicals of all time
The basic storyline is simple enough; Angéla wants to have a kid and start a family except her boyfriend Émile (Jean-Claude Brialy) refuses to commit and then Angéla starts to become interested in his friend Alfred, who is played by the great Jean-Paul Belmondo
The relatively straight forward love triangle narrative is presented as a musical but not your standard musical of course since this is Godard and early 1960’s Godard was intent on genre deconstruction. This film is extremely playful with standout performances from the 3 leads, especially Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo who have great chemistry, it is easy to see why Godard would cast them together in Pierrot le Fou
The 2.35 to 1 aspect ratio is radically different than Breathless and Le petit soldat which both used a 1.33 to 1 aspect ratio
The lively score infuses incredible jolts energy onto the screen. What really stands out however, is the way it comes and goes and at times it even drowns out the dialogue, there are series of intense crescendos when you would probably not expect it
Blue, red, and white dominate the mise en scene throughout the film. You also have yellow, and pink used effectively in a few scenes. As noted above the color patterns are present right from the spectacular opening credits and are used consistently throughout the film
This is actually one of the few films of this Study that I have not already watched. There are several films I intend on watching in this Study that I have previously viewed precisely one time
Verdict: MS/HR
@James Trapp- very happy you were able to get to this one- and that you think highly of it
@Drake – It was a blast to watch, I would have loved to live through the peak of The French New Wave. Funny enough, when I did my Bertolucci Study, there is a scene in Before the Revolution (1964) when the characters actually go to a showing of A Woman Is A Woman
@James Trapp- yes- and you didn’t have to wait long between films from these masters either
@James Trapp-There is a huge La Chinoise poster in the bedroom of the characters in Bertolucci’s The Dreamers.
Le petit soldat (1963)
Notes:
Michel Subor as Bruno Forestier
Anna Karina as Véronica Dreyer
Opens with a car driving during gloomy day in Geneva
1:56 French reporter named Bruno Forestier giving internal narration saying he works for French News Agency
3:10 Anna Karina as Véronica Dreyer
4:50 medium close up shots with low angle
8:14 Karina shaking her head for effect
9:54 profile shot of Bruno on train with cigarette in his mouth
12:30 extended joke told on train
18:20 POV shot of car being followed using dashboard to frame shot
19:42 camera close to Bruno creating claustrophobic feeling as he is sitting in back of car feeling trapped as he is suspected of being a double agent and knows he will be tested
22:38 low angle shot from inside car driving through city
23:11 shaky camera capture city lit up at night
26:01 Bruno and Véronica inside hotel room
27:31 medium close up of Véronica posing for pictures
32:50 photo shoot with music
35:06 silhouette imagery with Bruno and Véronica
43:13 triangle composition
43:43 close up on gun
44:00 shot of Hitler in newspaper
52:04 another driving sequence with quick pans
55:58 close up on photo of man French army is looking for
58:24 torture scene begins with quicks camera movements as Bruno is chained to a bathtub
1:11:14 Bruno and Véronica are reunited inside hotel room
1:14:26 Véronica is revealed to be working for the Algerians
1:15:35 Bruno reveals national and political beliefs that I am assuming are really Godard’s beliefs
1:24:21 Véronica unfortunate fate foreshadowed
1:25:26 whip pans used in final conversation between Véronica and Bruno
Thoughts:
This is actually the 2nd film Godard made with the 1st obviously being Breathless in1960. But this film was also completed in 1960 but was not released until 1963. The film’s subject matter revolves around the France/Algerian War. July 5, 1962 is the listed independence day for Algeria so it seems France may have been unwilling to release it earlier. This was a topical film but was released after it would be at its most socially and politically relevant ending resulting in its reduced impact
While there are significant differences, it does share several commonalities with Breathless in its use of handheld cameras, jump cuts, and on site shooting; only here the on-site was in Geneva instead of Paris
Michel Subor is no Belmondo, particularly when it comes to his voiceover narration which is near robotic. The performance is general is quite stale even while being tortured there is not a detectable change in his voice and while some of this may be by design it certainly lacks the excitement of Belmondo’s performance in Breathless
The torture scenes are perhaps the biggest weakness as they are spoken of with such detachment as if you are watching a documentary despite the fact that they are told from the internal dialogue of the man being tortured
I cannot help but think that when Bruno reveals national and political beliefs he is serving as a conduit for the beliefs of Jean Luc Godard
Anna Karina is by far and away the best part of the film as she infuses a spark or element of intrigue that is otherwise absent
I do like the use of handheld and the way the car scenes are shot
The score is simple but effectively foreboding and haunting
Verdict: R
Breathless (1960)
Notes:
Opens with Jazz score playing and then Belmondo with a cigarette dangling from the side of his mouth while wearing a slightly tilted hat that partially covers his eyes
2:35 the first use of jump cuts as Belmondo’s Michel drives recklessly by French countryside
3:24 Belmondo breaking the 4th wall
5:38 Michel shoots police officer to death with use of close ups and jump cuts
10:18 Patricia (Jean Seberg) makes 1st appearance, she is an American girl who is working in France selling New York Herald Tribune Newspapers
11:56 reverse tracking shot with Michel and Patricia walking down the street
14:07 Michel walking like a movie star, he seems conscious of image at all times
18:48 Humfrey Board poster for The Harder They Fall (1956) which was Bogart’s final film as he passed away the following year
20:58 Michel asks Patricia if she wants to sleep with him in the most casual manner possible
23:12 jump cuts with Michel and Patricia driving down the street
28:08 shot of Eiffel Tower in the background
30 min Michel and Patricia in hotel
37:10 camera push in using circular frame and push out
41:31 Patricia making faces in the mirror
46:36 close up two-shots throughout sequence with Michel and Patricia lying in bed
52:05 Michel shadow boxing in front of mirror
53:04 high angle shot overlooking the city
54:30 Michel fleeing on a car is visible in the reflection off Patricia’s sunglasses
55:44 Michel realizes his picture is in the newspaper as he has been identified as the police killer
57:07 Jean Pierre Melville cameo is awesome
1:00:16 gradual dissolve edit from medium close up on Patricia to Michel driving
1:04:14 split frame and deep focus
1:05:45 silhouette image of Michel and Patricia inside theatre
1:07:24 Patricia questioned by police who are looking for Michel
1:12:22 close up double profile shot of Michel and Patricia kissing inside the movie theatre
1:13:04 another sequence inside a vehicle driving down the Paris streets
1:16:08 overhead shot used as Michel enters the bar/club
1:22:24 Patricia betrays Michel in calling police and tipping them off
1:23:20 nice use of splitting frame a la Antonioni in showing a wall separating Michel and Patricia
1:26:44 profile shot of Michel smoking cigarette
The film ends in the streets of Paris when Michel is caught and shot by police and dies shortly after in the streets. The mood is not tragic or sad as that would be incongruent with everything before it, instead Michel is making funny looking faces like he did during the hotel scene
Thoughts:
Breathless (1960) will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the film that reignited my interest in movies after a substantial hiatus. One of Roger Ebert’s reviews (I cannot remember which) referenced it so I decided to check it out. After watching it, I got my hands on every French film I could find, most from the public library, and the next 25-30 movies I watched were all French and most of them were French New Wave. My interest in international cinema skyrocketed from there and has not let up since. Within a couple of years, I discovered the Criterion Channel and Cinema Archives, amongst other great resources
The Jazz score is crucial, the film is limited on plot, instead Godard creates a particular mood and atmosphere. Jazz was incredibly important in French Cinema around this time; Jean Pierre Melville, Alain Resnais, and Louis Malle whose debut film Elevator to the Gallows (1958) had the great Mile Davis perform the entire soundtrack. The score is accentuated in the bookend
One of the most fascinating elements of this film is the pacing. The hotel scene is approximately 30 minutes out of a 90 minute film. You would think that this would slow the momentum down, yet it does not. Not that slowing down the momentum is always a negative, but here we get absorbed into the lives of these characters in a scene with little actual plot but further insight into the film’s two lead characters
One of the things we learn in the hotel scene is just how self-absorbed Michel and Patricia truly are, especially Michel, who is almost aggressively unworldly as he seems uninterested in anything other than himself. It would seem easy to label Michel as a rebel, but I do not think that would be a fitting description. Some of the male icons of the 1950s like Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Elvis Presley were rebels; they were men who were dedicated in their refusal to conform to the rules of society like Paul Newman’s character in Cool Hand Luke (1967). Michel is not so much a rebel but rather a nihilist with no real beliefs, interests, or goals
I love how self-referential the film is with breaking the 4th wall and really Michel’s entire personality which is largely based on his own perception of American movie stars like Humphrey Bogart. Michel spends substantial amounts of time looking at himself in the mirror while adjusting. Even in his death Michel is behaving like a man who knows he is in a movie
The jump cuts served multiple purposes; they served a practical purpose for cutting down the run time without having to get rid of entire scenes, but they also served an artistic purpose as they created a fragmented, more subjective style, and infuse a kinetic force into the film. There are several sequences in cars when Michel is driving to various locations. Normally when a character is in a car driving, you (the audience) are thinking about where they are going and why but in this film that is not the case. Instead, the numerous car scenes are contributing to the film’s mood and atmosphere instead of narrative
One question that I always think about when I watch films with this level of historical importance is how much that should be factored into grading and ranking them against other films of different eras. And really all of this begs the question of how to grade and rank films in the first place. Can movies be graded and ranked in isolation? The more I have learned about Cinema the more I have come to think that yes, these factors matter but it is difficult to access exactly how much. One of the main reasons I love doing Director Studies in the first place is it helps to have other films to compare with and better evaluate the quality of a film
There are films which have tremendous stylistic influence, historical importance to a particular genre or film movement, or some other type of cultural relevance when they were first released but might not seem quite as impressive if you watched them today in isolation without knowledge of these aforementioned traits. I think Breathless fits into this category as do films like The 400 Blows and Bicycle Thieves. I actually wrote about this concept before in relation to The 400 Blows and to be entirely honest I still do not have a clear answer on exactly how to approach this. All of this might sound like I am inferring that these films are being elevated into the film canon primary for their importance so to be very clear these are great films regardless, it is just they do not have mind blowing singular images like something like Lawrence of Arabia or Barry Lyndon. Films like Breathless are amazing for numerous reasons covered above, but I do think their historical relevance factors in as well
This is an all timer
Verdict: MP (top 40 all time)
@James Trapp- doing a full study? The editing here is just so crucial. “One of the most fascinating elements of this film is the pacing. The hotel scene is approximately 30 minutes out of a 90 minute film.” . Always one I’ve wondered if it a happy accident or not. If Godard was a one-hit wonder (which, he clearly isn’t) it could easily been argued.
@Drake – I am basically looking to do his entire 1960s run up to Weekend but am not opposed to going further. I am not interested in covering his documentary work. Would you recommend any of his work post his 1960’s work?
Tentatively, my list is:
Breathless
A Woman Is a Woman
Vivre Sa Vie
Le petit soldat
The Carabineers
Contempt
Band of Outsiders
A Married Woman
Alphaville
Masculine Feminine
Made in U.S.A
Two or Three Things I Know About Her
Weekend
@James Trapp- that’s a great list of course- you’d be fine ending there. If you feel the need to look further- I have pages for many of the films if you just search Godard (if they aren’t linked in other spots)- La Chinoise and Tout Va Bien come to mind:
https://thecinemaarchives.com/2021/05/17/la-chinoise-1967-godard/
https://thecinemaarchives.com/2021/06/02/tout-va-bien-1972-godard-gorin/
@Drake – thanks, yeah I might add those but somewhere around 13-15 films should be sufficient. A few of these films I’ve seen but only once and it was a while back so I am excited to revisit. It’s crazy how prolific he was
@James Trapp- he was firing. If you can handle sitting through them- it is sort of interesting to watch films over his entire career to be able to speak to what changed and his arc- but I’ll admit there’s not much after Weekend.
@Drake – It seems like almost all of the major players of the New Wave have passed away with several passing in the last 5 years or so; Anna Karina, Belmondo, Godard, Agnès Varda, Alain Delon (he might be as directly associated with New Wave but still), and a few others. Jean-Pierre Léaud is basically the only one still around. I do not know if this is true but when I did my François Truffaut Study I read somewhere that he was considering retiring from filmmaking and focus on writing novels
My ranking of Godard’s films that I’ve seen:
1. Pierrot le Fou MP
2. Breathless MP
3. Weekend MP
4. Contempt MP
5. Alphaville MS
6. A Woman is a Woman MS
7. Vivre Sa Vie MS
8. Band of Outsiders HR/MS
9. Made in USA HR
5 Best Performances
1. Belmondo- Pierrot le Fou
2. Belmondo- Breathless
3. Karina- Vivre Sa Vie
4. Karina- Pierrot le Fou
5. Karina- A Woman is a Woman