The Little Soldier

Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, Le Petit Soldat (The Little Soldier) is the story of a young man who is being asked by French intelligence to kill an official who is believed to be a double agent where he ends up falling for a young woman who is supposedly working for the opposition. Set during the Algerian War, the film is an exploration of a man trying to not get involved only to be caught in the middle of an uneasy conflict. Starring Michel Subor, Anna Karina, and Henri-Jacques Huet. Le Petit Soldat is a riveting and chilling film from Jean-Luc Godard.

The film revolves around a young man who is a spy living in Geneva, Switzerland as he is asked by French intelligence to kill a man who is suspected to be a double agent working for the National Liberation Front of Algeria (FLN). Along the way, he meets a young woman who is supposedly working for the FLN as he falls for her which would complicate his mission. Jean-Luc Godard’s screenplay uses a simple premise to play into a man being caught in the middle of this conflict as the French spy Bruno Forestier (Michel Subor) as he remains wanted in France for refusing to enlist in the French army during the Algerian War where much of the film is told from his perspective as he would narrate everything he endures. He works in Geneva as a journalist as his cover yet French intelligence officials want him to kill a man and not get enlisted but things get complicated when he meets Veronica Dreyer (Anna Karina) whom he falls for though he is unsure if she’s affiliated with the FLN.

Godard’s direction does have elements of style in his approach to long takes and intimate shots as well as shooting scenes on actual locations as it is shot on location in Geneva and other parts of Switzerland. While Godard would shoot some wide shots of Geneva and various locations, much of his approach is focused on the action involving Bruno and the French intelligence officials he’s working for in scenes inside a car or at a room. The scenes involving Veronica are playful but also have some commentary about the fallacies of alliance such as a scene late in the third act where Bruno has this monologue about why he refuses to take part in either side as it relates to Veronica’s own supposed affiliation with FLN. The usage of hand-held cameras for these intimate moments including scenes where Bruno is being tortured by the FLN showcase the brutality of this conflict that is happening in Switzerland between two factions. Especially in how one side would react to another leading to this chaotic element that Bruno wants out of and with Veronica with him so they can live a life without conflict. Overall, Godard crafts a gripping and compelling film about a spy caught in the middle of a conflict where he’s asked to assassinate the opposition.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography with the way many of the exterior scenes at night look as well as the usage of low-key lights for the torture scenes. Editors Agnes Guillemot, Lila Herman, and Nadine Trintignant do excellent work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts to play into the action as well as creating cuts that help impact the suspense. The sound work of Jacques Maumont is superb for its natural approach to sound in the way gunfire or the atmosphere of a certain location is presented. The film’s music by Maurice Leroux is terrific as it is low key in its piano concerto presentation with some pieces by classical artists that is played on location.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast include a few notable small roles from Godard as a man at the railway station, Laszlo Szabo as a friend of Bruno, Paul Beauvais as an intelligent officer working for the French, and Henri-Jacques Huet as the lead intelligence officer who orders Bruno to perform an assassination on this supposed double-agent. Michel Subor is fantastic as Bruno Forestier as a young spy that is tasked with an assassination assignment as he copes with what he has to do as well as the stakes prompting him to realize what it is all about as it’s an understated yet captivating performance. Finally, there’s Anna Karina in an amazing performance as Veronica Dreyer as it’s a lively and charming performance from Karina as a young woman whose loyalties and associations come into question as she also deals with the role she’s playing in this conflict as it is a joyful performance in her first of several collaborations with Godard.

Le Petit Soldat is an incredible film from Jean-Luc Godard that features brilliant performances from Michel Subor and Anna Karina. Along with its dazzling visuals and study of individuals caught up in a chaotic conflict, it’s a film that showcases some of the fallacies of war as well as two different people who want to live a life outside of conflict. In the end, Le Petit Soldat is a remarkable film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - A Bout de Souffle - A Woman is a Woman - Vivre Sa Vie - Les Carabiniers - Contempt - Bande a Part - A Married Woman - Alphaville - Pierrot Le Fou - Masculin Feminin - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise - Weekend – Sympathy for the Devil (One Plus One) - (Joy of Learning) - (British Sounds) - Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - For Ever Mozart - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) – (The Image Book)

© thevoid99 2018

Pierrot le Fou

Based on the novel Obsession by Lionel White, Pierrot le Fou (Pierrot the Madman) is the story of a married bourgeoisie who goes on a road trip with his babysitter/former lover as they’re being chased by OAS agents. Written for the screen and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, the film is a genre-bender that blends the road movies with commentary on politics and consumerism as it’s told in a humorist fashion. Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina. Pierrot le Fou is a whimsical yet exhilarating film from Jean-Luc Godard.

The film plays into a man who is married to a bourgeoisie woman as he had just been fired from his job working for TV as he copes with his dreary life until he meets the new babysitter who used to be a former lover as the two go on the road through France. It’s a film that revolves around a man named Ferdinand “Pierrot” Griffon (Jean-Paul Belmondo) who faces a crisis in his life as he’s bored and unhappy in everything until he sees that his former lover Marianne Renoir (Anna Karina) is the new babysitter. Upon returning home early from a party and driving her home, their love is renewed where he learns that Marianne is part of a rebellious faction as she is being chased by OAS agents. Pierrot would join her as they would hide and do all sorts of things until Marianne becomes bored herself where she would rejoin the faction with Pierrot following her.

Jean-Luc Godard’s screenplay does start off with a very simple plot but once it has Pierrot and Marianne away from the world of crime and at the South of France near the Mediterranean. The film becomes a mish-mash of genres where the two are trying to survive without money and weapons while they ponder their own life and what to do next. The film does raise some existential questions while Pierrot and Marianne would do things to survive where they would entertain American tourists for money or do all sorts of things. By the time the film goes into its third act where Marianne is forced to go back to being part of this rebellious regime. The relationship between her and Pierrot starts to falter where the latter questions everything that is going on and wonders if Marianne truly loves him.

Godard’s direction is definitely vibrant not just for its look and setting but also in the energy that he brings into the story. Not only for some of the intimacy he creates as well as finding ways to breaking the fourth wall at times. It also plays up this sense of whimsy where there’s few moments where the two characters would sing and dance or do something outrageous in their criminal exploits or something else. While Godard would use a lot of unique wide shots for many of the scenes set in the South of France, it his usage of long takes for much of the action to play out that is really interesting where it has a naturalistic tone to what is happening. Godard’s usage of close-ups and medium shots would play into some of the film’s whimsical tone as well as some of the dramatic elements in the third act where there are these eerie moments of violence. It plays into not just some of the political sensibilities of what is happening during the 1960s but also some of its fallacies where Pierrot is trying to get Marianne to not give in towards violence and just embrace the idea of love. Overall, Godard creates a thrilling yet entertaining film about two lovers going on an adventure in the South of France.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography as it plays up many of the lush and naturalistic qualities in many of the locations along with some inspired usage of lights for some of the film‘s interior scenes. Editor Francoise Collin does amazing work with the editing with its playful usage of jump-cuts and other stylish cuts to play into the film‘s humoristic approach as well as some of its dramatic and intense moments. Production designer Pierre Guffroy does nice work with some of the set design for the scenes in the car at night as well as some of the interior of the places the characters go to. The sound work of Antoine Bonfanti and Rene Levert is terrific for the way sound is captured in many of the film‘s different locations as well as some sound effects to play for some of its humor and drama. The film’s music by Antoine Duhamel is fantastic for its sumptuous score that ranges from playful to somber themes with its string arrangements to play into many of the film’s emotional moments.

The film’s excellent cast includes appearances from Jean-Pierre Leaud as a man at a movie theater, filmmaker Samuel Fuller as himself at a party Pierrot goes to early in the film, Roger Dutoit and Hans Meyers as a couple of gangsters chasing Pierrot and Marianne, Laszlo Szabo as a political exile, Jimmy Kabouri as a dwarf working with Marianne in the faction, Graziella Galvani as Pierrot’s wife, and Dirk Sanders as Marianne’s fellow rebel associate Fred who is part of this rebellious regime that wants to cause trouble.

Finally, there’s the incredible performances from Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo in their respective roles as Marianne and Pierrot. Karina brings this energy to her performance as Marianne that is so full of whimsy but also an air of danger that is mixed in with an innocence as she often carries a little doggie toy with her. Belmondo is a bit more reserved as Pierrot as he often demands to be called Ferdinand while manages to bring in some comical moments into his performance. Karina and Belmondo together are fun to watch as they both bring in the best in each other as this film represents the two at their best.

Pierrot le Fou is a spectacular film from Jean-Luc Godard that features great performances from Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina. The film isn’t just one of Godard’s more wild and complex films but also one of his most entertaining. Especially as it refuses to define itself as anything which only adds the exuberant tone of the film. In the end, Pierrot le Fou is a phenomenal film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys Are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - Breathless - The Little Soldier - A Woman is a Woman - Vivre sa Vie - The Carabineers - Contempt - Band of Outsiders - A Married Woman - Alphaville - Masculin Feminin - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise - Weekend - One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil) - (Joy of Learning) - (British Sounds) - Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - For Ever Mozart - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) - (The Image Book)

© thevoid99 2015

A Woman is a Woman

Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard from an idea by Genevieve Cluny, Un femme est une femme (A Woman is a Woman) is the story of a cabaret dancer who is torn between her unwilling lover and his best friend in her attempts to have a child. The film is take on the American musical comedy genre with an ode to Italian neorealist cinema as it blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. Starring Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Brialy, and Jean-Paul Belmondo. Un femme est une femme is a majestic and witty film from Jean-Luc Godard.

The film revolves around a young cabaret dancer who wants to have a child but her boyfriend is reluctant as she turns to his best friend for advice. While it’s a film with a simple story, it plays into a young woman’s desire to get a new lease on her life as she believes having a child will be the first big step into adulthood. Unfortunately, her lover Emile (Jean-Claude Brialy) isn’t keen on having a child as he wants to spend time doing his work and hanging out with his friend Alfred (Jean-Paul Belmondo). It adds a lot of anguish to Angela (Anna Karina) who escapes through her love of books and musicals as Jean-Luc Godard’s screenplay play up this blur of neorealist ideals with this air of fantasy in scenes where Angela imitates musicals as well as what was happening in French cinema at the time. The script doesn’t have much of a structure as it relies more on Angela’s desire and the journey she would take to have a baby.

Godard’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of not just the sense of energy of the film but also in how he maintains a certain intimacy in some of the film. Most notably in some scenes that involve some anamorphic lenses for some of the camera pans that goes on in the apartment that Angela and Emile live in. Yet, much of the direction involve some unique close-ups and medium shots that subvert ideas of reality and fiction such as a moment where Angela and Alfred imitate certain choreography and movements that are typical of musicals. At the same time, Godard keeps thing simple in his compositions while being playful with some of the set-ups he create in the cabaret halls and streets of Paris where it has this sense of energy that goes on. Even to the point where it would play into the conflict in Angela over what is going through to define herself as a woman. Overall, Godard creates a whimsical yet engaging film about a woman’s desire to become a mother.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful cinematography with its Cinemascope film stock to capture the lushness of the colors while maintaining some realism in scenes set in the streets of Paris while playing with light for some of its interior scenes. Editor Agnes Guillemot does amazing work with the editing in creating some unique jump-cuts as well as some stylish rhythmic cuts for the musical moments as well as some of its dramatic moments. Production designer Bernard Evein does nice work with the set design from the look of the cabaret hall that Angela works at to the look of the apartment she and Emile live in. The sound work of Guy Villette is terrific with the sound to maintain something that is simple as well as play into the bits of chaos that occurs in the film. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is excellent for its score that is playful with its orchestral pieces along with some piano pieces from Charles Aznavour which plays as a film reference and such.

The film’s wonderful cast includes some notable appearances from Marie Dubois and Nicole Paquin as friends of Angela, Ernest Menzer as a bar owner, and Jeanne Moreau in a cameo as a woman at the bar. Jean-Paul Belmondo is fantastic as Alfred as Emile’s friend who has feelings for Angela but keeps it a secret so he wouldn’t hurt Emile while aware of how bad Emile is towards Angela. Jean-Claude Brialy is superb as Emile as Angela’s boyfriend who is aghast at the prospect of parenthood as he tries to reason with Angela as well as be immature in the way he handles things. Finally, there’s Anna Karina in an incredible performance as Angela as this cabaret dancer that is eager to become an adult as she copes with Emile’s treatment of her as well as the desire to become a mother as it’s one of Karina’s most lively performances.

Une femme est une femme is a remarkable film from Jean-Luc Godard. Featuring great performances from Anna Karina, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Jean-Claude Brialy as well as colorful visuals and a lively score. The film isn’t just one of Godard’s finest films as well as one of his most entertaining. In the end, Une femme est une femme is a sensational film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - Breathless - The Little Soldier - Vivre Sa Vie - The Carabineers - Contempt - Bande a Part - A Married Woman - Alphaville - Pierrot Le Fou - Masculin Feminin - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise - Weekend - One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil) - (Joy of Learning) - (British Sounds) - Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - For Ever Mozart - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) - (The Image Book)

© thevoid99 2015

2015 Blind Spot Series: Alphaville

Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, Alphaville: une etrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (A Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution) is the story of a secret agent who is assigned to an inventor of a Fascist computer in a futuristic world. The film is a mixture of science fiction with film noir as it plays into a world that is strange as a man finds himself in a world that mixes elements of the 20th Century with a world that is very foreign to him. Starring Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Howard Vernon, and Akim Tamiroff. Alphaville is a strange yet entrancing film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Set in a futuristic world that isn’t too distant from 1960s France, the film revolves around a secret agent who arrives in a dystopian city to kill an inventor who has created a computer that controls its people as ideas of love, art, and free-thinking is banned. While it’s a plot that is very simple, it is a story that is very complex as its auteur Jean-Luc Godard creates something that is very abstract as it relates to ideas of existentialism and what a man is trying to do in this dystopian world. It is largely told from the perspective of its lead character Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) who arrives to the city of Alphaville under an alias as he meets this mysterious woman named Natacha von Braun (Anna Karina) whose father (Howard Vernon) is the inventor of the computer known as Alpha 60.

It’s a script that doesn’t play into any conventions as the computer itself is a character in the story as it acts as this cold antagonist that mocks the ideas of love, individuality, and something as simple as poetry. The script is filled with a lot of ideas to set up this dystopian world as it plays into a future that doesn’t feel too distant yet it plays into a world that is the antithesis of what was happening in the 1960s. Even as cities of other countries are referred to in different languages as New York is said in its Spanish pronunciation while everything outside of Alphaville is referred to as the Outlands. It’s where Caution comes from as he brings books of poetry and a gun as his encounters with Natacha would have him going into a personal mission of his own as she had been in control of Alpha 60 as she has no idea what love is or anything else.

Godard’s direction is definitely stylish as he definitely goes for something that is very off-the-wall as he shoots the film on location in Paris without the need to really do anything different to the locations. It’s shot as if Alphaville is stuck in the 1960s even though it is the future as Godard’s use of wide shots and very offbeat angles help play into this strange world that is the future. The film also features these gazing images that play into the future as the computer Alpha 60 is played an electric fan with a light in the background. There is something that feels absurd about what the future is as objects from the time are present such as a camera that Caution carries which was new at the time of the film’s production. Godard also uses some very intricate compositions such as close-ups and medium shots to help play into the suspense and drama while going for some very engaging camera angles to play into something that feels off and otherworldly. While there is a lot that goes on where it can be hard to follow at times, it does play into Caution’s own adventure to try and stop the ideas of a computer from spreading the rest of the free world. Overall, Godard crafts a very engaging yet off-the-wall film about a man killing a computer inventor in a futuristic world.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as he uses some intricate lighting schemes and textures to play into the world that is Alphaville for scenes at night as well as some moods for the daytime scenes. Editor Agnes Guillemot does brilliant work with the editing to create some very disconcerting jump-cuts to play into suspense along with other stylish cuts for its sense of drama and action. Production designer Pierre Guffroy does fantastic work with the design of the hotel rooms that Caution would stay in as well as some of the places he goes into including the secret office of Professor von Braun.

The sound work of Rene Levert does superb work with some of the sound effects as well as the distorted voice of the Alpha 60 computer. The film’s music by Paul Misraki is wonderful for its myriad of orchestral music from suspenseful themes to lush and evocative pieces to play into Caution’s love for Natacha.

The film’s phenomenal cast includes some notable appearances from Jean-Pierre Leaud as a breakfast waiter, Christa Lang and Valerie Boisgel as a couple of seductresses, Jean-Louis Comolli and Jean-Andre Fieschi as a couple of professors respectively named Jeckell and Heckell, and Akim Tamiroff in a terrific performance as a friend of Caution in Henri Dickson who was supposed to do the mission but succumb to the traps of Alpha 60’s ideas. Howard Vernon is excellent as Professor von Braun/Leonard Nosferatu as the inventor of Alpha 60 who tries to remove elements of his own humanity as he offers Caution to join him.

Anna Karina is remarkable as Natacha as a woman who had been in Alphaville for too long as she accompanies Caution to the world as she starts to attain elements of humanity including the idea of love. Finally, there’s Eddie Constantine in an incredible performance as Lenny Caution/Ivan Johnson as a spy posing as a journalist who is assigned to kill an inventor as he copes with the strangeness of his surroundings and the ideas of Alphaville as it is a very chilling yet intoxicating performance from Constantine.

Alphaville is a sensational film from Jean-Luc Godard that features great performances from Eddie Constantine and Anna Karina. While it maybe one of Godard’s more offbeat and inaccessible features during his New Wave period. It is still a fascinating film that plays into the idea of dystopia as if it was set in a modern world where things have unknowingly changed. In the end, Alphaville is a tremendously provocative yet exhilarating film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys Are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - Breathless - The Little Soldier - A Woman is a Woman - My Life to Live - The Carabineers - Contempt - Band of Outsiders - A Married Woman - Pierrot Le Fou - Masculin Feminin - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise - Weekend - One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil) - (Joy of Learning) - (British Sounds) - Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - For Ever Mozart - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) - (The Image Book)

© thevoid99 2015

Vivre Sa Vie

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard and written by Godard and Marcel Sacotte, Vivre sa vie (My Life to Live) is the story of a young Parisian woman who leaves her husband and child to become an actress as she later becomes a prostitute. Told in 12 scenes, the film explores the life of a woman as she tries to make a new life for herself. Starring Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, Andre S. Lebarthe, Guylaine Schlumberger, and Gerard Hoffman. Vivre sa vie is ravishing yet provocative drama from Jean-Luc Godard.

The film is essentially the story of this young woman named Nana (Anna Karina) who decides to leave her husband Paul (Andre S. Lebarthe) to pursue a career in acting. When that doesn’t go well as she takes on various odd jobs, she becomes a prostitute as she gets the attention of a pimp named Raoul (Sady Rebbot) and becomes one of his prostitutes. At first, things go well due to the money she’s making and the lifestyle she has but it would eventually lead to have her question the direction of her life. Particularly as she would meet a philosopher (Brice Parain) who would make her question her choices even more. The story is told in 12 key scenes to display the evolution of this woman’s life as she goes from being independent to losing control of what she wanted to do.

The screenplay that Jean-Luc Godard and Marcel Sacotte has a very unique structure in the way it plots these small moments in the life of Nana as she tries to take control of her life. The first act is about her leaving her marriage to fulfill a life of independence only to realize that it’s not as simply as she thought it would be as there would be a key scene of her watching The Passion of Joan of Arc that would make an impact about what she should do. The second act is about her becoming a prostitute and meeting Raoul who would show her the ropes to be professional. The third act is about her success in the trade and moments such as meeting a philosopher that would force her to question the decision of her life.

Godard’s direction is very stylish in the way he frames his actors in a shot as well as the way he moves his camera around to capture a simple conversation. The film’s first scene has the camera shooting Nana from the back of her head as she’s talking to her husband who isn’t scene as it then cuts to him talking with the camera showing the back of his head. It’s to create something that is very unconventional yet does enough to establish what is going on. The direction always creates scenes that always say something where Godard would intentionally cut out dialogue to create a silent moment in order to emphasize what Nana is feeling without needing any words.

The direction of the film is very loose as it is told in a cinema verite style despite the lack of shaky hand-held cameras for a more controlled sense of camera movements. Even as Godard always has tracking shots of the city to display the world that Nana lives in as it features numerous references to films and such including her hairstyle. Scenes such as Nana dancing to a music at a pool hall is among one of these moments where Godard just lets the camera go to have the scene be played out naturally. Others like a conversation Nana has with Raoul at a café has the camera move slowly side to side with the back of Raoul’s head shown as it then cuts to a two-shot where both are in the frame as the camera then does a close-up to Nana. The images that Godard makes are truly captivating in the way they are presented as he creates a mesmerizing portrait of a young woman’s life.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white cinematography to capture the vibrant world of Paris with its locations along with gorgeous yet intimate shots of the settings and the close-ups that includes the interrogation scene where Nana is darkly lit for that scene. Editors Jean-Luc Godard and Agnes Guillemot do fantastic work with the editing by utilizing lots of stylish jump-cuts to play out the conversations and more active moments of the film while using fade-outs as transitional cuts. Costume designer Christiane Fageol does nice work with the clothes that Nana wears to play out her evolution as she goes from simple to a prostitute with class.

Sound editor Lila Lakshmanan does terrific work with the sound to capture the intimacy of the cafes and places that Nana frequents at. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is excellent for its mournful theme that is filled with somber string arrangements to play out the melancholia of Nana’s journey. The soundtrack includes numerous French pop music of the times including a song by Jean Ferrat.

The film’s cast is superb for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Guylaine Schlumberger as a fellow prostitute named Yvette, Gerard Hoffman as a police chief who interrogates Nana, Brice Parain as the philosopher that Nana meets late in the film, and Andre S. Lebarthe as Nana’s husband Paul. Sady Rebbot is wonderful as the pimp Raoul who shows Nana the ropes of how to be a professional hooker while guiding her journey that would eventually lead to trouble. Finally, there’s Anna Karina in a marvelous performance as Nana where Karina displays a great sense of restraint as a woman trying to forge her own path in life. Karina also has this charisma that is intoxicating to watch as she truly radiates every moment she’s in that includes some of the film’s darker moments.

Vivre sa vie is a magnificent film from Jean-Luc Godard that features an incredible performance from Anna Karina. The film is definitely one of Godard’s essential films of his revered period in the 1960s as well as a very intriguing piece about a woman seeking her own place in the world. In the end, Vivre sa vie is an exhilarating film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys Are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - Breathless - The Little Soldier - A Woman is a Woman - The Carabineers - Contempt - Band of Outsiders - A Married Woman - Alphaville - Pierrot Le Fou - Masculine Feminine - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise - Weekend - One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil) - (Joy of Learning) - (British Sounds) - Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG-A Self-Portrait in December) - For Ever Mozart - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre Musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) - (The Image Book)

© thevoid99 2012

LAMB Movie of the Month: Bande a Part

Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, that is based on the novel Fool‘s Gold by Dolores Hitchens, Bande a Part (Band of Outsiders) is the story of a young woman who meets two wannabe criminals as they go into an adventure around Paris figuring out how to do the perfect crime. The film is among one of Godard’s finest films of his revered period of the 1960s during the French New Wave as it would prove to be influential to many filmmakers. Starring Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Claude Brasseur, and Louisa Colpeyn. Bande a Part is an extraordinary film from Jean-Luc Godard and company.

Franz (Sami Frey) and Arthur (Claude Brasseur) are wannabe criminals seeking a break as they learn about a substantial amount of money in the home of a woman named Madame Victoria (Louisa Colpeyn). Befriending the woman’s niece Odile (Anna Karina) whom they met in English classes, the men let her know what they plan to do as she reveals that the money belongs to a lover of her aunt. Odile reluctantly helps in the planning as she falls for Arthur, in whom she had never met before, while the two and Franz continue to plan while doing various things in Paris.

After a night with Odile, Arthur gets himself in trouble with his uncle (Ernest Menzer) who asks for money prompting Arthur to act quickly. The plans he, Franz, and Odile have are suddenly falling apart as they figure how to move quickly. The first attempt in the evening goes wrong as Arthur decides to make a second attempt the next day before his uncle decides to do the job himself. With the next attempt happening, Franz is consumed with guilt while Odile becomes disillusioned with the ordeal as things start to fall apart.

The film is essentially about two criminals and a young woman getting together to create the perfect crime to steal some money so they can buy some happiness. Inspired by American crime films, Jean-Luc Godard allows the film to play up the conventions of the crime movie by having two guys, who watched a lot of those films, try to create a crime of their own. They have a target, an accomplice, and motives to want to steal all of this money from the lover of a woman who lives in a rich house. Along the way, Godard narrates throughout the film about the events that is happening along with brief thoughts about what the characters are feeling and such.

The deconstruction of the crime film with all of its planning and the act itself allows Godard to create something that is very loose and lively. At the same time, he wants to focus more on the three criminals that are planning this crime where a love triangle sort of happens. Franz is a young man that comes up with the idea as he starts off as the dominant figure only to realize that it takes a lot more to be a criminal. Arthur is someone who is more determined as he ends up becoming much darker though he shows a sensitive side in the way he deals with Odile whom he falls for in the film. Then there’s Odile who becomes the reluctant accomplice who goes to English classes so she can please her aunt and become a nurse. For her, it’s about getting the money to be free of her aunt though the experience later on would have her question her own morality.

The lack of a conventional script allows Godard to direct the film very loosely in the style that he’s known for in his films of the 1960s. This style of shooting on location and letting things happen naturally is part of what Godard does in order to make the film seem like it’s actually happening. At the same time, he allows the film to let things happen as if he uses it to kill time such as a scene where a moment of silence happens where no sound occurs. Other notable famous scenes include a dance scene where music plays while Godard comments on what the characters are feeling and a scene of the three characters running through the Louvre to break a record.

These iconic scenes help move the film very seamlessly without distracting itself from the narrative as it’s all for the characters to kill time as they plan out their criminal activity. Godard also creates some amazing compositions for the audience to be engaged by what is going on while maintaining that free-wielding filmmaking style. Overall, Godard creates what is truly an exciting yet intense film that subverts the crime film by adding some humanistic themes and some humor.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does a fantastic job with the film‘s black-and-white photography that is truly stylish for many of its exterior settings without being too grainy as it is one of the film‘s technical highlights. Editors Francoise Collin, Dahlia Ezove, and Agnes Guillemot do a great job with the editing in maintaining a straightforward though rhythmic approach to the pacing while keeping up with its energetic feel from its jump-cuts. Costume supervisor Christane Fageol does a very good job with choosing the clothes the characters wear such as Franz‘s trench coat and the sweaters that Odile wears.

The sound work by Antoine Bonfanti and Rene Levert is excellent for its naturalist approach along with gun shots and the music that is played while taking the sound out for its minute of silence scene. The film’s score by Michel Legrand is phenomenal for its array of styles ranging from plaintive string pieces to flourishing piano cuts to play up the film’s witty tone.

The casting is brilliant as it features some memorable appearances from Daniele Girard as the English teacher, Chantal Darget as Arthur’s aunt, Ernest Menzer as Arthur’s uncle, and Louise Colpeyn as Odile‘s posh aunt. Sami Frey is wonderful as Franz, the organizer of the theft who tries to flirt with Odile only to realize what it takes to truly become a criminal. Claude Brasseur is superb as Arthur, the aggressor of the group who charms Odile while showing a darker side when he is pressured into stealing the money. Finally, there’s Anna Karina in an enchanting performance as Odile. Karina’s performance is very lively as a young woman seeking adventure in crime while coming to terms with the fact that she’s an accomplice to something that goes very wrong as it’s one of Karina’s most iconic performances.

Bande a Part is a mesmerizing yet glorious film from Jean-Luc Godard. The film is definitely one of Godard’s finest films of his career as well as one of his most accessible of the period from 1960 to 1967. Anyone interested in Godard and the French New Wave will find this film as a nice introduction though A Bout de Souffle and Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows are much better intros. Yet, it’s also a great introduction for anyone interested in Godard’s great collaboration with Anna Karina, who was his wife at the time, as it’s one of the best director-actor collaborations. In the end, Bande a Part is a fun yet enthralling film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys Are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - Breathless - The Little Soldier - A Woman is a Woman - Vivre Sa Vie - The Carabineers - Contempt - A Married Woman - Alphaville - Pierrot Le Fou - Masculine Feminine - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise - Weekend - One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil) - (Joy of Learning) - (British Sounds) - Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - For Ever Mozart - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) - (The Image Book)

© thevoid99 2011

Made in U.S.A.

Based on The Jugger by Donald E. Westlake, Made in U.S.A. is the story of a young woman who travels to Atlantic City to find her boyfriend as she finds herself in a world of trouble filled with intrigue and political turmoil. Written for the screen and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, the film is a stylish on the American crime films Godard love as it’s inspired by Howard Hawks’ The Big Sleep as well as Westlake’s novel. The film also marks the seventh and final feature-length collaboration between Godard and his then-wife muse Anna Karina as Paula Nelson. Also starring Jean-Pierre Leaud, Yves Afonso, Laszlo Szabo, and a special appearance from Marianne Faithfull. Made in U.S.A. is a stylish yet entrancing film from Jean-Luc Godard.

It’s 1969 as Paula Nelson travels to Atlantic City as she learns that her boyfriend Richard P. (Jean-Luc Godard) is dead. Trying to find out what happened and why, she meets with Edgar Typhus (Ernest Menzer) who gives her some information about Richard’s death as his nephew David Goodis (Yves Afonso) and his Asian girlfriend (Kyoko Kosaka) visit. Later going to a bar, Paula meets a gangster named Richard Widmark (Laszlo Szabo) and his assistant Donald Siegel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) about more information as she goes to a villa where Richard P. frequented at where she encounters Widmark about Richard’s disappearance.

With Paula now a suspect over the death of Typhus and David’s girlfriend with David believing that Paula did it, Widmark helps her out though a private investigator named Aldrich (Claude Bouillon) remains suspicious. Though she suspects Widmark, Paula believes that Richard was killed over his political beliefs as more complications occur. With the often silent Siegel revealing some unexpected information, Paula takes charge into what happened to Richard as she turns to Aldrich and David for help.

The film is about a Leftist journalist/P.I. who goes on the search for the story about her boyfriend’s death and its supposed political reasons. Yet, it’s really a movie about a woman caught up in a world where she is surrounded by ideals about advertising, pop culture, and politics. While the film is set in Atlantic City, it’s really set in a Parisian suburb where Atlantic City plays more like a metaphor of American culture and its impact of Europe. Throughout the film, Paula Nelson talks in metaphors about the idea that advertising is really a form of Fascism while she meets various characters including a man (Remo Forlani) who talks with a bartender (Marc Dudicourt) about the objects at a bar.

The unconventional yet minimalist script allows Godard to create a story where it’s not really about the mystery but the study of a woman in a world where her views start to blur her idea of reality and fiction. There’s moments when the fourth wall of the film breaks as Paula says that this film is “Walt Disney with blood”. There’s characters that are named after either filmmakers, actors, or political figures while there’s also a lot of literary references to what Paula describes the film as there’s a lot of loose scenes that goes on including moments where Marianne Faithfull’s voice is heard singing As Tears Go By in a capella as she makes a cameo appearing at the bar scene.

Godard’s direction in the film is definitely mesmerizing for the way he maintains a much more controlled sense of presentation for this film. Throughout the film, there’s moments where Godard just let things happen while barely moving the camera or just keeping things still as if the characters are talking to the camera. There are elements of unconventional ideas in the film such as Richard’s last named drowned out by sounds of airplanes flying or a car beeping. In scenes where Donald is talking, it’s covered by Paula’s voice-narration which pop ups now and then to emphasize what she is going through.

Since the film is called Made in U.S.A., there is a vibrancy to the way the film looks as Godard employs the three colors of the U.S. and French flags. Particularly to emphasize the former in terms of its cultural influence though it’s set in the latter as there is a conflict over the America’s influence on French pop culture. The characters are often shown with these any of those three colors behind them to emphasize the world they’re in. The presentation is very mesmerizing even though it’s a film that is difficult to comprehend due to its unconventional approach. The political context might seem dated though it does make sense about the way the world is in terms of how advertising might be considered a form of Fascism. Overall, it’s an abstract but intoxicating film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does a gorgeous job with the film‘s vibrant photography that is awash with gorgeous colors from the locations to the dresses that Paula wears. Coutard’s photography also heightens the look for many of its exterior settings while keeping it more straightforward in its interior setting as he is the major highlight of the film’s technical work. Editors Francoise Collin and Agnes Guillemot do a great job with the editing which is mostly straightforward with a few jump-cuts in order to go for a more controlled though energetic tone. The sound work by Rene Levert and Jacques Maumont is superb for the way sound is placed on some parts of the dialogue along with natural sound in the locations that are in. The film’s music is mostly dominated by classical pieces from Ludwig Van Beethoven and Robert Schuman along with Marianne Faithfull’s As Tears Go By.

The casting is amazing for the people that appears in the film including Marianne Faithfull as herself along with Sylvain Godet and Jean-Pierre Biesse as a two lowly gangsters respectively named Robert MacNamara and Richard Nixon, Marc Dudicourt as a bartender, Remo Forlani as a man in the bar, Kyoko Kosaka as David’s Asian girlfriend, and Jean-Luc Godard as the voice of Richard P. Other notable small roles include Claude Bouillon as Inspector Aldrich, Ernest Menzer as Typhus, Jean-Pierre Leaud as the helpful Donald Siegel, and Yves Afonso as the wannabe writer David Goodis. Laszlo Szabo is very good as Richard Widmark, a shady man who helps out Paula though he remains secretive in what he’s doing. Finally, there’s Anna Karina in a mesmerizing performance as the metaphorical yet take charge Paula Nelson. Karina displays a restrained yet magnetic performance as a woman that tries to make sense of everything while proving to be no push-over as it’s a magnificent performance for the actress.

Made in U.S.A. is an extraordinary film from Jean-Luc Godard that features a radiant performance from Anna Karina. The film is definitely considered one of his best films of his revered 1960-1967 period though it’s really a transitional film of sorts as it shows Godard leaning towards political themes that would be prevalent in his post-1967 films. Yet it is a film that plays into the idea of American culture overwhelming a world that isn’t American as well as a woman trying to make sense of things in a crime-setting drama. In the end, Made in U.S.A. is a rich yet dazzling film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys Are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - Breathless - The Little Soldier - A Woman is a Woman - Vivre sa Vie - The Carabineers - Contempt - Band of Outsiders - A Married Woman - Alphaville - Pierrot Le Fou - Masculine Feminine - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise - Weekend - One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil) - (Joy of Learning) - (British Sounds) - Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - For Ever Mozart - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) - (The Image Book)

© thevoid99 2011