Vivre sa vie – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #512 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

August 4, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Godard’s tragic masterpiece shows us an innovative Godard and showcasing Coutard’s beautiful cinematography and a wonderful performance by Anna Karina. Another Godard film on Blu-ray which is fantastic. Highly recommended!

TITLE: Vivre Sa Vie – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #512

YEAR OF FILM: 1962

DURATION: 83 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:33:1 Aspect Ratio), Black and White, Monaural in French with English Subtitles

COMPANY: Janus Films/Les Films Du Jeudi/THE CRITERION COLLECTION

RELEASE DATE: April 20, 2010

Based on the Book “Ou en est la prostitution” by Marcel Sacotte

Written and Directed by Jean-Luc Godard

Produced by Pierre Braunberger

Music by Michel Legrand

Cinematography by Raoul Coutard

Edited by Jean-Luc Godard, Agnes Guillemot

Costume Design by Christiane Fageol

Starring:

Anna Karina as Nana Kleinfrankenheim

Sady Rebbot as Raoul

Andre S. Labarthe as Paul

Guylaine Schlumberger as Yvette

Gerard Hoffman as Le Chef

Monique Messine as Elisabeth

Paul Pavel as Journaliste

Dimitri Dineff as Dimitri

Peter Kassovitz as Le jeune homme

Eric Schlumberger as Luigie

Henri Attal as Arthur

Jean-Luc Godard as the voix de l’amant lisant Poe

Vivre sa vie was a turning point for Jean-Luc Godard and remains one of his most dynamic films, combining brilliant visual design with a tragic character study. The lovely Anna Karina, Godard’s greatest muse, plays Nana, a young Parisian who aspires to be an actress but instead ends up a prostitute, her downward spiral depicted in a series of discrete tableaux of daydreams and dances. Featuring some of Karina and Godard’s most iconic moments—from her movie theater vigil with The Passion of Joan of Arc to her seductive pool-hall strut—Vivre sa vie is a landmark of the French New Wave that still surprises at every turn.

It was 1962 and Jean-Luc Godard and wife, Anna Karina have worked on two films together “Le petit Soldat” (created in 1960 but released in 1963 due to the film being banned) and the 1961 film “Une femme est une femme” (A Woman is a Woman). By that time, both Godard and Karina’s marriage life became a public spectacle especially rumors that their marriage was on the rocks.

Despite their rocky personal life, Godard’s goal was to make Karina a serious actress and in 1962, he began working on his screen adaptation of “Vivre sa vie” (My Life to Love) which utilizes the studies of prostitution from “Où en est la prostitution” by Marcel Sacotte. But Godard would have his most challenging directorial experience at the time when funding for the film was turned down and the budget for the film was 400,000 francs, less that “Breathless” and it would be the first film in which Godard would be co-producer (putting half of his money towards the film) alongside producer Pierre Braunberger.

“Vivre sa vie” would create the film in 13 sequences, Godard called it “tableaux vivants” (live paintings) which was inspired by the 1931 film “The Threepenny Opera” (directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst) and the film was shown at the Venice Film Festival in which the film received boos from the audience (because it was unlike his other films) and even received some critical pans by a few critics but the film would go on to receive the Critics’ Prize and the Special Jury Prize and those same critics that panned the film earlier, some would go back and watch it again and at this point, many proclaimed the film as Godard’s masterpiece, even receiving praise from director/friend (at the time) Francois Truffaut and would be the first film for Godard to end the year in Cahiers du Cinema best ten list for that year.

“Vivre sa vie” is a film that focuses on Nana Kleinfrankenheim (played by Anna Karina), a young woman who left her child and husband to go off and become an actress. Unfortunately, life as an actress is not going so well as Nana is low on money, constantly borrowing money, late on her rent and having to request an advance from her job at a record store.

But after being arrested for taking money from a woman who dropped it, the problem Anna faces is a life without a home and no money. So, she turns to prostitution. We see how she’s uncomfortable about being a prostitute but she knows she has no other choice.

Wanting to make more money, a pimp named Raoul offers her a way out of her current job and way to become a prostitute but in better areas of the city and have more clientele. We then see how Nana has changed from an amateur to a professional. But she does receive a stern warning from her pimp, “do not refuse a customer”.

But what will happen to Nana when she meets a man she cares about and wants a change in her life?

VIDEO:

“Vivre sa vie” is presented in 1:33:1 aspect ratio and in black and white. For many years, many people had only a VHS and import DVD to watch “Vivre sa vie”. And now people have the chance to watch Godard’s tragic masterpiece in HD. Detail is much more evident in the backgrounds, you can see the surfaces of the signs and the walls, detail on the stains of the walls to the detail in Karina’s clothing. Blacks are nice and deep, grays and whites and the overall contrast levels look fantastic. There is a good amount of grain tot he film and for the most part, this is the most detailed version of “Vivre Sa Vie” available on any physical media at this time.

According to the Criterion Collection, the picture has been slightly windowboxed to ensure that the maximum image is visible on all monitors. The new HD digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from teh original 35mm camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using MTI’s DRS system and Pixel Farm’s PFClean system, while Digital Vision’s DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Vivre Sa Vie” is presented in Monaural French with English subtitles. Audio is presented in LPCM 1.0 and according to the Criterion Collection, the soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the optical prints. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated audio workstation.

It’s important to note that for this film, Godard went for an experimental use of sound. That is the soundtrack (dialogue and noise) was recorded directly on a single track. No sound editing, natural sounds and everything that one would hear in a regular conversation with another person is what you would hear in this film. The only addition was the music to the live soundtrack during the post-production phase of the film.

Dialogue (as well as crowd ambiance) is clear and understandable and the bass line for the main theme song (especially during the dance sequences) sound very good in HD.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Vivre sa vie – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #512″ comes with the following special features:

Audio Commentary – The audio commentary is by film scholar Adrian Martin and was recorded in 2001. What I enjoyed about this commentary is Martin’s knowledge of the film but also his enthusiasm about Godard’s oeuvre and how the scene was shot. Very detailed and informative audio commentary and definitely worth listening to!
Jean Narboni on Vivre sa vie – (45:15) A 2004 interview with French scholar Jean Narboni by film historian Noel Simsolo who breaks down various scenes from the film and it’s script.
Cinepanorama: Anna Karina – (11:05) An interview with Anna Karina from the French TV program “Cinepanorama” from April 1962 before the release of “Vivre sa vie”.
Faire Face: “La Prostitution” – (21:48) Featuring excerpts from “La Prostitution”, an episode of the French TV series “Faire face” which aired back in Feb. 1961. Featuring interviews with prostitutes, Max Fernet, Paris’s director of police and Marcel Sacotte, author of “Ou en est: La Prostitution” which was the inspiration of “Vivre sa vie”.
Ou en est: La Prostitution – Featuring text information on how Godard utilized Sacotte’s studies on prostitution for the film and photos of pages from the Sacotte’s “Ou en est: La Prostitution”.
Stills Gallery – Using your remote, you can view various stills from the film.
Godard’s Trailer – (2:22) The theatrical trailer for “Vivre sa vie”.

EXTRAS:

42-Page Booklet- Featuring the scenario “Vivre Sa Vie Scenario” by Jean-Luc Godard, the essay “The Lost Girl” by Michael Atkinson and an interview with Godard on “Vivre sa vie” for Sight & Sound Magazine (Winter 1962-1963), an interview with Jean-Luc Godard from Cahiers du Cinema from Dec. 1962, an essay on the film’s soundtrack in “An Audacious Experiment: The Soundtrack of Vivre Sa Vie” by Jean Collet.

For any Godardite, let alone the Anna Karina fans not enjoy “Vivre sa vie”. I felt that the journey Godard has taken the viewers for the character Nana and her descent into prostitution was well done, there is no sugar coating the whole lifestyle of these women. As Karina may be a woman who tries to maintain her soul despite being a prostitute, the only ending that I can foresee for this character was a tragic ending. This was evident to me right when I saw the “Joan of Arc” film and Nana’s face as she tearfully wept as Joan is to be put to death.

No sugar coating, no happy ending, no “Pretty Woman” type of ending, it is what it is.

“Vivre sa vie” was a film that was a unique experience, especially having watched many of Godard’s films and also having read about the personal turmoil that was going on behind-the-scenes with his marriage to his muse Anna Karina.

I look at “Vivre sa vie” as Godard trying to maintain his composure as a director and the audience, trying to make amends with his wife, Francois Truffaut, explain differences between “Vivre sa vie” and why “A Woman is a Woman” did not work but we also saw at the same time, the film alienating some Godardites and even upsetting his former friend/director Jean-Pierre Melville.

But as “Breathless” is seen as the flame that sparked the French New Wave and intellectual films, “Vivre sa vie” influenced cinema with lengthy dialogue which would become used by fellow directors and many young directors who were influenced by the film. From the opening sequence of Nana and her husband, the camera shot is from behind, Godard wanted no distractions by showing the character’s faces from the front but by the back. The use of the tableux sequences and as mentioned, the dialogue sequences. Where Rohmer made things much more intellectual in “My Night at Maud’s”, I can easily see why people criticized “Vivre sa vie” at first because of the dialogue was not as intellectual as they hoped for it to be.

Interesting to note, an interview is included in the book insert of how Godard wanted many people to understand his film (something that he would eventually get away from a few years later) and although Godard does read a passage from Edgar Allen Poe’s book at the end of the film, the book that had any significance was “Ou en est la prostitution” by Marcel Sacotte. The tricks of the trade in which Nana and her new pimp Raoul begin discussing and a way for Nana to make even more money.

But as the film does feature lengthy dialogue, not all were impressed, including one of Godard’s earliest supporters Jean-Pierre Melville who was very critical towards him. In fact, it was one of the major reasons that Godard and director Melville ended their friendship as according to Melville’s wife Florence who recalled her husband telling Godard “You are making a lazy man’s cinema, this is no longer deserves the name of cinema, you put down the camera and you have people talk, nothing more. For me, this isn’t cinema”. (p. 141, “Everything is Cinema”, Richard Brody) and in response Godard said, “There can no longer be a friendship between us, if one doesn’t like one’s friend’s film, no one can longer be his friend.”

But Godard received a good review from another earlier supporter, director Francois Truffaut who wrote “There are films one can admire and yet that do not invite you to follow…why pursue it? These are not the best films. The best films open doors, they support our impression that cinema begins and begins again with them. ‘Vivre sa vie’ is one of those.” (p. 319, “The Films In My Life”, Francois Truffaut)

So, the film received its boos but many people came around to declare the film as a Godard masterpiece. But one thing I have always wondered was if there was an alternate ending to this classic Godard film. If Godard had actually thought about another type of ending and the more I researched, I’ve read that Godard and Karina had a lengthy argument on how the film was supposed to end. Karina opposed the ending of the film and according to several books, because of the ending Godard chose, which went against his wife’s wishes, it was the beginning of the breakup of their marriage (and another unfortunate incident involving Karina).

So, I’ve always found “Vivre sa vie” to be a unique Godard experience. From Coutard’s cinematography, Godard’s use of the tableaux, Antonioni-like sequenes and the recording of the sound and ambiance from the actual filming and as much as I call this a Godard masterpiece, I’ve felt that Anna Karina was absolutely dashing in this film. A role that gave the actress the depth she needed to showcase her emotional side and also her flirtatious side, needless to say, this is a film where Karina shined.

The Blu-ray release of “Vivre sa vie” is done quite well. Not only do you get an informative commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin but the interview with film scholar Jean Narboni is also well-done and informative. The other features are like icing on the cake, especially the hilarious interview with Anna Karina who is surprised by the questions asked by the interviewer and the 42-page booklet is a major plus.

Overall, “Vivre sa vie” is a release that many Godard fans have been waiting for (now all we need is “Week End”) and the fact that The Criterion Collection also chose this film for Blu-ray release is fantastic. Although “Vivre sa vie” is not my favorite Godard film (which still goes to “Pierrot le fou”), “Vivre sa vie” is still a Godard masterpiece that is worth having in your cinema collection.

Definitely recommended!

Band of Outsiders – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #174 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

June 23, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

I enjoyed the playfulness, the youthfulness and how entertaining the film came to be, as well as it began to transition to include the more darker undertones. “Band of Outsiders” is just an enjoyable film by Jean-Luc Godard and a film worth having in your cinema collection! Definitely recommended!

TITLE: Band of Outsiders – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #174

DURATION: 95 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, Monaural in French with English Subtitles, 1:33:1 Aspect Ratio

COMPANY: Rialto Pictures/The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2003

Based on the novel “Fools’ Gold” by Dolores Hitchens

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard

Music by Michel Legrand

Cinematography by Raoul Coutard

Edited by Francoise Collin, Dahlia Ezove, Agnes Guillemot

Starring:

Anna Karina as Odile

Sami Frey as Franz

Claude Brasseur as Arthur

Daniele Girard as English Teacher

Louisa Colpeyn as Madame Victoria

Chantal Darget as Arthur’s Aunt

Georges Staquet as Le Legionnaire

Ernest Menzer as Arthur’s Uncle

Narration by Jean-Luc Godard

Two restless young men (Sami Frey and Claude Brasseur) enlist the object of their desire (Anna Karina) to help them commit a robbery––in her own home. French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard takes to the streets of Paris to re-imagine the gangster genre, spinning an audacious yarn that’s at once sentimental and insouciant, romantic and melancholy. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the convention-flauting postmodern classic Band of Outsiders.

In 1964, French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard went to work on his latest film “Bande à part” (Band of Outsiders) which was created with a small budget at around $125,000 and unlike his previous film “Contempt” which was in full color, Godard decided to go back to basics by filming in black and white and also to avoid any interjecting of politics in the film and thus many critics have called it Godard’s most accessible film because it s quite different from many of the films he has directed in the 1960′s.

“Band of Outsiders” is a film based on the novel “Fools’ Gold” by American author Dolores Hitchens and a film which Godard describes “Band of Outsiders” as “Alice in Wonderland meets Franz Kafka”. For many critics, they like to call the film a B-Noir in which the film contains noir elements but also other elements of humor and things that you would see from a French New Wave film. When it first came out in theaters in the US, not many people could understand the concept of the film and thus it didn’t do well in the theaters. But now as the film is 46-years-old, publications such as Time Magazine has selected “Band of Outsiders” as part of its “All Time 100 Movies”.

“Band of Outsiders” revolves around two wannabe criminals Arthur (Claude Brasseur) and Franz (Sami Frey). Franz who attends an English class with a young woman named Odile (Anna Karina) is told by her that a large amount of money is stashed in the villa that she lives at with her Aunt and Mr. Stoltz. Because of this, Franz has told his friend Arthur about it and immediately, Arthur sees this as an opportunity to make some money and knows that in order to make this happen, he must first gain the trust of Odile. So, Franz takes Arthur to meet her at the English class and immediately, Arthur does what he can to make Odile know that he’s interested in her.

Franz has been attracted to Odile for quite some time but because he’s so shy, he never really had the opportunity to get close to her. But Arthur has much more experience with women and immediately, uses his bad boy charm to attract Odile’s affections and thus gets her to ditch her English class and for her to join him for the day in order for him to learn from her about how much more money is inside the villa. With Odile, hooked to Arthur’s words, when she goes home she happens to finds so much money that when she tells Arthur and Franz, immediately the two start planning on how they can steal the money.

But Odile tells them to wait a few days but with Arthur having problems with other people demanding some money immediately from him, he is forced to steal the money sooner than Odile is expecting.

VIDEO:

The Criterion Collection features a transfer supervised and approved by cinematographer Raoul Coutard. According to the Criterion Collection, “Band of Outsiders” is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1:33:1. This new high-definition transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm duplicate negative. To further enhance the image, the MTI Digital Restoration System was used to remove thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches.

AUDIO:

According to the Criterion Collection, the soundtrack was mastered from a 35mm optical soundtrack. The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit, audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The “Band of Outsiders” comes with the following special features:

Visual Glossary – (17:58) Featuring selected quotations from “Band of Outsiders” and an explanation of the quotation.
Godard 1964 – (5:17) Featuring Jean-Luc Godard talking about Nouvelle Vague and its Raison D’Etre with filmmaker Andre S. LAbarthe for the documentary “La Nouvelle Vague Par Elle-Meme”.
Anna Karina – (18:26) Featuring an interview with Anna Karina, recorded in 2002. Karina talks about loving films, working with Jean-Luc Godard, Raoul Coutard, running into Claude Brasseur and more.
Raoul Coutard – (11:00) Featuring an interview with Raoul Coutard discussing his work with Jean-Luc Godard, the challenges he had in shooting complicated scenes, the French New Wave and more.
Les Fiances Du Pont Mac Donald – Featuring the short directed by Agnes Varda (used on Agnes’ 1962 film “Cleo From 5 to 7″) starring Jean-Luc Godard, Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Daniele Girard and more.
Trailers – Featuring the original and the re-release trailer for “Band of Outsiders”.

EXTRAS:

“Band of Outsiders” comes with a 16-page booklet which includes the essay “Get Your Madis On” by Joshua Clover, “The Characters According to Godard” from the original press book and “No Questions Asked” featuring an interview between Godard and Godard critic Jean Collet from 1964.

“The Band of Outsiders” is a charming and enjoyable film. Is it my favorite Godard film, I would still have to give the title of “My Godard Favorite” to his 1965 film “Pierrot Le Fou” but I will say that “Band of Outsiders” manages to pull me in with its various scenes and its interesting plot. Needless to say that many Godard fans enjoy the film and even prompted Quentin Tarentino to name his production company “A Band Apart” after the French title “Bande à part”.

The title of the film “Band of Outsiders” is about these three individuals who are outsiders. From the two male characters named after Godard’s favorite authors Arthur Rimbaud and Franz Kafka, Arthur is a player and obviously have some experience breaking the law and schmoozing with women, while Franz is the silent type who you can tell is not so comfortable when his friend actually starts to win Odile’s heart. And as for Odile, an innocent girl with not much experience with being around men and she is very much a different person from these two men. When Arthur asks for a kiss with a tongue, her inexperience shows as she sticks out her tongue. But it’s how these three individuals react to each other, you wonder how in the heck can these three people get mixed up together?

But perhaps that was the winning combination that made this film work as the three characters manage to keep you’re eyes glued to the screen. Not knowing what are going to happen to them but knowing that with director Jean-Luc Godard, anything can happen and for the most part, if you submit your 95 minutes to Godard, you’re definitely in for a wild ride. The ending might be a bit bumpy but the actual ride is where you feel satisfaction as you will encounter quite a few surprises, twists and turns and that is how I feel about “Band of Outsiders”.

From Odile (Karina) looking directly to the camera when asking a question, to the moment of silence which almost seems like an eternity but at the same time, you can’t help but be amused by it. From the playfulness of Arthur and Franz play shooting each other and my two favorite scenes, when the three individuals take part in the “Madison dance” and the Louvre scene in which the three try to break the American Jimmy Johnson’s record of how fast they can see all the art inside the Louvre. How fun is that? So, I was quite amused to see that scene but really enjoyed the various scenes that just stick to your memory (a lot of Godard films tend to do that for me).

As for this DVD, “Band of Outsiders” is such an enjoyable film and having watched this film via the “Rialto Pictures – 10th Anniversary Box Set” previously, I felt that the best way to go for me was to purchase the Criterion Collection version for the special features.

Overall, I enjoyed the playfulness, the youthfulness and how entertaining the film came to be, as well as it began to transition to include more darker undertones. But the film is quite entertaining and I had a fun time watching it. Although there are other films I Godard/Anna Karina films I recommend watching before “Band of Outsiders”, the film is still worth having on your checklist of must-see Godard films.

Definitely recommended!

La Ronde (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

May 13, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

A sexually charged film from director Roger Vadim featuring an all-star cast but as the film has its share of enjoyable, fun and racy moments, it also has its share of boorish moments as well. But fortunately talents such as Anna Karina, Jane Fonda and Jean-Claude Brialy help make this film much more enjoyable.

TITLE: La Ronde

DURATION: 110 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Letterboxed (2:35:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 TV’s, Color, French with optional English subtitles

COMPANY: Kino Video

Released Dated: 2005

Directed by Roger Vadim

Written by Arthur Schnitzler (play) and adaptation by Jean Anouilh

Produced by Raymond Hakim and Robert Hakim

Music by Michel Magne

Cinematography by Henri Decae

Edited by Victoria Mercanton

Production Design by Francis de Lamothe

Costume Design by Marc Doelnitz

Starring:

Jean-Claude Brialy as Alfred

Francine Berge as Maximilienne de Poussy

Marie Dubois as La Fille

Jane Fonda as Sophie

Claude Giraud as Georges

Anna Karina as Rose

Bernard Noel as L’Auteur

Maurice Ronet as Henri

Jean Sorel as Le Comte

Catherine Spaak as La midinette

Denise Benoit as Yvette Guilbert

Adapted by Tony winning playwright Jean Anouilh (Becket), Roger Vadim’s La Ronde deftly transplants Arthur Schnitzler’s famous amorous cycle from 19th Century Vienna to a lavishly re-created widescreen Art Nouveau Paris. Vadim’s cast includes Jean Luc Godard muse Anna Karina and The Phantom of Liberty’s Jean Claude Brialy. But for the central role of Sophie, the man who shepherded Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve to the screen (and the altar) set his sites on an American starlet — 27 year old Jane Fonda. Leery of Vadim’s Svengali reputation, but impressed with Anouilh’s literate script, Fonda agreed to appear in La Ronde. Before shooting even began, director and star became lovers and when the romantic film went before the cameras, life and art intermingled freely. “I discovered,” Fonda later recalled of the shoot, “tremendous sexual excitement in having (Vadim) place me in positions he wanted.”

Fonda and Vadim’s auspicious pre-Barbarella collaboration yielded a charming, smart and decorous sex farce. From a delightful credit sequence by Bond film title artist Maurice Binder to the bed-hopping close of the romantic roundelay, La Ronde is as sweet as it is erotic. But re-titled (as Circle of Love), dubbed into English, and advertised with a Times Square billboard of Fonda reclining in the nude, American critics of the time failed to judge La Ronde on its own merits. Now, newly subtitled and returned to its original “insouciant, elegant, witty” (Variety) widescreen glory, Kino presents Roger Vadim’s La Ronde for the first time on in the US on DVD.

Often when it comes to remakes, one tends to compare the original even if the remake is much different. For example, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005) is much different from the 1971 version of “Wilie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” as is “Alice and Wonderland” (2010) compared to the Disney 1951 animated film and the original Lewis Carrol novel.

So, the question is how to approach a remake of “La Ronde”, a 1964 film that is a similar but much different from the Max Ophüls 1950 film. Afterall, many film critics at the time recognized the directorial talents of Ophüls and although not everything he touched was gold, films such as “Lola Montes” (1955), “Madame de…” (1953), “Le Plaisir” (1952) and “La Ronde” (1950) received favorable review of the critics.

Meanwhile, director Roger Vadim was beginning to become known more for his sexual conquests than his work as a French journalist, author, screenwriter and actor. Married to Brigitte Bardot, relationship and had a child with Catherine Deneuve and in 1964, cast the beautiful Jane Fonda who would then quickly become his lover and eventually his wife (and the two would go on to work on their most popular film together “Barbarella”).

I enjoyed the original Max Ophüls film but since I’m not a reviewer of the era nor am I the type to say that I enjoyed every Ophüls film, it’s easier for me to step back and look at this film subjectively for what it is and not compare it to the original.

If anything, my interest in the film is seeing Jane Fonda in another French film, to see Anna Karina in a different role much different from her roles directed by then-husband Jean-Luc Godard and to see how all the talent in this film such as Jean-Claude Brialy, Catherine Spaak, Francine Berge, Maurice Ronet, Claude Giraud, Marie Dubois, Bernard Noel, Kean Sorel and Francoise Dorleac would eventually fit into this sexually inspired film.

The film which was known as “Circle of Love” when released in the US was not really appreciated by the critics but in 1966 the film did receive a Golden Globe nomination for “Best Foreign Film”.

“La Ronde” is a film about sexual exploits and adultery told in short story (or episodic) format. The film would start off with an individual literally hooking up with a partner, the next story would then feature the partner as we see their sexual exploits with another, and then the episode features on the person they were with and eventually the film would come full circle as one of the characters hooks up with the first main character of the film.

“La Ronde” takes place in France during it’s early teens and begins with a prostitute, La fille (played by Marie Dubois). The woman is waiting for a soldier who she knows his name as Georges. She then runs into another guy named Georges (played by Claude Giraud), a French soldier but also a playboy. Upon meeting, it doesn’t take too long for the two to go find an abandoned place to have sex.

Of course, Georges wants no emotional connection and leaves La fille because he knows he must get back to his base. The second story begins with Georges going to a dance and using his playboy ways to flirt with one of the women there. But when the woman’s friend Rose (played by Anna Karina) shows up, immediately George sets his conquest on the innocent Rose.

And once again, it doesn’t take long for Georges to get what he wants as he immediately has sex with Rose. As Rose is hoping to have this emotional connection with Georges, after having sexing with her, he shows no interest and immediately leaves Rose to go and try to get closer to her friend.

This begins a new storyline focusing on Rose as she is a maid for a professor. She has her eyes set on her boss’s son Alfred (played by Jean-Claude Brialy) who is sexually attracted to her. As Rose wants a man to have an emotional connection with, Alfred seems like a good man but once Alfred manages to have sex with her, similar to Georges, he wants no relationship and tells her that it is best if the two kept their sexual encounter a secret.

This then opens a new storyline for Alfred who is having an affair with a married woman named Sophie (played by Jane Fonda). Sophie has come to his home to tell him that she wants to end her relationship because she is married and she has a child. But Alfred is quick to use his skills with women and eventually gets Sophie in bed and both have sex.

This begins a new storyline focusing on Sophie who is married to Henri (played by Maurice Ronet). We get to see how Henri is so conservative and treats Sophie like a housewife and shows no sexual passion towards her because he respects her as a woman/wife. Sophie tries to get him to talk about his naughty past experiences with women. And this opens up a new storyline featuring Henri which shows him anything but conservative but having sexual relations with a young woman named La Midinette (played by Catherine Spaak).

The film continues to show us more characters as they engage in sexual activity with other partners and then coming full circle as the final character encounters the first character introduced in the film.

VIDEO:

“La Ronde” is featured in letterboxed (2:35:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 TV’s. For the most part, the film looks good for a 46-year-old film. By saying that, it is important to note that the film is not perfect. You see dust, scratches and negative damage a few times throughout the film. By no means does it hamper your viewing experience nor is it seen many times throughout the film. But the film does have its share of some dirt, speckles and negative warping.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“La Ronde” is presented in French with optional English subtitles. Dialogue is understandable and didn’t know any significant pops, clicks or any audio problems.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“La Ronde” comes with the following special features:

“And Vadim Created the Woman” – (7:42) An interview with director Roger Vadim and actress Jane Fonda from 1966.
Roger Vadim Filmography – Just a basic screen with a list of selected Roger Vadim films.
Stills Gallery – Using your remote, viewers can cycle through still photos from “La Ronde”.

“La Ronde” is a film that aims at beauty and mischief. For one thing, the sexual theme of each of the stories presented in the film is similar to other films such “Paris J’etaime” and “Heroes in Love” where each story is going to be subjective to the viewer.

For one, I enjoyed the the first five segments. For any Jean-Luc Godard fan, to see Anna Karina in a more sexual role than other films I have seen of her from the ’60s, so that was quite intriguing as well as seeing Jean-Claude Brialy’s character romancing Karina’s Rose, a different situation several years earlier when the two were in the 1961 film “Une femme est une femme” (A Woman is a Woman).

Then to see Jane Fonda in this role as a sex kitten pre-Barbarella was quite interesting. And just to think that before she accepted the role for Sophie, she was leery in taking the role because of director Roger Vadim’s reputation but went ahead and did it because of Anouilh’s script. But once they started shooting the film, Vadim almost like a character of “La Ronde” was able to capture the attention of Fonda and the two became lovers and eventually husband and wife. And to add to the believability of Fonda’s character as Sophie, the actress said, “I discovered tremendous sexual excitement in having (Vadim) place me in positions he wanted.”

But “La Ronde” has its moments of humor and sexual intrigue along with beautiful cinematography but there are times when the dialogue tend to get overpowering and so dry that the attention and the enjoyability of the film that was built up at the beginning started to wane as the humor started to shift to more dialogue. In fact, towards the end, the film seemed to become a bit verbose and I admit look at the clock in wondering if the film was going to end soon.

Where the original film earned its reputation for its racy depiction of sexual immorality during a conservative time especially in early 1950′s America when pureness and the nuclear family was being promoted. Ophul’s “La Ronde” definitely was a sexually, provocative film that those who wanted to see something daring eventually got it with that film. By 1964, America was a much different country and as much as Vadim’s film fit within the context of sexual freedom, I felt that the more engaging and daring characters were used during the first half of the film and by the second half, the film wasn’t as fun.

For those who are wondering if there is any nudity in the film, there is no nudity and there is no passionate love making on the bed. If anything, the characters are behind a bush or closed doors but the viewers know what has taken place. Vadim and cinematographer Henri Decaë start using techniques during the lovemaking such as focusing on statuses or areas around the room in an artistic (some may find it dizzying) kind of way.

If anything, the film is about the perceptions of sex between the men and the women. The women who want more from the relationship outside of sex and the men who only want sex and who sound like they are there emotionally for the women until the sex is done and then they bolt.

So, in many ways, it’s not really a happy film. In fact, the women who seem to love the sex seem quite unhappy as what they desire seems more like an unattainable dream for them.

Overall, “La Ronde” has its good moments and also its fair share of boorish moments but if you have an interest towards the director Roger Vadim’s works especially an interest in any of the talents featured in the film, you may find yourself enjoying it a bit more. Otherwise, the film manages to be mostly average at best.

Filed Under: DVD Reviews, KINO VIDEO/INTL./LORBER

Made in U.S.A. – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #481 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

March 3, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Definitely not the first film that one should watch if they want to watch and experience a Jean-Luc Godard film. But for those who have watched several of his ’60s films, especially starring Anna Karina, “Made in U.S.A.” is an appropriate goodbye to Jean-Luc Godard’s narrative filmmaking style of the ’60s and a goodbye to Anna. A solid Criterion Collection release!

TITLE: Made in U.S.A. – The Criterion Collection #481

DURATION: 85 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, Monaural in French with English Subtitles, 2:35:1 Aspect Ratio

COMPANY: Rialto Pictures/The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2009

Loosely based on the novel “The Jugger” by Richard Stark

Written and Directed by Jean-Luc Godard

Produced by Georges de Beauregard

Cinematography by Raoul Coutard

Edited by Francoise Collin, Agnes Guillemot

Production Management: Rene Demoulin

Starring:

Anna Karina as Paula Nelson

Laszlo Szabo as Richard Widmark

Jean-Pierre Leaud as Donald Siegel

Ernest Menzer as Edgar Typhus

Kyoko Kosaka as Doris Mizoguchi

Marianne Faithfull as Marianne Faithfull

Yves Alfonso as David Goodis

Jean-Luc Godard as the voice of Richard Politzer

Jeane-Pierre Biesse as Richard Nixon

With its giddily complex noir plot and color-drenched widescreen images, Made in U.S.A was a final burst of exuberance from Jean-Luc Godard’s early sixties barrage of delirious movie-movies. Yet this chaotic crime thriller and acidly funny critique of consumerism—starring Anna Karina as the most brightly dressed private investigator in film history, searching for a former lover who might have been assassinated—also points toward the more political cinema that would come to define Godard. Featuring characters with names such as Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara, David Goodis, and Doris Mizoguchi, and appearances by a slapstick Jean-Pierre Léaud and a sweetly singing Marianne Faithfull, this piece of pop art is like a Looney Tunes rendition of The Big Sleep gone New Wave.

“We were in a political movie…Walt Disney with blood.”

In 1966, Jean-Luc Godard was asked by producer Georges de Beureagard if he can create a film quickly. The answer was yes and that the can film two at the same time: “Made in U.S.A.” starring Anna Karina and Laszlo Szabo and “2 or 3 Things I Know About Her” starring Marina Vlady. It’s important to note that “Made in U.S.A.” is the final full-length film he created with his ex-wife and muse Anna Karina and the first film of singer Marianne Faithfull (a popular singer in the ’60s and also the steady girlfriend of Rolling Stones vocalist Mick Jagger at the time). While “2 or 3 Things I Know About Her” stars the woman that rejected him for marriage. So, needless to say, these two films are rather significant.

“Made in U.S.A.” is the final goodbye between Karina and Godard and “2 or 3 Things I Know About Her” is a film that shows him angered by the rejection. And also two films that mark the end of the cycle of Jean-Luc Godard who has become more of a political person and wanted to use his films to deal with internal conflict that he felt about cinema and politics.

“Made in U.S.A.” is a loose adaptation of the the book “The Juggler” by Richard Stark. The film stars Anna Karina as Paula Nelson, a Bogart-like detective who travels to Atlantic City to visit her boyfriend Richard Politzer. When she arrives, she realizes he is dead. While she investigates Politzer’s death, she runs into a few people who live and then later die. Meanwhile, she is being followed by a group of gangsters which include Laszlo Szabo as Richard Widmark and Jean-Pierre Leaud as Donald Siegel.

While the film is a noir film about Paula looking for her lover’s killers. The film has many film, literary and pop culture references but also politics and storyline that features an adaptation of the real-life murder Moroccan politician Mehdi Ben Barka and Frenchman Georges Figon (known for arranging the meeting with Barka and others before his kidnapping and torture).

Figon who left audio reels to his girlfriend/actress Anna-Marie Coffinet was a friend of Godard and thus Godard used Politzer to be a Georges Figon but Godard using the character and supplying the voice for his political message that is shown throughout the film. Within this tangled web of politics, Paula gets caught up in it and the question is of all people tangled in the web, who will be the last person standing?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Made in U.S.A.” is known for it’s vibrant colors. As a detective, Anna Karina’s character is known for wearing vibrant colored dresses and the film definitely does a great job showcasing those colors, especially closeups of Anna Karina’s blue eyes. This remastered version of the film looks absolutely beautiful and I can only imagine how this would look on Blu-ray (if it ever receives a BD release). It’s vibrant and colorful film!

“Made in U.S.A.” is presented in its original aspect ration of 2:35:1 and the HD digital transfer was created on a 2K Spirit Datacine from the original 35mm camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were removed manually using MTI’s DRS system and Pixel Farm’s PFClean System while Digital Vision’s DVNR was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, “Made in U.S.A.” is featured in monaural French with English subtitles. “Made in U.S.A.” was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical print. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated audio workstation. The film is primarily center channel driven but I chose to have my receiver play the audio with stereo on all channels.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Made in U.S.A. – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #481″ comes with the following special features:

On the Cusp – (26:28) Jean-Luc Godard biographers Colin MacCabe and Richard Brody dissect the personal the political in “Made in U.S.A.” and “2 or 3 Things I Know About Her”.
Anna Karina – (10:08) A 2002 interview with Anna Karina looking back at her life and working with director Jean-Luc Godard.
Laszlo Szabo – (5:46) A 2009 interview with Laszlo Szabo who appeared in several of Jean-Luc Godard’s films and talks about making “Made in U.S.A.”.
Made in U.S.A.: A Concordance – (17:26) A video essay tracing the source of many of the references that make up the script of “Made in U.S.A.”.
Trailers – Featuring the original release trailer and the Rialto Pictures re-release trailer.
16-Page Booklet – Featuring “The Long Goodbye” essay by J. Hoberman.

“Made in U.S.A.” is definitely not a film for those not familiar with Jean-Luc Godard’s work. Although there is a main story about the character of Paula investigating her lover’s murder, the film is not only heavy with references but there are a good number of political dialogue which was more or less Godard’s platform for him to get out on what was on his mind.

Although many Jean-Luc Godard films show signs of politics being used in the storyline, “Made in U.S.A.” tries to balance the film utilizing Anna Karina as this sexy, stylish detective but then using the film as a platform for politics but most importantly, for Godard to use two characters that define how he was back then as a filmmaker and then having Anna Karina taking care of the men in order to show that Jean-Luc Godard as we knew him in the past in his Anna Karina films is now no more.

“Made in U.S.A.” is the final swan song between both Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina. Despite being divorced at this time, she would no longer be his muse and the director would no longer be the director that many people have respected him and loved him for. His next films “La Chinoise” and “Week End” would truly mark the end of Godard’s narrative and cinematic period of his filmmaking career and from then on, Godard would be a different director focusing on revolutions and his interest in Maoist ideology and would only return to mainstream films in 1980.

This is not a film for those who are not familiar with Godard’s work or Anna Karina. I’ve met many who have watched this film solely for the purpose of the beautiful shots of Anna Karina and didn’t like the film at all. For me, my appreciation was because it was a fitting goodbye to his ex-wife. After watching this collaboration between Karina and Godard, you knew it had to end someway and “Made in U.S.A.” was the way to do it.

As incoherent this film may be to many people, I enjoyed the film in fragments. As a “noir” film, it’s not my favorite. As a Godard film, I was impressed. The cinematography by Raoul Coutard was absolutely beautiful, the awkward randomness of certain scenes was an interesting way to see a perspective of Godard as a filmmaker and as a person who faced conflict and needed an outlet to let his emotions out. Both “Made in U.S.A.” and “2 or 3 Things I Know About Her” are two different types of films made at the same time but are enjoyable in their own way.

Do I recommend “Made in U.S.A.”, yes…that is only if you have seen a good number of Jean-Luc Godard films. This by no means is a film you should start out with if you want to learn about Godard’s filmmaking style. Overall, a fantastic Criterion release and a film that I definitely enjoyed!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews, THE CRITERION COLLECTION

Band of Outsiders (part of the “10 Years of Rialto Pictures” DVD Box Set) (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

January 11, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

I enjoyed the playfulness, the youthfulness and how entertaining the film came to be, as well as it began to transition to include the more darker undertones. “Band of Outsiders” is just an enjoyable film by Jean-Luc Godard and a worthy addition to the “10 Years of Rialto Pictures” DVD boxset.

TITLE: Band of Outsiders (Part of the “10 Years of Rialto Pictures”)

DURATION: 95 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, Monaural in French with English Subtitles, 1:33:1 Aspect Ratio

COMPANY: Rialto Pictures/The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2008

Based on the novel “Fools’ Gold” by Dolores Hitchens

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard

Music by Michel Legrand

Cinematography by Raoul Coutard

Edited by Francoise Collin, Dahlia Ezove, Agnes Guillemot

Starring:

Anna Karina as Odile

Sami Frey as Franz

Claude Brasseur as Arthur

Daniele Girard as English Teacher

Louisa Colpeyn as Madame Victoria

Chantal Darget as Arthur’s Aunt

Georges Staquet as Le Legionnaire

Ernest Menzer as Arthur’s Uncle

Narration by Jean-Luc Godard

With the 2003 DVD release from The Criterion Collection for “Band of Outsiders”, Rialto Pictures has included the film in their box set “10 Years of Rialto Pictures” out from Rialto and The Criterion Collection. It is important to note that these versions of the film are unlike The Criterion Collection DVD’s in the fact that they do not contain any of the special features but a trailer and Rialto’s theatrical press book.

But Odile tells them to wait a few days but with Arthur having problems with other people demanding some money immediately from him, he is forced to steal the money sooner than Odile is expecting.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

The good thing about “Band of Outsiders” is that The Criterion Collection has done a newer digital transfer of the film back in 2003. In fact, this high definition digital transfer was supervised by cinematographer Raoul Coutard.

Audio is presented in monaural French with English subtitles. Dialogue is clear and understandable and I am assuming that the audio is the same as the Criterion Collection DVD release and if so, that would mean that the film would have received a new digital mastering as well and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The “Band of Outsiders” version that comes with “10 Years of Rialto Pictures” does not have the special features included in “The Criterion Collection # 174″ version. The Rialto Pictures version does come with notes from Rialto’s theatrical press book and Rialto’s theatrical trailer.

As for this DVD, “Band of Outsiders” is included in the “10 Years of Rialto Pictures”. I will say that I will more than likely revisit this review soon as I am now more inclined to purchase the Criterion Collection version (as it includes many special features). As for this DVD, it’s a worthy addition to the collection but I do wonder about the picture used in the DVD main menu and the booklet. They are definitely not photos from “Band of Outsiders”.

I will revisit this review when I get the Criterion Collection DVD version in the near future but I can tell your right now, by the film alone, this is one Godard film worth having in your auteur collection!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews, THE CRITERION COLLECTION

The Bakery Girl of Monceau – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #343 (part of “Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales”) (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

January 10, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Rohmer’s first film in his “Six Moral Tales”. A short film that featured man’s conscience when pursuing love. Although the film is short, the DVD makes it up with a rare, long and more recent interview with director Eric Rohmer and producer Barbet Schroeder plus the addition of a short film featuring a collaboration with Rohmer and Jean-Luc Godard.

TITLE: The Bakery Girl of Monceau – The Criterion Collection #343 (part of Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales box set)

DURATION: 23 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, Monaural in French with Optional English Subtitles, 1:33:1 Aspect Ratio

COMPANY: The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2006

Written and Directed by Eric Rohmer

Produced by G. Derocles, Barbet Schroeder

Cinematography by Bruno Barbey, Jean-Michel Meurice

Edited by Jackie Raynal, Eric Rohmer

Starring:

Barbet Schroeder as the Young Man

Claudine Soubrier as Jacqueline

Michele Girardon as Sylvie

Bertrand Tavernier as Le Narrateur

Simple, delicate, and jazzy, the first of the “Moral Tales” shows the stirrings of what would become the Eric Rohmer style: unfussy naturalistic shooting, ironic first-person voice-over, and the image of the “unknowable” woman. A law student (played by producer and future director Barbet Schroeder) with a roving eye and a large appetite stuffs himself full of sugar cookies and pastries daily in order to garner the attentions of the pretty brunette who works in a quaint Paris bakery. But is he truly interested, or is she just a sweet diversion?

In 1962, filmmaker Eric Rohmer, a key figure in the post-war New Wave cinema in France and former editor of Cahiers du cinema began working on his seventh film, “The Bakery Girl of Monceau” (La boulangère de Monceau), a short film which would be the starting point for six films known as “Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales”.

The film has been released by The Criterion Collection as part of the DVD box set “Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales” that would deal with relationships but morality as the characters are shown in remarkable depth as they reflect on themselves, their feelings about religion to other things in life that many people deal with or think about but are not typically featured in films. The characters are at the forefront of Rohmer’s films and for the most part, the people he tends to feature are intelligent, articulate and literary young people, a different perspective of French cinema compared to other director’s covering youth in their films.

“The Bakery Girl of Monceau” is not a straightforward tale about a young man (played by Barbet Schroeder) who goes to college with his friend Schmidt and every time they are walking home, they keep passing by this beautiful young woman named Sylvie (played by Michele Girardon), who is always on her way to work at an art gallery in rue de Monceau. Each time they are within arms length from each other, the young man and Sylvie tend to exchange short glances and the young man is absolutely smitten by her.

Schmidt tries to tell him to just talk to her but the young man is quite shy. But Schmidt finds a way in order for his friend to meet Sylvie by accident when the two bump in to each other.

But after that point of meeting each other and with college ending, the young man who hoped to see Sylvie again doesn’t see her anymore. With Schmidt having left the area, the young man would looked everywhere in Monceau for Sylvie and days.

While looking for Sylvie, the young man would frequent a little bakery in the corner of rue Lebeouteux to grab some snacks to eat. The bakery is where he met the young bakery girl Jacqueline (Claudine Soubrier). The moral dilemma for the young man is if should he continue to look for Sylvie who he fell in love with in first sight or go for Jacqueline, the bakery girl he tends to see each day?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“The Bakery Girl of Monceau” is presented in 1:33:1 black and white. Eric Rohmer is very big on 1:33:1 aspect ratio for his films. The picture quality for this 1962 film is OK considering the film is nearly 50-years-old. There are some scratches and dust that can be seen and there is a fine layer of grain that can be seen on the film. According to Criterion, Director Eric Rohmer supervised and approved the high-definition digital transfer, which was created on a Spirit Datacine 35mm fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System.

As for audio, the film is in mono, center channel driven. Criterion mentions that the soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from an optical soundtrack and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle. I preferred to listen to the film with my receiver set on stereo on all channels but dialogue is clear and understandable.

Subtitles are in English and subtitles are nice and clear with a black stroke around the character type.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Bakery Girl of Monceau” contains the following special features:

Presentation or Charlotte and Her Steak (1951) – (19:54) Sometime in the 1950′s, Eric Rohmer as writer and Jean-Luc Godard as director worked on a project called “Charlotte et Veronique”. The short film known as “All the Boys are Called Patrick” was featured in the Criterion Collection of Godard’s “Une femme est une femme”. For “Charlotte and Her Steak” (Présentation ou Charlotte et son steak), this short film revolves around a guy named Walter (Godard) who likes a young woman named Charlotte and introduces her to another woman named Clara. He goes to her home with her to talk with her while she cooks and eats a steak and he decides to let her know how he truly feels. Voices are done by Jean-Luc Godard, Stephane Audrana and Anna Karina.
Moral Tales, Filmic issues – (1:24:03) In a rare interview, producer Barbet Schroeder (who plays the young man in “The Bakery Girl of Monceau”) interviews Eric Rohmer in April 2006. This is a very interesting and informative interview because Rohmer rarely appears in interviews and this one is quite long. The two talk about cinema, Rohmer’s “Six Moral Tales”, filming in black and white and then in color, use or lack of use of music, filming in 1:33:1, watching films on DVD and the future of filmmaking.

“The Bakery Girl of Monceau” is an innocent short film. It’s not as deep as Rohmer’s other films and its pretty much a short film at 23 minutes but it’s the moral story that is quite impressive. A young man who loves a woman, but yet never sees her and ends up being attracted to the bakery girl knowing that he doesn’t love her in the same manner as he does with the other. But it’s the “moral tales” of a man and his conscience deciding if what he is doing is right or wrong and in this case, where other Hollywood films at the time always focused on temptation, Rohmer’s films don’t.

As entertaining as this film is in part of the collection, the real meat and bones of this certain DVD is the interview between Barbet Schroeder and Eric Rohmer. The fact is Rohmer rarely does interviews and this is the first in-depth interview I have seen with him ever. Especially an interview that is nearly an hour and a half long. For anyone who loves Rohmer’s work, this is one of those interviews that you’re just glad that you watched it. This is probably one of the best featurettes we’ll ever see of this legendary filmmaker.

Also, it’s great to see another “Charlotte” short film collaboration between Rohmer and Godard included on this DVD.

Overall, “Eric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales” is in my opinion one of the best DVD box sets in the collection. This first film, is an earlier work and it is his shortest film of his “Six Moral Tales” but it’s still a very solid film that showcases man’s conscience and questioning the morality of their actions of what they could get themselves into if they pursue that direction. Although a short film,”The Bakery Girl of Monceau” is an entertaining film and the DVD definitely is worth watching especially for the interview portion and I’m pretty glad that its included in this box set.

Filed Under: DVD Reviews, THE CRITERION COLLECTION

Cléo from 5 to 7 – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #73 (part of the “4 By Agnès Varda” Box Set) (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

December 25, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

A wonderful film that is simply a pure Varda masterpiece! Agnès Varda’s “Cléo from 5 to 7″ captures morality, despair and enlightenment in addition to capturing the beauty of Paris in real-time. There is so many layers within the main character but also the actual film itself. Well-acted, well-written and breathtaking cinematography, this film is worth watching and the box set “4 by Agnès Varda” is definitely worth owning! Highly recommended!

TITLE: Cléo from 5 to 7 – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #73 (part of the “4 By Agnès Varda” Box Set)

DURATION: 89 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White/Color, 1:66:1 Aspect Ratio, Monaural in French with Optional English Subtitles

COMPANY: Janus Films/The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2007

Written and Directed by Agnès Varda

Producer: Georges de Beauregard, Carlo Ponti

Original Music by Michel Legrand

Cinematography by Paul Bonis, Alain Levent, Jean Rabier

Edited by Pascale Laverriere, Janine Verneau

Production Design by Jean-Francois Adam, Bernard Evein, Edith Tertza

Art Direction by Bernard Evein

Costume Design by Alyette Samazeuilh

Starring:

Corinne Marchand as Florence “Cleo” Victoire

Antoine Bourseiller as Antoine

Dominique Davray as Angele

Dorothee Blank as Dorothee

Michel Legrand as Bob, the Pianist

Jose Luis de Villalonga as the Lover

Loyen Payen as Irma, la cartomancienne

Serge Korber as Plumitif

Jean-Claude Brialy as L’infirmier

Raymond Cauchetier as Raoul, le projectionniste

Jean Champion as Le Patron du Cafe

Eddie Constantine as L’arroseur

Georges de Beauregard as Le conducteur du corbillard et de l’ambulance

Daniele Delorme as La vendeuse de fleurs

Fernande Engler as La fille au cafe

Sami Frey as Le Croque-mort

Jean-Luc Godard as L’homme aux lunettes noires

Anna Karina as anna, la jeune fille blonde

Yves Robert as Le venduer de mouchoirs

Alan Scott as Le marin

Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer (Corinne Marchand) set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina.

Agnès Varda, a director known for her role in the Rive Gauche (Left Bank Cinema) movement (filmmakers associated with the French New Wave but the directors had different political perspectives – for a more detailed understanding, please click here), began working on her seventh indie film in 1961 titled “Cleo from 5 to 7″ (aka “Cléo de 5 à 7″).

A film which Varda has said is a “portrait of a woman onto a documentary about Paris but it is also a documentary about a woman and a sketch of Paris”. Personally, I call it a significant Varda masterpiece.

The film was released in 1962 and was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won the “Critics Award” in 1963 from the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. Having received a LD and DVD release from “The Criterion Collection”, the film is now bundled with Agnes Varda’s DVD box set “4 by Agnes Varda” which includes three other films: Varda’s first film “La Pointe-Courte” (1954), “Le bonheur” (1965, “Happiness”) and “Sans toit ni loi” (1985, “Vagabond”).

“Cléo from 5 to 7″ revolves around a pop singer named Florence”Cléo” Victoire (played by Corinne Marchand) and her life on June 22nd from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Cléo is awaiting her biopsy results from her doctor at the end of the day and is worried that she may have cancer and at the beginning of the film, when she goes to visit a fortune teller, the fortune teller sees death in the tarot cards dealt to Cléo. Of course, for Cléo, this is all that she needs to know and is resigned that her young life is now over and that she is going to die. Throughout the film, we see how Cléo deals with her death and how she deals with the thought of mortality as the two hours of her life (between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m – actually technically its between 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m..), she feels nothing but solitude and despair. That is until she meets Antoine (played by Antoine Bourseiller), a character that I best not talk about in full detail since he plays a pivotal role in the film and can easily spoil the story.

We see Cléo now going through the shock from her visit to the fortune teller of trying to accept the bad news but it proves to be hard. Her assistant Angele (played by Dominique Davray) tries to help her deal with the situation and try to give her confidence but most importantly, to let her know that she shouldn’t talk about it with other people and to keep it to herself. So, we see how Cléo behaves around people close to her, who don’t understand why she is a bit emotional. From her older boyfriend, her pianist and lyricist. She doesn’t want to die but yet everyone around her lives their lives as if nothing is wrong and she starts to see her life differently.

Cléo leaves her apartment and thus the adventure begins as she walks through Paris and seeing life for herself, the people around her and visiting her good friend Dorothee (played by Dorothee Blank) who is a woman who freely takes her clothes off for art students for money and lives life the way she wants to with no inhibitions. But it’s that time alone that she needs until she needs to meet with her doctor and get the results of her biopsy.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Cléo from 5 to 7″ is presented in black and white (1:66:1 aspect ratio). The film looks absolutely beautiful with blacks that are nice and deeps, whites and grays look remarkable and The Criterion Collection really doing a great job in eliminating a lot of the dust and scratches from this older film.

The new digital transfer was supervised and approved by director Agnes Varda and according to Criterion, the digital transfer was created from a 35mm interpositive made from the original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using their MTI Digital Restoration System.

As for the audio, the film is presented in monaural. According to Criterion, the soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the optical soundtrack, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal is directed to the center channel and for this film, I preferred to set my home theater receiver to stereo on all channels to have a more immersive soundtrack. Audio is in French with optional English subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Cléo from 5 to 7″ comes with the following special features:

Remembrances - (35:59) A wonderful documentary from 2005 featuring Agnès Varda and reuniting cast and crew from “Cléo from 5 to 7″ over 40 years later and revisiting the areas of where the film was shot, also images from the making of the film and more. From why the first few minutes features color and black and white images, to the casting of the characters and interviews with the cast 40-years-later and what they remember about filming certain scenes and working with Varda.
Hans Baldung Grien - German painter Hans Baldung Grien was an influence to Agnès Varda that his postcards and paintings were featured in the film. Using your remote, the viewers can cycle through various artworks.
Madonna and Agnes – (2:24) A short clip taken from the 1993 French television special “Madonna, c’est Madonna” hosted by Christophe Deschavannes. Agnès Varda and Madonna discussing Madonna wanting to remake “Cléo from 5 to 7″.
Cléo‘s Real Path Through Paris – (9:17) A short film from 2005 by Pierre-William Glenn as he straps a camera on him while riding a motorcycle and retracing the steps Cleo took through Paris from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Les Fiances Du Pont MacDonald – (4:54) The short silent film featured in “Cléo from 5 to 7″ starring Jean-Luc Godard, Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Eddie Constantine and many more. Also, including another video (2:57) featuring director Agnès Varda discussing the making of the short silent film and why she included it on “Cléo from 5 to 7″.
L’Opera Mouffe – (16:05) A short film by Agnès Varda from 1958. Filmed indoor and outdoor from the rue Mouffetard and featuring composer Georges Delerue, inspired by Kurt Weill’s music from “The Threepenny Opera”. Visually creative!
Trailer – (2:04) The original theatrical trailer of “Cléo from 5 to 7″.

Fantastic! That is my feeling of “Cléo from 5 to 7″ after watching it. Agnès Varda does a remarkable job of writing and directing a film that chronicles a woman’s life and to see her go through these wide range of emotions and the feeling of existentialism and looking at her life around the people around her.

In the beginning, we see how Cléo truly is. A popstar who shows how vain of a woman she can be. When she looks at the mirror and tells herself that “As long as I’m beautiful, I’m even more alive than the others”, one can immediately look at Cléo and see the lifestyle she has lived. Frivolous and possibly a lifestyle of a queen, buying whatever she wants and reacting to when she hears her music and letting people know that is her on the radio. But it’s when we see those layers of Cléo stripped down. She is now in despair and has left that life that she has lived temporarily to be alone and to get the biopsy results. Giving her a chance to see life differently when faced with her own mortality.

The film has style, it has grace, we see Cléo going through many areas of Paris, driving through Paris as we are like a passenger as we watch the scenery from the front window and of course, the film is also known for its inclusion of the short silent film “Les fiances du pont Macdonald” which feature a newly married Jean-Luc Godard, actress Anna Karina, Georges de Beauregard, Jean-Claude Brialy, Daniele Delorme, Alan Scott, Eddie Constantine and many other popular celebrities and directors from the French New Wave.

The editing is creative and artistic, in fact the inclusion of art in the film is a beautiful touch to a film that has so many enjoyable things going for it. But most importantly is how Varda was keen on detail. Wherever there is a clock (may it be in various restaurants, cafe’s to clocks out in the middle of the stress of Paris, we see the time). Varda and crew were determined to capture the clock at the time Cléo is near it and that the time coincides with what is happening with the film.

Speaking of Paris, what I loved about the film is how we see Cléo in various areas around Paris, the artwork of Hans Baldung Grien (which prior to the film, I always found his artwork hauntingly creepy) and to make a comparison of what I enjoyed about Eric Rohmer’s “My Night at Maud” from 1969 about using the camera and driving through Paris and the viewer is like the passenger, Varda uses this technique many years prior to the film and I just love seeing that incorporated if the scenery is worth capturing and in this case, cinematography in this instance and also of Cléo walking around Paris was well-done!

“Cléo from 5 to 7″ captures Paris in the early 1960′s. A lot of the locations we see in the film are no longer and personally, I don’t know if a film can be shot today with as much access or detail or in such a way as Agnès Varda was able to capture Corinne Marchand walking around in public with not much worry about rabid fans trying to get into the film. You see eyes looking straight at the camera (in fact, these people are probably wondering why they were being filmed) but it captures the time of people in Paris so innocently, and its a shame that some of the locations shot are no longer around. The cinematography is breathtaking and again, the editing is well-done! The film is literally a visual time capsule of Paris from yesteryear.

The DVD release is no slouch as there are so many special features included such as the reuniting of the characters of the film nearly 44-years later and also the inclusion of Agnès Varda’s short film “L’opera Mouffe” from 1958 and revisiting Paris via the path Cléo took over 40-years later.

Such a beautiful and amazing film in so many levels, “Cléo from 5 to 7″ is absolutely fantastic and definitely recommend the viewing of this film and the purchase of “4 by Agnès Varda” DVD boxset. It’s definitely a Criterion Collection set worth owning!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews, THE CRITERION COLLECTION

A Woman is a Woman – The Criterion Collection #238 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

December 5, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Experimental, crazy and wild! “A Woman is a Woman” is a unique film that features an experimental style by Jean-Luc Godard satirizing American musicals, poking fun on relationships, deconstructing cinema and more!

TITLE: A Woman is a Woman – The Criterion Collection #238

DURATION: 84 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, Monaural, in French with optional English subtitles, 2:35:1 Aspect Ratio

COMPANY: Rialto Pictures/The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2004

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard

Screenplay by Jean-Luc Godard

Produced by Georges de Beauregard, Carlo Ponti

Music by Michel Legrand

Cinematography by Raoul Coutard

Edited by Agnes Guillemot, Lila Herman

Production Design by Bernard Evein

Costume Design by Jacqueline Moreau

Starring:

Jean-Claude Brialy as Emile Recamier

Anna Karina as Angela

Jean-Paul Belmondo as Alfred Lubitsch

With A Woman Is a Woman (Une femme est une femme), compulsively innovative director Jean-Luc Godard presents “a neorealist musical—that is, a contradiction in terms.” Featuring French superstars Anna Karina, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Jean-Claude Brialy at their peak of popularity, A Woman Is a Woman is a sly, playful tribute to—and interrogation of—the American musical comedy, showcasing Godard’s signature wit and intellectual acumen. The film tells the story of exotic dancer Angéla (Karina) as she attempts to have a child with her unwilling lover Émile (Brialy). In the process, she finds herself torn between him and his best friend Alfred (Belmondo). A dizzying compendium of color, humor, and the music of renowned composer Michel Legrand, A Woman Is a Woman finds the young Godard at his warmest and most accessible, reveling in and scrutinizing the mechanics of his great obsession: the cinema.

Director Jean-Luc Godard, one of the pioneers of Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave) was on fire. Having directed “A bout de souffle” (Breathless) which starred Jean-Paul Belmondo and in 1961 with the controversial “Le Petit Soldat” (The Little Soldier) starring Anna Karina, for this third film “Une femme este une femme” (A Woman is a Woman) brings together both Belmondo and Karina (who Godard married during the filming of the movie) and actor Jean-Claude Brialy. The film is Godard’s first film in color and CinemaScope, also a film that is a co-production with French Georges De Beauregard and Italy’s Carlo Ponti. Shot in five weeks with no script, “A Woman is a Woman” is Godard’s experiment into a film fueled by improvisation.

The film is possibly one of Godard’s most interesting and unique film in which it’s a musical, but not a musical. Godard calls it an “idea of a musical” or a “neorealist musical”. Music has its part in the film, Godard calls it a tribute to the American musical comedy. But unlike the well-known musicals, you get awkward pauses of music, when Anna Karina is about to sing, instead of the music playing through, it stops on her vocals and she sings without any music. In certain scenes, the sound is gone and you get absolute silence and the part that the film is known for, it’s improvisation as there was no written dialogue for this film. Godard told his actors what would happen and they would have to make it look convincingly real. Also, you get scenes where Godard is hidden and aims the camera at the public or a hidden camera is attached. And of course, keeping Godard’s well known style of jump shots and the talent looking directly at the camera from time to time.

“A Woman is a Woman” revolves around three people. Exotic dancer Angela (played by Anna Karina) and her love of her life Emile (played by Jean-Claude Brialy). The two live a life of enjoying time at home, as she tries to be the good girlfriend and Emile who enjoys his communist newspaper and likes to have fun with his friend Alfred (played by Jean-Paul Belmondo). Alfred who is a Marxist, absolutely loves Angela but knows her heart is with Emile. Although it doesn’t seem that Emile knows that his best friend likes his girlfriend.

But things get complicated for Angela and Emile when she tells him that she wants a baby. He has no plans of wanting to have a children but she wants one badly. Each time she brings up the issue, he gets angered. And through the film, we see how the two handle the subject of having a baby. The two seem perfect for each other as he accepts her no matter what and vice versa. When the two fight with each other, instead of arguing, they grab books and use title of the books to do the talking.

At what great lengths will Anna go through, to get pregnant? And what great lengths will Emile to avoid the issue?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“A Woman is a Woman” is featured in color and presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen. Although in color, the film is not as vibrant or sharp as what we have seen in Godard’s “Pierrot le fou” and at times, some scenes look a bit blurry. According to Criterion, director of photography Raoul Coutard supervised the new high-definition digital transfer which was created on a 35mm interpositive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. There are scenes in which you can see the dust but Criterion did a good job in helping to eliminate most of it.

Audio is presented in monaural and features a Dolby Digital 1.0 center channel driven dialogue which is clear. But because of the use of music, I preferred to watch this film with my receiver set with stereo on all channels for a much more immersive sound using my 7.2 system. According to Criterion, the soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the magnetic track and audio restoration tools to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“A Woman is a Woman” contains the following special features:

Charlotte et Veronique ou Tous les garcons s’appellent Patrick- (19:22) Director Jean-Luc Godard’s first short film produced as a professional product from 1957. Also known as “All Boys are Called Patrick” starring Jean-Claude Brialy and written by Eric Rohmer. The film is about a man who tries to get close to two women, not knowing that Charlotte and Veronique are roommates.
Publicite - Featuring a photo gallery (which you can scroll via your remote control) of photos by Raymond Cauchetier from the set of “A Woman is a Woman”, photos of director Jean-Luc Godard during the filming of the movie and international posters of the film. Also, included is an audio promotional recording (34:14) made for the release of “A Woman is a Woman” which was pressed on 10″ vinyl records and is presented on the DVD with on-screen English translation. Pretty much select audio from the film between Emile, Angela and Alfred and featured on audio and Godard talking about the film and yes, you get that needle on vinyl sound as well. Also, the Rialto Pictures theatrical trailer (2:32).
Qui Etes-Vous Anna Karina? - (13:05) A featurette on Anna Karina from April 1966 directed by Colette Djidou and was featured on “Cinema: Qui etes-vous Anna Karina?”. The featurette interviews Karina about her career and how she got her first big break (interview those who gave her the chance of modeling) and becoming an actress. Also, you get to see Anna during a time when things between her and Godard were not working out and eventually divorced a year later. Also featuring Jean-Claude Brialy, Serge Gainsbourg and more.
24-page booklet – Featuring “A Woman is a Woman” essay by J. Hoberman (film critic for the Village Voice) and “A Movie is a Movie” by Michele Manceaux which are two interviews featured in the French Magazine L’Express back in 1961.

“A Woman is a Woman” is an interesting kind of film. For one, I enjoy it for Godard’s technique and what he accomplished during this time of filmmaking. But the question is if the film holds up for those watching it today? I would imagine that “A Woman is a Woman” would be a bit frustrating for some viewers not familiar with Godard’s work and may feel a bit too unusual and experimental for their taste.

Godard’s feeling at the time was “if you don’t like it, then screw you”. He made films for himself and I suppose where later films became much more political, “A Woman is a Woman” was a satire of American musicals but at the same time, his way of poking around relationships and doing things his own way. “A Woman is a Woman” has its charming moments and as some cinema fans might feel that those who enjoyed the film are diehard Godardites or fans that are hardcore Anna Karina fans, I suppose that in my case, its one of the reasons why I was a bit patient and even more tolerant of the film.

I found it charming and the characters to be fun, but bare in mind, these characters are not your typical clean cut men and an educated woman. Angela is a stripper, Emile is a man who doesn’t make much money and likes to watch women to stripper bars and even have fun with other women while still dating Angela. And Alfred is a Marxist who is in love with his best friend’s girl and wouldn’t care what his friend thinks. In most cases, characters like these three can easily be hated or reviled but in “A Woman is a Woman”, because the film is featured in a musical (or un-musical) type of way, you don’t really hate them, you just find them charming in their own kind of way.

There are scenes in the film that just make you smile, may it be references to “Breathless” or “Jules et Jim”, Cyd Charisse, Gene Kelly or Bob Fosse. Or the scenes in which Angela tries to cook a roast for Emile or an egg for herself. How about their way of arguing through using the titles of books or how the music goes on and then off and then on and then off. I just found that unique and so enjoyable that I can imagine how audiences probably saw this film as so avant-garde back in 1962.

But I see “A Woman is a Woman” more of an experimental film with Godard trying out improvisation and trying to crank out a film in the quickest amount of time possible but still trying to make it enjoyable. It’s one of his earlier films but I will admit to enjoying Godard’s “Masculin Feminine”, “Band of Outsiders” and “Pierrot le fou” much, much more. But yet I still enjoyed this film as it was so un-Hollywood. Almost rebellious filmmaking in a way as Godard deconstructs cinema.

And as Angela would say during the film, “I don’t know if it’s a comedy or a tragedy, but in any case it’s a masterpiece.” Is “A Woman is a Woman” a masterpiece? Or is it experimental filmmaking at its best? I’ll leave that to the viewer.

Filed Under: DVD Reviews, THE CRITERION COLLECTION

alphaville – The Criterion Collection #25 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

November 13, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard’s classic sci-fi film “Alphaville” may not sport the special effects or violence that we have seen in modern sci-fi films, but “alphaville” is quite enjoyable courtesy of the visual imagery, campiness and fun, noir-ish storyline.

TITLE: alphavile – The Criterion Collection #25

DURATION: 99 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital Mono, Black and White, 1:33:1, French with optional English subtitles

COMPANY: The Criterion Collection/Janus Films/Home Vision Cinema

RELEASED: 1998

Written and Directed by Jean-Luc Godard

Poetry “Capitale de la douleur” by Paul Eluard

Produced by Andre Michelin

Music by Paul Misraki

Cinematography by Raoul Coutard

Edited by Agnes Guillernot

Production Design by Pierre Guffroy

Production Management by Philippe Dussart

Starring:

Eddie Constantine as Lemmy Caution

Anna Karina as Natacha von Braun

Akim Tamiroff as Henri Dickson

Howard Vernon as Prof. Leonard Nosferatu

Jean-Louis Comolli as Prof. Jeckell

Jean-Andre Fieschi as Prof. Heckell

A cockeyed fusion of science fiction, pulp characters, and surrealist poetry, Godard’s irreverent journey to the mysterious Alphaville remains one of the least conventional films of all time. Eddie Constantine stars as intergalactic hero Lemmy Caution, ona mission to kill the inventor of fascist computer Alpha 60, Criterion’s edition of this seminal film features a new digital transfer.

From world renown director Jean-Luc Goddard (“Breathless”, “Pierrot Le Fou”, “Masculin, feminin”, “Two or Thre Things I Know About Her”), one of the founding members of the French New Wave came the 1965 sci-fi film known as “alphaville” (Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution). Alphaville is a city from another world in which a supercomputer known as Alpha 60 is a dictator in control of the people and the area as it is a film that is a precursor to “big brother cameras” and technology of today. In this city, people must obey the rules as free thought, love, poetry and emotions are eliminated.

In fact, the world of Alphaville is quite interesting because rules include people not allowed to use the word “why” and replace it with the word “because”, a bible is kept in each hotel room (which is more or less a dictionary with updated words of not to say) and anyone found breaking these rules will be executed. So, due to the power of Alpha 60, the people of alphaville have been reconditioned and brainwashed.

Enter an agent from “The Outlands” (outside of Alphaville which is literally the city next to it but is called another universe) named Lemmy Caution (played by Eddie Constantine, “Europa”, “The Long Good Friday”, “Tokyo no Kyujitsu”) who is given a mission: To find a missing agent named Henry Dickson and capture and kill the creator of Alphaville, Professor von Braun (played by Howard Vernon).

So, Lemmy infiltrates Alphaville posing as a journalist named Ivan Johnson from the outlands who works for the publication Figaro-Pravda in which he starts taking pictures of the people around Alphaville which doesn’t provoke any reaction from the people at Alphaville (because emotion is not supposed to be displayed by those who live there).

Immediately when he makes it to his room, he realizes that these people have been programmed so well that their minds work in interesting ways. For example, his first day is in a hotel and the woman (which has a title of a seductress, third class) that escorts him to his room is only programmed to please and do whatever he wants. Almost like a mindless zombie, she is programmed to asked the same questions over and over.

He immediately meets Professor von Braun’s daughter, Alpha 60 programmer Natacha von Braun (played by Anna Karina, “Pierrot le fou”, “Une femme est une femme”, “Cle de 5 a 7″), a woman assigned to stay close to Mr. Johnson, thinking that he’s in town for a festival (which many people from the Outlands come to Alphaville to attend). And not long after their meeting, Natacha is surprised by the questions that Johnson asks her like if she has ever been in love, a concept that she does not understand.

So, as Lemmy continues his mission to find the missing agent and to capture or destroy Alpha 60, he becomes smitten with Natacha as he tries to bring emotions out of her that she is not familiar with. But the more he goes forward into his mission, he is also under the watchful eye of Alpha 60.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“alphaville” is presented in the aspect ratio of 1:33:1 and in black and white. At the time of this DVD pressing, the digital transfer was created from a 35mm fine grain master made from the original negative. This is before newer technology was able to eliminate a lot of dust particles, scratches, etc. But overall, it doesn’t deter from the viewability of this classic film. What my eyes were focusing a lot in the film is how Godard constructs the shot. From beautiful locations, elevators and stairwells, there is a sense of style that you see in those shots that I found to be wonderful. But also using scenes that is reminiscent of an Ozu style as the actors look directly at the camera straight on while conversing with another person.

As for audio, the French audio is presented in Dolby Digital mono. The sound was mastered from the 35mm magnetic soundtrack. For the most part, dialogue is understandable and Alpha 60′s voice is loud, repetitive and annoying. But my preference in watching this film was having my receiver set with stereo on all channels despite the soundtrack being Dolby Digital mono as I wanted to utilize the rear surrounds to incorporate the mono audio track.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“alphaville” contains no special features but a short essay by Andrew Sarris (film critic for the New York Observer) is included in the insert.

“alphaville” was an interesting film as it was a film that has been interpreted differently by many people who have seen it. Was it a statement about the suppression of individuality? Was it a statement of early corporate control on a society?

Although the film is a sci-fi film with film noir undertones, it’s not a film to think of out of space or typical sci-fi scenery. Nor should one expect special effects. “Alphaville” does take place in an alternate world and although the supercomputer is more or less a light inside a ventilation vent in the film, it’s not more about the scenery but what has happened to humanity in “Alphaville”. Was the society void of emotion done for the sake of a statement towards the US? The War? Against art? Against love?

Needless to say, the film is one of those films you rewatch a few times and I have found myself with a new perspective each time of what I felt about the film. But some people may feel the film goes right over their heads. And if it does, you won’t be alone as the film opened at the New York Film Festival and according to film critic Andrew Sarris, the audience were baffled by the shift in tone. And he talks about the shift of futurism to private-eye mannerisms and I can definitely see that. The film is a mixed bag of incorporating various themes.

But if you look at the film and what it was accomplishing back in 1965, can you imagine how a sci-fi film about a computerized dictator would be somewhat of a precursor to films such as evil computers such as HAL2000 (“2001″), “Terminator” and sure, it may be campy compared to today’s film but the fact that a film like this was created back then with an evil supercomputer in mind is quite fascinating.

As mentioned earlier, there are some awesome looking scenes such as Lemmy and Natacha coming down from the stairs or even riding the elevator. I love how those scenes were shot. Probably the most interesting parts of the film is during the execution of those who showcased their emotions to the public and now are to be executed for shedding a tear. As one man who cried for the death of his child, we see him assassinated for displaying emotions. As he falls, a group of female swimmers collect his body. Very interesting scenes in the film during that execution scene but at the same time, for people being killed by gun shots, you would hope to see Godard try to add some realism or even blood on their clothing.

Especially during the fighting and gun shot scenes, for the most part…”Alphaville” suffers from the action scenes looking quite campy. In one scene, a group of thugs circle around Lemmy in an elevator and you see his body moving from all sides as if he was getting the tar beat out of him. But of course, Lemmy suffers no damage at all.

But I understand that the goal of the film was not on special effects but its storyline and its characters. Eddie Constantine did a wonderful job as Lemmy Caution. He has that nonchalant, brute, no-nonsense persona that I felt was cool and of course, Godard’s wife/actress Anna Karina as Natacha von Braun. She was absolutely adorable and very beautiful in this film.

Overall, I have to admit that “alphaville” was quite intriguing and enjoyable. Was it one of Godard’s masterpiece films? Not really. And the fact that this is one of the few Criterion Collection DVD’s that is literally a barebones release, I know some people may find that unacceptable for Criterion releases. But the fact that you can find this DVD quite cheap online these days is a plus and if you are a Godard fan, it’s worth checking out and worth having in your collection.

With interesting cut scenes, audio, imagery and solid acting from Constantine and Karina, “Alphaville” is one of those classic sci-fi, noir films that will definitely entertain you.

Filed Under: DVD Reviews, THE CRITERION COLLECTION