Weekend. I’ve seen unorthodox movies, before (like other Godard films) but… dang. Absurdist dystopia at its peak. Pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of the soundtrack, and the traffic jam scene is a delight.
Tag: jeanlucgodard
Pierrot le fou
Pierrot le fou. Godard is so strange. This one is hyperactive and goofy like Une femme est une femme from earlier this month, but even more unconventional and maybe a bit more cynical. All kinds of references and meta-ish episodes. I think I like it. Ebert. Criterion essay.
Une femme est une femme (A Woman Is a Woman)
Une femme est une femme (A Woman Is a Woman). What a wacky movie. Anna Karina wants to get pregnant. Boyfriend Jean-Claude Brialy won’t help while buddy Jean-Paul Belmondo is all too willing. Lots of rich primary colors. Hints at the musical genre every so often, and sometimes it seems operatic, with bits of dialogue like recitative punctuated with responses or embellishments from the orchestra. It’s very self-aware, playing with the form, making no attempt to stay absolutely true-to-life, sometimes literally winking at the camera. It’s all good fun. I caught several references to other films, and it’s likely there are more clever ones that I didn’t notice. This is probably my favorite of the Godard movies I’ve seen so far.
Is this a tragedy or a comedy? With women you never know.
“Whenever I hear the word ‘culture’, I bring out my checkbook.”
Jean-Luc Godard’s crack is a variation on a line from Hanns Johst’s play Schlageter.
À bout de souffle (Breathless)
À bout de souffle (Breathless). This was Jean-Luc Godard’s first feature-length film and one of the first of the French New Wave. At least it’s a trim 90 minutes. I didn’t find it all that interesting but some viewers think otherwise.
Bande à part (Band of Outsiders)
Bande à part (Band of Outsiders). I didn’t dig this one very much, but at least watch the dance scene. I stopped paying full attention about half-way into it. This Criterion essay covers it well.
Mark Larson 