Academy Celebrates French New Wave with Photo Exhibition and Screening of Godard’s “Breathless”

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a recently restored 35mm print of “Breathless” (“À bout de souffle”) on Friday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  The screening is presented in conjunction with the opening of the Academy’s new exhibition “Photos de Cinéma: Images of the French New Wave by Raymond Cauchetier.” Cauchetier was the set photographer for this and many other key titles of the French New Wave movement.  There will be special evening gallery hours from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and immediately following the screening.

“Breathless” (1960) launched a global passion for “La Nouvelle Vague” (“The New Wave”) and made actors Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo international stars.  The film also became an inspiration for a generation of legendary French filmmaking talent.

Writer-director Jean-Luc Godard made his feature film debut with this now classic work.   François Truffaut conceived the story, Claude Chabrol served as the artistic supervisor, and Jean-Pierre Melville appears in the role of the writer, Parvulesco.

The film’s cinematographer, Raoul Coutard, supervised the creation of this new print in 2010, for the 50th anniversary of the original French release date.

Since “Breathless” impressed audiences and filmmakers alike with its jazzy take on the American crime film, Godard has continued to write and direct challenging and sometimes controversial films, cementing his reputation as one of the seminal modernists in the history of cinema.  He is credited with having influenced numerous contemporary directors, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh and Quentin Tarantino.  Godard received an Honorary Award from the Academy in 2010, inscribed “For passion. For confrontation. For a new kind of cinema.”

“Photos de Cinéma: Images of the French New Wave by Raymond Cauchetier,” which includes production photographs from “Breathless,” is the first exhibition outside of Europe to showcase Cauchetier’s motion picture work.  On view will be 125 newly made, black-and-white prints from Cauchetier’s own 35mm negatives.  The printing was personally overseen by Cauchetier, now in his 90s, at his preferred lab in Paris.  Other films represented in the exhibition include “Adieu Philippine,” “Baisers volés” (“Stolen Kisses”), “Jules et Jim,” “Lola” and “La peau douce” (“The Soft Skin”).  “Photos de Cinéma” is open to the public through June 24 in the Academy’s Grand Lobby Gallery in Beverly Hills.  Regular viewing hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, noon to 6 p.m.  Admission to the gallery is free.

Tickets for “Breathless” on March 23 are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office or by mail.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m.  The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.  All seating is unreserved.  For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards—in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners­—the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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Film Socialisme (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Fascinating, intriguing, visually beautiful…but I admit, this is possibly the most challenging Godard film that I have watched by far.  After four viewings and research done on the film, I found myself enjoying “Film Socialisme” a lot more, because of its overall presentation.  It may not be the most accessible Godard film but for those who are familiar with Godard films, may find “Film Socialisme” to be entertaining and clever or frustrating and incoherent.  Definitely a film worth watching!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Kino Lorber, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Film Socialisme

FILM RELEASE: 2010

DURATION: 101 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Color, 1080p High Definition, 1:85:1, DTS-HD Master Audio, Subtitles: Godard’s “Navajo” English and a full English translation

COMPANY: Kino Lorber

RATED: Not Rated

Release Date: January 10, 2012

Written and Directed by Jean-Luc Godard

Produced by Alain Sarde

Executive Producer: Ruth Waldburger

Cinematography by Fabrice Aragno, Paul Grivas

Starring:

Jean-Marc Stehle as Otto Goldberg

Agatha Couture as Alissa

Mathias Domahidy as Mathias

Quentin Grosset as Ludovic

Olga Riazanova as Olga – Russian Secret Agent

Maurice Sarfati

Patti Smith as herself, Singer

Lenny Kaye as himself, Guitarist

Bernard Maris as himself, Economist

Marie-Christine Bergier as Frieda von Salomon

Nadege Beausson-Diagne as Constance

Bob Maloubier as Himself, French secret agent

Dominique Devals

Alain Badiou as Himself, Lecturer

Elias Sanbar as Himself, Haifan Historian

Catherine Tanvier as Catherine, Mother

Christian Sinniger as Jean-Jacques Martin

Marine Battaggia as Florine “Flo” Martin

Gulliver Hecq as Lucien “Lulu” Martin

E. Anzoni as Catherine’s Friend

Elisabeth Vitali as France 3 Journalist

Eye Haidara as France 3 Camerawoman

 Legendary director Jean-Luc Godard returns to the screen with Film Socialisme, a magisterial essay on the decline of European Civilization. As a garish cruise ship travels the Mediterranean (with Patti Smith among its guests), Godard embarks on a state of the EU address in a vibrant collage of philosophical quotes, historical revelations and pure cinematographic beauty.

As a cinema fan, it’s common to come across forums in regards to filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, the pioneer of the French New Wave, met with comments from cineaste’s that the filmmaker has went astray since 1969.

I admit that when it comes to Godard, the majority of the films that I love are primarily his ’60s films.  From “Breathless”, “Vivre Sa View”, “Pierrot le fou”, “Alphaville”, “Made in U.S.A.”, “Week End” to name a few films from Godard’s long oeuvre, there is no doubt that Godard became more politically vocal with his films.

Some may feel that he strayed too far from what viewers loved of his films, but to Jean-Luc Godard, he probably could have cared less.  The man walks on the beat of his own drum, creating the films that he wants to make and whether or not they are popular or not, it doesn’t matter.  As long as he is alive and is able to create cinema, it’s enough for him.

While viewers can always see Godard through his characters speaking about society and politics, from his 1966 film “Made in U.S.A.” and on, he has always had something to say about the state of a country or the world.

Has he really strayed that far from creating cinema that people love about his work?  It’s always subjective but for me, I have always enjoyed his approach to being provocative in his films, “stirring the pot” as many would say.  Granted, his films has literally challenged viewers within the last 45-years to the point that reviews have labeled his films “incomprehensible”, in fact, Godard has even alienated his own filmmaker friends because like his films, Godard changes and is able to transform himself to something that people don’t always agree with.

The legendary filmmaker is indeed complex and fortunately, unlike films of the past where people had to write about his films with what they viewed at a theater, we are fortunate in the fact that we can rewatch films and try to understand them more thanks to DVD and Blu-ray.

Specifically his 2010 film “Film Socialisme”, a film created by a then 79-year-old Jean-Luc Godard presented at the Cannes International Film Festival via Godard’s “Navajo” English and to give you an idea of how the film came across to various film critics. Here are a few quotes.

From Roger Ebert, “This film is an affront. It is incoherent, maddening, deliberately opaque and heedless of the ways in which people watch movies. All of that is part of the Godardian method, I am aware, but I feel a bargain of some sort must be struck.  We enter the cinema with open minds and goodwill, expecting Godard to engage us in at least a vaguely penetrable way. But in “Film Socialisme,” he expects us to do all the heavy lifting.”

J. Hoberman wrote, “Film Socialisme is both timeless and timely. Nor is that its only paradox. This is at once the most essayistic of 21st-century Godards and the least interested in conventional communication, cinematic as well as linguistic.”

“Film Socialisme” is presented in three movements:

• Des choses comme ca (Such Things)  – This is set on a cruise ship and we are presented with various people of different cultures.  But among them is an aging Nazi criminal, a UN official, a Russian detective and more.
• Notre Europe (Our Europe) – This features a sister and her younger brother who have summoned their parents to appear before the “tribunal of their childhood” and want them to answer themes of liberty, equality and fraternity.
• Nos humanites (Our Humanities) – The third movement visits six sites: Egypt, Palestine, Odessa, Hellas, Naples and Barcelona

VIDEO:

“Film Socialisme” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1) and the film is Jean-Luc Godard’s debut entry to HD video (shot entirely via digital) and also a Godard film shot in widescreen.  The film looks absolutely beautiful in HD but also intriguing of how Godard incorporates various shots into the film.  Some are crisp and clear, some are jarring and oversaturated and disjointed pacing at times but it’s all part of what we are used to Godard films.  Experimentation, artistic and bold.

So, there are plenty of scenes that have different style of shots.  Some that are clearer than others and some that were part of the digital experiment.  But for the most part, colors are vibrant, black levels are deep at times and aside from certain scenes which were intentionally made to use various light filters, may they be hard or linear, the film looks great on Blu-ray!

But when you get to the final movement, “Nos humanities”, this is where the film tends to use a lot of older footage from films, news sources, etc.  Including stock footage, so these footage tend to not look so great in HD and where you will see artifacts and so forth.  But in the context of why this older footage was used, it’s understandable.

Overall, when focusing on the modern footage, colors are vibrant (especially reds), great detail on exteriors and for the most part, the majority of the film when not using older film sources, looks great on Blu-ray.  But personally, it’s great to see Godard experimenting with digital filmmaking, especially what he tends to bring out when experimenting with color! The film is visually beautiful!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Film Socialisme” is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.  The dialogue is clear and at times there are some moments of experimentation but I heard no hissing, crackles, pops or any audio problems.

As for subtitles, it’s important to note that there are two.  The film automatically plays with the Godard “Navajo” English which was used for the theatrical edition.  This version does not translate the full dialogue, but fortunately on Blu-ray, Kino Lorber does feature a full English translation which viewers may want to switch on first before watching the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Film Socialisme” comes with the original trailer plus Kino Lorber trailers and also a stills gallery.

EXTRAS:

“Film Socialisme” comes with a slipcase cover and included is an essay titled “E Pluribus Unum” by Richard Brody.

When it comes to Jean-Luc Godard films, I have spent quite a bit of time researching of what inspired him to create his film, what turmoil was going on behind-the-scenes in the making of a film because what people have to realize is that when you are watching a Godard film, you are watching a part of him.  What he is experiencing in that moment.  What goes through his mind socially and politically.

And while the majority of the films that we watch, we try not to let the outside influence of what happens behind-the-scenes influence one’s judgment towards that film, for Jean-Luc Godard, in some way, shape or form, I have looked at his movies beyond cinema, almost like trying to piece together a complex puzzle.  Where “Breathless” was a film that made him internationally known, it was a film that he was not too thrilled of the attention he had gotten and in response, Godard created “Le Petit Soldat” which was controversial and was banned in France for several years.

You look at his film “Made in U.S.A.” and the words that are coming out of the character Paula Nelson (played by his former wife Anna Karina) is literally speaking the words from Godard and Godard symbolically kills himself in the film twice.  That same year he creates “Two or Three Things I Know About Her” and although Godard is known for not having a script or script is manipulated real-time by Godard, the film which was considered socially and stylistically radical and we saw Godard challenge advertisers, show his dislike towards politics, the Vietnam war and also various industries.

This has continued throughout Godard’s career since the ’60s and throughout his oeuvre, he has remained controversial among film critics, among viewers and he more or less has changed from being radical to less radical and more of a humanist than his earlier Marxist philosophy.

He is a complex man of change,  a man that is learning as he lives but at the same time, still keeping to himself, doing things the way he wants and still entertaining audiences.  No matter if people who are still driven to see his earlier films, whether you love or hate his films from the ’70s to the present, he still has been consistent of creating films that people either love or hate.

With his 2010 film “Film Socialisme”, we finally get to see Godard enter the digital age by shooting a film in all digital (his next feature “Adieu au Language” will feature Godard’s entry to 3-D filmmaking).  And judging by the various critic reviews since it’s premiere in France, there are those who found the film to be too obscure and some who got it.

My first viewing of “Film Socialisme” was via Godard’s “Navajo” English that was from the theatrical edition.  And through that version, not all is translated and unless you know French, a lot of dialogue goes over your head.  And I can understand why some critics who watched this version, have found this film to be too obscure for their taste because it’s not a simple film that people will pick up and understand.

For my second viewing, I watched it with the full English translation and things started to make sense a bit more.  But still, I felt a bit lost than any other Godard film because I felt I was missing something important.

So, I took to the Internet and one person I know who has done so much research on Godard that can best explain the situation of the film is the New Yorker’s Richard Brody.  Brody goes into detail about an interview from “Godard on Godard” (which has yet to be translated) and Godard’s conversation with filmmaker Jacques Tati.

The discussion goes into gold that Stalin stole from the Bank of Spain and the Spanish Republicans, and with the film being separated into three parts, what is straightforward in the film is that a cruise ship is traveling various ports in Barcelona and Odessa.  But we also are shown a variety of people.  One is a former Nazi spy, another is a Russian officer, another is a young woman wearing a gold necklace (which I am assuming is related to the Nazi), we see an Israeli asking about the gold of the Bank of Palestine and a variety of other people who appear to have their own personal issues.

But the following is possibly the best explanation that Brody goes into about the featuring of these various people of different cultures and how it relates to a socialist society.  It’s important to also note that if you are unable to access the link, the good news is that Kino Lorber does include a four-page printed essay titled “E Pluribus Unum” by Richard Brody which goes into more detail about the film.

Brody wrote, “The notion of the ship’s journey as a link between these ports of call—including Barcelona, Naples, Greece, Odessa, Palestine (Godard can’t bring himself to say “Israel”), Egypt, Algiers, and Casablanca—suggests the key idea of Godard’s film: internationalism and multiculturalism as the essence of socialism.”

Brody continued, “The immediate result of the post-1989 end of Communist regimes was the breakups: the U.S.S.R. (which of course was multicultural by force but intolerant of minority cultures) dispersed into small countries, and Yugoslavia also broke into its constituent republics, with the resulting wars and further breakups into ethnic enclaves. It’s a story that runs through Godard’s 1993 film “Oh, Woe Is Me” (“Hélas pour moi”); for Godard, a multi-ethnic society of the Mediterranean—Europe and Russia, the Middle East and North Africa—would be the crucial realization of the socialist vision.”

And possibly the most intriguing observation by Brody was the following that he had written in his article, “he cites the liberation of Italy by the United States during the Second World War (as described by Curzio Malaparte in “The Skin”)—with the suggestion that the U.S. Army symbolically brought the plague to Italy when it arrived at Naples in 1943—and offers, as a contrast, contemporary Barcelona, which comes off as a serene yet politically aware and socialist-mobilized town that owes its humane and political warmth and aesthetic grace to the fact that, despite having been under a right-wing dictatorship for four decades, Spain liberated itself without American invasion or interference.”

So, was the concept of “Film Socialisme” similar to a film like his past film such as “Two or Three Things I Know About Her”?  An anti-American explanation of how Spain was able to liberate itself without American invasion or interference and how the America may have hurt the Middle East ala Iraq through its intervention?   There is always a meaning behind Godard’s words and perhaps my personal feeling was a film that stirs the pot without being blatantly polemic.

I have no doubt that others willl pick apart this film and find something intriguing or insensitive.  Some may find the film to be anti-Semitic and its a title that some have looked at Godard most negatively (Godard has used certain racial remarks about Jews towards filmmakers and friends who tried to get paid the money owed to them, which is actually focused on by Richard Brody in his book, “Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard”.  To be fair, because this is quite hotly debated, the counter-point to topics of anti-semitism in Brody’s book is challenged by Cinema Scope’s Bill Krohn).

There are Jewish references in the film that made me raise an eyebrow and wondered what was Godard’s intention, but in an interview with Jean-Marc Lalanne of “Les Inrockuptibles” was that the film was inspired by “Le Voyage de Shakespeare” by Leon Daudet.  Also, mentioned in an another “Film Socialisme” article by Richard Brody.

Thus this led me to looking up Leon Daudet and to learn that he is a French journalist which the Encyclopedia Britannica has called him “the most virulent and bitterly satirical polemicist of his generation in France, whose literary reputation rests largely upon his journalist work and his vivid memoirs”.  But you read on to learn that Daudet was also a member of France’s National Anti-Jewish Federation and a member of the anti-Semetic journal “Action Francaise”.

I am not an erudite when it comes to European culture especially in the socio-political sense but one thing that I’m grateful for Godard’s films is that it had led me to do my own research and learn more of what was on his mind, to understand what he was communicating.   So, I found Brody’s quote to be the most deepest and well-written explanation of the film yet by a film critic.

I watched it for a third time and once again for a fourth time but it was more of observance of dialogue between individuals and to understand the third segment “Nos humanites”.  For me, it was a rather intriguing film of multiculturalism gone awry in some way or form.  A modernization of culture but also I see a nod to Jacques Tati (if the story is true between the discussion of Godard and Tati), as we see animals at the gas station.  As Tati would show the changes of society through his films, perhaps this is what Godard has seen in his long life… a society that has integrated but yet has problems understanding each other.

If Godard was inspired by Daudet and his goal was satirizing society, perhaps the polimicizing is a bit more restrained than what we have seen of Godard in film such as “Tout va bien” and “Made in U.S.A.” to name a few.  And I found myself enjoying this film because it was so abstract at times, provocative at times but also very surreal.

There is no doubt that Godard adds his visual style, especially how he includes these layers of scenes in a scattered sense.  It’s not a storyline that goes smoothly together.  In fact, I tend to look at this film and make the correlation to an abstract painting.  Enjoy the moment and see what you get out of these certain scenes.

As for the Blu-ray release, the picture quality is great, considering this is Godard’s entry to digital filmmaking.  The majority of the film looks great, as the digital filmmaking really brings out the colors and detailed exteriors.  But because there are also stock footage and older sources of film integrated into “Film Socialisme”, those sources tend to be the most problematic in HD but for the most part, those scenes are very short.

Audio is understandable but once again, when it comes to subtitles, I am so grateful that Kino Lorber has included the full English translation with this release, otherwise the default subtitles is Godard’s “Navajo” English subtitles which were used for the theatrical version and doesn’t not translate all discussions during the film.

This is probably the first Godard film in which I felt the storyline was not as straightforward but in a Godard-sense, it worked.  And to see Godard’s use of HD filmmaking was quite intriguing, especially seeing him do something new and different is also intriguing for me because I do love his films, coherent and incoherent.  It’s more of the experience and the journey of researching the film and seeing how every film critic had their own personal take of the film.

I have been asked if “Film Socialism” is a blind buy, an easily accessible film and I don’t think it’s easily accessible for those who are not familiar with Godard films, but if you have watched a Godard film, especially his later work, then one may find the film to be intriguing and enjoyable.  Although, I won’t be surprised if others found this film to be incoherent and difficult.

Overall, it’s exciting to see Godard make a film digitally but also to watch a film that is audacious, intriguing, challenging but yet beautiful.

I recommend this film for those who are familiar with Godard’s work!

Kino Lorber Releases Jean-Luc Godard’s Film Socialisme (2011) on Blu-ray and DVD

New York, NY – December 9, 2011 – Kino Lorber is proud to announce the Blu-ray and DVD release of Film Socialisme, a cinematic essay on Western civilization, politics and history presented through the lens of master filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard.

Film Socialisme comes to Blu-ray and DVD with special features including trailers, a stills gallery, and a special essay about the film by Richard Brody, author of Everything is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard, which puts the film in the context of Godard’s career. This edition is presented in its original multi-language soundtrack, with two subtitle options including Godard’s “Navajo” English from the theatrical version, and a full English translation of all of the film’s dialog. The prebook date for the Blu-ray and DVD is December 13, 2011, and the street date for each is January 10, 2012. The SRP for the Blu-ray is $34.95, while the SRP for the DVD is $29.95.

This “remarkable and beautiful and challenging” (Glenn Kenny, MSN) essay from filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard explores contemporary European politics and culture in three distinct parts. The first is set on a luxury cruise liner sailing the Mediterranean (with Patti Smith among its passengers), on which Godard examines the garishness of its wealthy passengers with the rich and troubled history of the ship’s ports of call.

The second part depicts the tension between the owners of a rural French rest stop, running for local office, and their children, who have their own ideas about the future. The third part is part-travelogue, part-history lesson, and part-essay, as Godard explores Western history at six different ports of call: Egypt, Hellas, Palestine, Odessa, Naples, and Barcelona, depicting images of art and conflict in order to examine the past and the future of Western civilization.

Shot in HD (Godard’s first film shot entirely in that format), Film Socialisme is a cinematic essay on the socio-political crises of our times.

2011 / France / 101 min. / Color / Blu-ray: 1920x1080p / DVD: Anamorphic (1:85:1)

Film Socialisme (2011)
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Genre: Drama
Blu-ray SRP: $34.95
DVD SRP: $29.95
Prebook date: December 13, 2011
Street date: January 10, 2012

Lorber Films Releases Film Socialisme (2010) on June 3, at New York’s IFC Center

LORBER FILMS RELEASES JEAN-LUC GODARD’S FILM SOCIALISME (2010) ON JUNE 3 AT IFC CENTER

For Immediate Release New York, NY – May 10, 2011 – Lorber Films is proud to announce the theatrical release of Film Socialisme (2010), the latest film from French master Jean-Luc Godard. Set to open on June 3, 2011, at IFC Center, the film will expand to other national markets during the summer of 2011. After a much acclaimed premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2010, Godard’s latest was shown at the New York, Toronto (Master Program), Rio, São Paulo, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Rotterdam and Jenju Film Festivals – among many others.

Following the tradition of his great essayist works, Film Socialisme is a magisterial statement on the decline of European civilization. Here, Godard embarks on a state of the EU address with a collage of philosophical quotes, historical revelations and pure cinematic beauty, creating a work that “continues to confront English-speaking viewers” (Slant Magazine).

The film is divided into three “movements”. First is a Mediterranean cruise on board a luxury liner, with numerous conversations between the passengers on holiday, including a war criminal, his granddaughter, a famous French philosopher, and an American singer (Patti Smith). The second involves a sister and her younger brother, summoning their parents to appear before the court of their childhood as they demand serious explications on the ideas of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Finally, in the third movement, Godard visits six sites of “true or false” myths: Egypt, Palestine, Odessa, Hellas, Naples and Barcelona.

Throughout, Godard blends a combination of sounds and images that “take on a rhythmic life of their own” (Peter Brunette, The Hollywood Reporter). The result is “an intriguing late-career work by an artist who hasn’t stopped challenging his audience” (T’cha Dunlevy, The Montreal Gazette).

Two in the Wave (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

One of the founders of the French New Wave, the iconic filmmakers Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard are featured in this wonderful documentary showcasing their upbringing, their career, their friendship and the demise of that friendship.  This film is highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of these filmmakers, their work and La Nouvelle Vague.

Images courtesy of © 2010 Wide Management, Kino Lorber Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Two in the Wave

DOCUMENTARY DATE: 2010

DURATION: 92 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 1:85:1 and 1:33, 16:9, Region 0,Color and B/W, French with English subtitles

COMPANY: Lorber Films

RATED: N/A

RELEASE DATE: February 22, 2011

Directed by Emmanuel Laurent

Written and Narrated by Antoine de Baecque

Produced by Emmanuel Laurent

Cinematography by Etienne de Gramont, Nick de Pencier

Edited by Marie-France Cuenot

Featuring archive footage of

Jean-Luc Godard

Francois Truffaut

Jean-Pierre Leaud

Anouk Aimee

Jean-Pierre Aumont

Charles Aznavour

Jean-Paul Belmondo

Jacqueline Bisset

Jean-Claude Brialy

Claude Chabrol

Jean Cocteau

Raoul Coutard

Marie Dubois

Chantal Goya

Anna Karina

Fritz Lang

Henri Langlois

Yves Montand

Jeanne Moreau

Jack Palance

Michel Piccoli

Nicholas Ray

Jacques Rivette

Eric Rohmer

Barbet Schroeder

Jean Seberg

Henri Serre

Delphine Seyrig

Simone Signoret

Laszlo Sazbo

Marina Vlady

Oskar Werner

Anne Wiazamesky

An in-depth analysis of the relationship between New Wave pioneers François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, as seen through rare archival footage, interviews, and film excerpts — written and narrated by former Cahiers du Cinéma editor Antoine de Baecque and directed by Emmanuel Laurent.

La Nouvelle Vague, known to many as the French New Wave, a term in which a group of filmmakers from the 1950′s and 1960′s who were influenced by classic Hollywood cinema, Italian Neorealism and a few who were film critics for the publication “Cashiers du cinema” would informally organize a movement in France.  The French New Wave was a rejection of classical cinema invigorated by the iconoclasm of youth and European art cinema and while there were a group of people known for this movement, two people are known for changing the landscape of cinema, doing what they want, their way, their style.

Francois Truffaut with “The 400 Blows” and Jean-Luc Godard with “Breathless”.  Two very good friends who came from different backgrounds but each passionate about cinema and together they shared in common of using young actor at the time, Jean-Pierre Leaud.

Francois Truffaut is one of the founding members of the French New Wave and influential as a filmmaker, feared as a film critic.  An icon of the French film industry, Truffaut feared no one.  As a young child, Truffaut lived with various nannies and his grandmother who taught him about books and music.  After his grandmother’s death, he lived with is parents for the first time but unfortunately, wasn’t happy that he stayed outside of the house and became friends with Robert Lachenay, who inspired the character Rene Bigey of “The 400 Blows” (which Jean-Pierre Leaud plays in the film).  Unsatisfied with his home life, since watching his first film “Paradis Perdu” in 1939, his escape from home was cinema.

Truffaut was a truant, would sneak into theaters, expelled from school and at the age 14, he began self-teaching himself by reading three books a week and watching three movies a day.  Truffaut would create the “Film Addict’s Club” and because of that, his stepfather who found out about his runaway stepson had him arranged for arrest and imprisonment.  But watching over him was film critic Andre Bazin who met Truffaut at the club, was head of another film society and became a friend of Truffaut was instrumental in his campaign in getting Truffaut out of imprisonment and into his personal care.

Eventually Truffaut was imprisoned for military desertion and Bazin impersonated himself as his father and was virtually adopted by Bazin would take care of him.  This life that Truffaut and his friend lived, would serve as an inspiration for “The 400 Blows”.

Jean-Luc Godard lived a different life from Truffaut.  His father was a physician, he came from a protestant family of Franco-Swiss descent and his mother was the great-granddaughter of theologian Adolphe Monod (and other well-known people of the Monod family).  Godard went to school in Switzerland and attended the University of Paris and that is where he became involved with a group of young filmmakers and film theorists.  This is where Godard met Andre Bazin, the man that both he and Truffaut believed was most responsible for the French New Wave.

Bazin believed that “Realism is the essence of Cinema” and these two men would seek out to achieve cinematic realism through aesthetic and contextual media.  Both Truffaut and Godard would go against traditional filmmaking by favoring long shots, Godard was known for fastcutting, jump cuts and intriguing editing.  While Truffaut showed realism, Godard would embrace contradiction.

But as these two men became more popular and while Truffaut followed his passion for cinema by interviewing Alfred Hitchock and other filmmakers, while Godard would do something similar, during the ’60s, Godard’s perspective towards the world changed and became a radical, political director.

These two friends would eventually go into different paths but both would share in common their work with Jean-Pierre Leaud, a young actor who worked with Godard but his career was started by Truffaut and literally became a muse for Truffaut and a father-figure and because of that, it led to the falling out by both men.

As Godard always counted on Truffaut in financial production at times, Godard also became very critical to the point where he would badmouth his friend and when it came to asking money from Jean-Pierre Leaud, that was the final straw for Truffaut who unloaded on Godard and ended their friendship.

“Two in the Wave” is a documentary that focuses on the two men, their youth, their friendship, their work and the end of their friendship.  Written and narrated by former Cahiers du Cinema editor Antoine de Baecque, this film produced and directed by Emmanuel Laurent features a documentary that is meticulously researched and covers the most vibrant and turbulent period of cinema history.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Two in the Wave” is presented in 16:9, 1:85 and 1:33, color and B&W.  The footage is primarily of clips from movies directed by Truffaut and Godard but also features archived news footage and interviews of the two men.  There are modern footage may it be a woman reading older copies of Cahiers du Cinema publications or visiting areas that Truffaut and Godard would visit but the footage is a mix-match of archival footage in color and black & white.  So, picture quality is varied but for the most part, picture quality is good and watchable.

Audio is presented in French with English subtitles.  Narration by Antonine de Baecque is clear and understandable.  Even the archived footage is clear and understandable.  No one should have any problems with the audio quality from the archived footage.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Two in the Wave” comes with no special features.

When it comes to the works of Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, for me, their oeuvre are fascinating and intriguing.  I know with fellow cineaste, many tend to stay with the paradigm of late ’50s and ’60s when it comes to their films but for me, I watch everything and to understand their mindset.

I read various books on both men, including their film critique books in order to gain some insight of what the men are thinking and how they viewed cinema or a filmmaker because to me, not only have these men help found Nouvelle Vague, these men embodied cinema, they thrived on cinema and they speak their mind about cinema quite bluntly.

But as intrigued as I am towards their career, I am also intrigued about their friendship and also what ended it.  And to gain such knowledge, it took years of reading various books and publications to gain that insight.  But fortunately, now people can get a good idea of the upbringing, the career and the friendship of Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard with “Two in the Wave”.

For me, this documentary was well-researched as we see a juxtaposition of both men and their lives.  The footage selected and used are very well done but I do feel that the documentary didn’t try to polemicize their relationship.  And with Godard and Leaud still around, I do believe that both Emanuel Laurent and Antoine de Baecque wanted to cover both men without any bias and to keep the documentary balance by showcasing the different upbringing of both men, focusing on their career and of course, what led to their breakup.

But if you have read a lot into their break up, there is more to the story.  I do believe that the main reason why the two ended their relationship was money and possibly jealousy.

As for Truffaut and Godard, once the two began receiving funding for their films, Truffaut I felt stayed true to his style (but also received Western support financially for his films) while Godard began going through major political changes to the point he was alienating everyone that was once close to him. To put it plainly, he became a political propagandist.

The two were like Lennon/McCartney but the fact is that Truffaut was consistent, Godard was the revolutionary. Truffaut admired cinema and its auteurs, Godard had contempt towards cinema towards himself and his fellow filmmakers.

And of course 1973, was the year the two had their most public split. We know from his films that 1968 and on…Godard was not the same type of director that people knew via the French New Wave. He lost support from critics and even several of his former friends/filmmakers.

It’s one thing that he had his own Super-8 video equipment but the fact is, unlike Truffaut, Godard at the time, was not getting any money or the support like his friend. So, probably the most aggressive thing he did was to criticize Truffaut on his film “La nuit americaine” (Day for the Night).

Godard sent Truffaut a letter and called him a “liar” for leaving things out of his film and to make amends, Truffaut should send him money to make a film in response.  And this is where Leaud comes in.  It’s important to note that he even sent a letter to Jean-Pierre Leaud, the film’s star and an actor he had worked with.  But also remember, like Bazin gave Truffaut a chance with cinema, it is Truffaut who saw himself in Leaud and gave him a chance to be an actor and embrace cinema.

And because Godard did this, I believe it was the ultimate slap in the face for Truffaut.  What Godard received was a 20-page letter of 15 years of frustrations that Truffaut had with Godard.  (note: Source of information is from The New Yorke film critic Richard Brody and excerpted from his book “Everything is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard”)

Jean-Luc.

So as not to oblige you to read this disagreeable letter to the end, I begin with the essential: I will not enter your coproduction in your film.

Second, I am returning your letter to Jean-Pierre Leaud: I have read it and find it disgusting. It is because of this that I fell that the time has come to tell you, at length, that in my view you behave like shit.

What Godard wrote to Leaud was him asking for money. Truffaut felt it was disgusting that a director would ask a poor actor for financial help. Truffaut had said that if the letter to Leaud was not included, he would have helped out Godard.

In this 20-page letter, Truffaut went all out and of course, kept calling Godard “shit” to his unprofessionalism due to the director trying to seduce his female actresses, not showing up to film festivals when he promised to attend, calling Pierre Braunberger a “Dirty Jew” (interesting to note: that even his 70’s filmmaking partner Gorin, when Gorin tried to recoup the money he had made with Godard, Godard made a similar comment which ticked Gorin off).

But in the letter, Truffaut continued:

Anyone who has a different opinion from yours is a creep, even if the opinion you hold in June is not the same one you held in April. In 1973, your prestige is intact, which is to say, when you walk into an office, everyone studies your face to see if you are in a good mood.

You have never succeeded in loving anyone or in helping anyone. Other than by shoving a few banknotes at them.

Truffaut then added in the letter of all the times he went to bat for Godard, helped him financially especially in “Contempt” when Truffaut was asked to replace Godard and didn’t. Telling Godard that he was jealous of him and including a letter when Godard demanded money from him for the production of “Two or Three Things”.

And ended with:

In any case, we no longer agree about anything.

Needless to Godard continued his tirade towards Truffaut and even after Truffaut’s death, there were no signs of Godard letting up.

I am amazed that people who lack ideas for new films (including some old friends like Truffaut, Rivette, who don’t have any more ideas than the guys whom they denounced twenty years ago), continue to adhere to the one and self-same system of filmmaking, which is easy to describe: a sum of so many million, multiplied by so many weeks, multiplied by a certain number of people.

In 1977, he did a talk with students and reviewed his career and said that he was relieved that his films after “Breathless” were financial failures. In his mind, he felt it kept him from becoming what he thought Truffaut had become: someone who “Talks to nobody, except to Polanski”. Godard felt that Polanski and Altman films “pretend to be intellectual when it’s pure merchandise”. He felt their style was dishonest. He felt that Truffaut was part of that group.

Needless to say, I do feel that in 1973, that letter stung Godard to his core. No one would dare tell him how they felt about him in such a manner, nor use the past as evidence to show how Godard was to them and he used his friendship. I think it was stinging to him because it was Truffaut. The man who has helped him so much with “Breathless” and earlier in his career.

Although both men tend to be compared, I have always seen Truffau and Godard, both men like apples and oranges when it comes to their approach to filmmaking. Truffaut is right that how Godard was something one month, and how he was different the other. Godard is a complex individual, a man of contradictions, a man that one shouldn’t try to figure out because you won’t be able to. And I think that’s why we love his films, he could care less of what people think but he just does them for his love of cinema, his way and his style.

Truffaut did films, his way and his style but he was not contradictory.  He went against traditional cinema his way and his style and I do believe that is the efficacy of the juxtaposition of both filmmakers in “Two in the Wave”.  I do believe that LAurent and de Baecque tried to keep things as balanced as they could and that is probably a good thing because the more you research, you start to make decisions of who is right and who is wrong.  This documentary wants you to enjoy both filmmakers for what they accomplished in their careers and during the friendship without getting into the nitty gritty of the demise of their friendship.

Godard inspired filmmakers with his attitude and doing things his way even if it angered his producers. While Truffaut, I admire him as a filmmaker and also his appreciation to the artistic work of filmmakers.  But I think the way how people have used the Lennon/McCartney comparison works for Truffaut and Godard. These two created films that were loved by many, films that were even despised by critics at times and both were rebellious as well. But both veered into opposite paths and there was no way this relationship could ever be repaired.

As for the DVD, the DVD features the film and no special features.  It would have been great to have some interviews with both director Emmanuel Laurent and writer/narrator Antoine de Baecque but if anything, for the film itself, it’s still one documentary that I do feel anyone interested in the French New Wave should watch.

“Two in the Wave” is a fascinating documentary for those who are fans of Truffaut and Godard and is highly recommended!

 

Brownlow, Coppola, Godard and Wallach to Receive Academy’s Governors Awards

Beverly Hills, CA – The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted last night to present the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producer-director Francis Ford Coppola and Honorary Awards to historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, director Jean-Luc Godard and actor Eli Wallach. All four awards will be presented at the Academy’s 2nd Annual Governors Awards dinner on Saturday, November 13, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

“Each of these honorees has touched movie audiences worldwide and influenced the motion picture industry through their work,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “It will be an honor to celebrate their extraordinary achievements and contributions at the Governors Awards.”

Brownlow is widely regarded as the preeminent historian of the silent film era as well as a preservationist. Among his many silent film restoration projects are Abel Gance’s 1927 epic “Napoleon,” Rex Ingram’s “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” (1921) and “The Thief of Bagdad” (1924), starring Douglas Fairbanks. Brownlow has authored, among others, The Parade’s Gone By; The War, the West, and the Wilderness; Hollywood: The Pioneers; Behind the Mask of Innocence; David Lean; and Mary Pickford Rediscovered. His documentaries include “Hollywood,” “Unknown Chaplin,” “Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow,” “Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius” and “D.W. Griffith: Father of Film,” all with David Gill; Brownlow also directed “Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic” and “Garbo,” the latter with Christopher Bird.

Coppola began his film career in the early 1960s making low-budget films with 2009 Honorary Award recipient Roger Corman. By the end of the 1970s he had won five Oscars®: Best Picture (“The Godfather Part II”); Directing (“The Godfather Part II”) and Writing (“Patton,” “The Godfather,” “The Godfather Part II”). Among his numerous producing credits are “American Graffiti, “Gardens of Stone,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” “Jack” and “Tetro.” In 1969 he established American Zoetrope, an independent film studio that helped launch the careers of George Lucas and Carroll Ballard, and has since produced more than 30 films, including “The Black Stallion,” “The Outsiders,” “Lost in Translation” and “The Good Shepherd.”

A key figure in the French New Wave movement, Godard started out writing about cinema before beginning to make his own short films. His influential first feature, “Breathless” (1960), impressed audiences and filmmakers alike with its jazzy take on the American crime film. For fifty years, Godard has continued to write and direct challenging, and sometimes controversial, films that have established his reputation as one of the seminal modernists in the history of cinema. His more than 70 features include “Contempt,” “Alphaville,” “Weekend” and “King Lear.” Godard is also credited with having influenced numerous contemporary directors, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh and Quentin Tarantino.

Born in Brooklyn in 1915, Wallach made his debut film appearance in Elia Kazan’s 1956 feature “Baby Doll,” starring alongside Karl Malden and Carroll Baker. Since then he has starred in more than 50 features including “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Misfits,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “The Godfather, Part III” and “The Holiday.” Throughout his lengthy career, Wallach has worked with such directors and actors as Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Douglas, Clint Eastwood, John Ford, Clark Gable, John Huston, Sergio Leone, Marilyn Monroe, Al Pacino, Gregory Peck and Kate Winslet. Wallach will next be seen in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”

The Honorary Award, an Oscar® statuette, is given to an individual for “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

The Thalberg Award, a bust of the motion picture executive, is given to “a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”

The Governors Awards presentation will be produced for the Academy by producer Sid Ganis with Don Mischer Productions.

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

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!

© Les Films du Jeud/1962-Les Films de la Pleiade-Paris. 2010 The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

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)

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!

Image courtesy of © Gaumont 1964. 2003 The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

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!

Contempt – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #171 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Visually poetic and nearly 50-years later, still a fantastic film.  “Le Mepris” (Contact) is a wonderful Godard film that deserves to be included in your cinema collection.

Image courtesy of © 1963 Studiocanal, Image/Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, s.p.a. © 2002 The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Contempt – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #171

DURATION: 104 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color (2:35:1), French with optional English subtitles, Monaural

COMPANY: Studio Canal/The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2002

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard

Based on the novel “Il Disprezzo” by Alberto Moravia

Produced by Georges de Beauregard, Carlo Ponti

Music by Georges Delerue

Cinematography by Raoul Coutard

Edited by Agnes Guillemot

Starring:

Brigitte Bardot as Camille Javal

Michel Piccoli as Paul Javal

Jack Palance as Jeremy Prokosch

Giorgia Moll as Francesca Vanini

Fritz Lang as himself

Jean-Luc Godard’s subversive foray into commercial filmmaking is a star-studded Cinemascope epic. Contempt (Le Mépris) stars Michel Piccoli as a screenwriter torn between the demands of a proud European director (played by legendary director Fritz Lang), a crude and arrogant American producer (Jack Palance), and his disillusioned wife, Camille (Brigitte Bardot), as he attempts to doctor the script for a new film version of The Odyssey. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this brilliant study of marital breakdown, artistic compromise, and the cinematic process in a new special edition.

With Jean-Luc Godard spearheading the French New Wave after many of his other contemporaries have been forgotten, Italian film producer Carlo Ponti and Jean-Luc Godard began work on  the film “Le Mepris” (Contempt) in 1963.   A film that would be an adaptation of Alberto Moravia’s novel “The Ghost at Noon” and also would be Godard’s first foray to what can be seen as a commercial film with celebrities, but done the Jean-Luc Godard way.

Known as probably one of Godard’s more accessible films, despite known for working with his wife Anna Karina for many of his films prior to “Le Mepris”, as the film was being looked at as a film to attract international attention, the most photographed woman in the world at the time, Brigitte Bardot, is featured in the film.  Alongside actors Michel Piccoli (“Dillinger is Dead”), Jack Palance and Giorga Moll.  Also, the film would mark a collaboration with Jean-Luc Godard and one of his favorite director’s Fritz Lang (“Metropolis”, “M”, “Die Nibelungen”) who will be playing the character of a director with the same name and also would reunite Godard with French New Wave’s Jacques Rozier (who would direct two documentaries that relate to the film “Contempt”).

The film revolves around playwright Paul Javal (played by Michel Piccoli) and his wife Camille (played by Brigitte Bardot).  The two are very much in love and spend time with each other but when Paul is called to meet with producer Jeremy Prokosch (played by Jack Palance) and his interpreter/assistant Francesca Vanini (played by Giorgia Moll), his life is changed when the arrogant producer is not thrilled with the screenplay of the movie that Fritz Lang has shot.

Paul is paid $10,000 to write a new screenplay for the commercial version of “Ulysses and his Odyssey” which will be directed by Fritz Lang.  For Paul, this sounds like an excellent chance for him to pay off the apartment where he and Camille live.  So, when Camille goes to meet with Paul, Prokosch looks as if he is more interested in getting to know Paul’s wife.  In fact, he allows her to ride with him (in his two-seater Alfa Romero) to his place while he goes to fetch a taxi.

By the time he arrives, Paul notices his wife is upset and distant and he can’t understand why she is upset.  While his wife is sulking, Paul flirts around with the translator Francesca and gives her a tap on the bottom which Camille catches him doing.  For Paul, this is no big deal.

But when they arrive home, Camille tells him that she no longer loves him in fact that she now has feels contempt towards him. He asks why?  Yesterday, she loved him and now she doesn’t.   She looks at the experience of that day of her husband using her to achieve his business deal, he looks at the situation as a way to pay of their debt.  But she sees Prokosch’s motivation, Paul does not.  And right before our eyes, we see the disintegration of a marriage.

“Contempt” is a film that would spotlight the conflict of a director and the producer but also the incompatibility and misunderstandings of a reflective man and an instinctive woman.

VIDEO:

“Contempt” is presented in 2:35:1 and filmed via cinemascope in full color.  The film would become one of the first films that Godard and cinematographer Raoul Coutard would utilize color in a manner that they have never done before.  And shooting in the beautiful locations of Capri and in Rome, “Contempt” is a gorgeous film (which of course would look even better on Blu-ray, side note: the Blu-ray has been released in America by StudioCanal) with colors looking much more vibrant.

It’s also important to note that so many people who have seen this film on television, saw it in 4:3 standard format with the sides cut off and thus giving the worst presentation of the film as it was not meant to be.  With this DVD release, viewers saw this film in its original theatrical aspect.

According to the Criterion Collection, the new high-definition digital transfer was created from a 35mm interpositive made from the restored camera negative and was supervised by Beatrice Valbin of StudioCanal and cinematographer Raoul Coutard. To further enhance the image, the MTI Digital Restoration System was used to remove thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Contempt” is presented in monaural French with optional English subtitles.  According to the Criterion Collection, the soundtrack was mastered from a 35mm magnetic track and mastered at 24-bit.  Audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle.

For the most part, the dialogue and music is clear.  I opted to listen to the film with my receiver set to stereo on all channels.  And I absolutely loved the music by Georges Delerue which fit the mood for the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Contempt – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #171” comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

• Audio Commentary by Film Scholar Robert Stam – An informative commentary by film scholar Robert Stam who does a fantastic job in dissecting various scenes of the movie.
  

DISC 2:

• The Dinosaur and the Baby (1967): a conversation between Jean-Luc Godard and Fritz Lang – (1:00:12) A conversation between Godard and Fritz Lang released back in 1967 as part of the “Cineastes Du Notre Temps” series produced by Andre Labarthe.  The two would discuss what it is like being a director, on being romantic, youth, censorship, if Fritz Lang would ever direct again, difference in method, mise-en-sene, why make a film today and more.  A wonderful special feature to see both directors discussing cinema.
• Le Parti Des Choses: Bardot et Godard - (9:32) A short documentary by Jacques Rozier.  The documentary would show Godard and Bardot working together.
• Paparazzi - (17:49) A documentary by Jacques Rozier about the difficult of filming “Contempt” as paparazzi would do whatever it took to capture a photo of Brigitte Bardot.  We get to see how Bardot feels about them and also the perspective from the paparazzi’s eyes.
• Jean-Luc Godard interview excerpt – (10:30) An interview with Godard who addresses his feelings about film reviews and audience response to his previous films.
• A new video interview with legendary cinematographer Raoul Coutard – (26:28) Coutard talks about working with Godard, shooting the film in Cinemascope and also some behind-the-scenes discussion about the filming of “Contempt” and the talent.
• Widescreen vs. Fullframe – (4:02) A short featurette showing how “Contempt” was cut when going from 2:35:1 to 4:3 during the TV screening of the film. Showing what parts were cut off from the 2:35:1 version when shown on television and how it changes the film quite significantly.
• Original theatrical trailer – (2:29) The original theatrical trailer for “Le Mepris”.
• Contempt: A Story of a Marriage - Included is a five-fold insert featuring an essay by Phillip Lopate

“Contempt” is the film in which Godard was given the opportunity to nearly work the big budget Hollywood-style film that he had always dreamed of.  Working with one of the most popular woman in the planet, Brigitte Bardot and the talented Michel Piccoli and to work alongside his favorite director Fritz Lang.  It seemed as if “Contempt” would be the film that would generate the highest buzz and a dream that would be realized.

The fact is that “Contempt” is a popular Godard film especially for cinema fans who are appreciative of Godard oeuvre.  But the film didn’t do well in Europe nor did it make money in the box office.  In fact, the film received 50/50 reviews of from film critics who loved it and those who disliked it and found it too pretentious.

Personally, I found “Contempt” to be a wonderful and artistic film from Godard in which he was put on the pedestal by producers especially American film and distributor Joseph E. Levine who appears to have probably never watched a Godard film and only known his name through the popularity of the French New Wave.  The fact is that Godard does his films his way and his style and so, “Contempt” behind-the-scenes was much more messier than anyone including Godard would ever realize.

Brigitte Bardot was not known for her acting but yet she was the most popular woman in the world.  She was defiant, rebellious and like Godard, did things her way.  And for those familiar with Godard films, his style is not to rehearse and usually keep his talents in the dark by not giving them a script.  But at the time, Bardot was looking for the role to get away from the kitschy films that she had worked previously and wanted to be taken seriously as an actress.  Problem is that she brought an entourage that the filmmaker and the crew had problems dealing with, she also brought paparazzi that Godard never had to deal with and because she was treated so specially, her rule was that she would not film early in the morning which caused problems with scheduling.

As for actor Jack Palance, he came into the film not knowing much about Jean-Luc Godard but knew about the novel that the film was adapted from and was excited about his role until he found out that Godard changed the screenplay which upset Palance and also not used to Godard’s style of directing, Palance was infuriated by Godard just telling him what to do and making sure that he didn’t do what the director suggested until he received a reason why he was doing what he was being told.  This was not Hollywood as Palance was sure to find out and this added more stress to the filmmaker and the crew.

In fact, Palance told L’Express, “We never know in advance what we’re going to do.  There’s almost no dialogue.  It’s the worst experience I’ve ever had! It’s madness!”.

But behind-the-scenes, the marriage turmoil between Jean-Luc Godard and wife Anna Karina was taking shape and the screenplay of “Le Mepris” (Contempt) was starting to become a film about Jean-Luc Godard and his life with Anna Karina.  As Godard films are known to project the director into his characters, “Contempt” was a film in which Michel Piccoli was playing Godard and Bardot was playing Karina.

Piccoli said in an interview with “Realites”, “The male character in ‘Contempt’ is Godard.  He wanted me to wear his tie, his hat and his shoes”.  Godard’s cinematographer Raoul Coutard even said, “I am convinced that in ‘Contempt’ he is trying to explain something to his wife.”

In fact, the words that were used in the film were words used by Karina.  The dark wig that Bardot wore in the film was similar to the black wig that Karina wore in “Vivre sa Vie” and the exclamation point that “Contempt” was a film that embodied Godard and Karina’s relationship was Bardot’s comment in “Initiales B.B.” in which she said, “Godard told me that I had to be filmed with my back to the camera, and to walk away from it, straight ahead.  I rehearsed, and he wasn’t happy.  I asked him why.  Because he said, my manner was not the same as Anna Karina’s!”.

Needless to say, the harmonious featurette on the DVD by Jacques Rozier showing the happy working relationship between Godard and Bardot was certainly specious.  And to make things even more complicated that after the film was made, the producers were not satisfied as they wanted more nudity, more of Brigitte Bardot’s derriere in the film.  After so much arguments and even certain version of the film in which Godard’s name was taken off the credits (it’s important to note that producer Carlo Ponti was trying to get Francois Truffaut in replacing Godard, especially since Godard was not replying to producer/distributor Levine’s telegrams in to making the film more erotic.

So, in essence “Contempt” was a not only a film that showed contempt onscreen, behind-the-scenes of the making of the film, there was plenty of it.  This was Godard’s test and perhaps his only taste of creating a film with such a high budget (despite most of that budget going towards Bardot, Palance and Lang) and once again, Godard showing that he would buckle to his producers and would create the film that he wanted.  No compromises.

The fact is that “Contempt” because of the nature of what went on behind-the-scenes in making this film, is a sore point to Godard and even the producers, especially Levine and both men are in awe of how popular this film is still received by cinema fans of today.  Nearly 50-years since the release of this film in the theaters, the interest in “Contempt” has not waned.  More and more people who have discovered Godard’s oeuvre have found “Contempt” to perfectly show the conflict of a husband and wife and it seems improbable for many people to think that one can have contempt towards a significant other in the manner that is displayed in the film but the fact is, Godard was having these issues in his personal life.

His connection to cinema is his passion, as the character of Paul.  His life is embodied in cinema but their significant others are not.  And for “Contempt”, the film deviates from the novel as the premise of the screenwriter working on the film “Odyssey” has now been changed.  In “Contempt”, Paul is the rewriter of the film that is being shot by Fritz Lang.  In the novel, the director uses “Odyssey” to showcase the deterioration of the couple but not in “Contempt”.  The dictator-ish American producer is the one wanting to make “Contempt” commercially viable.  As Godard was using Paul and Camille as characters based on him and Karina, was Prokosch his way of giving the middle finger to American producer/distributor Joseph E. Levine?  Quite possibly.

And that is what I enjoyed about “Contempt” and Godard’s filmmaking.  Although for “Contempt”, the film was a compromise as Godard was literally pushed into the corner by the producers and had to compromise in trying to bring those erotic images of Bardot to the screen although not the way Levine had wanted it, but this was Godard’s recognition that the years of the Hollywood film that he once watched and the artistic freedom that director’s once had was no more.   The dream that he had always wanted to become part of as a fan of cinema was fully learned by the director that his entry to a big budget film in which have artistic freedom wasn’t going to happen.

But for those of us who watch this film and knowing what Godard was able to accomplish, especially with three angry producers and the talent he had been given, we can only judge what we see onscreen.  For Godard-ites, we recognize the pain and the breakdown of the relationship of Godard and Karina, like we recognize Godard dying at the hands of Karina twice in the film “Made in U.S.A.”.  I found this film to be visual poetry and a highlight in Godard’s career.

The DVD comes with plenty of special features and a wonderful commentary by film scholar Robert Stam and I know that there is a Blu-ray release by StudioCanal out in the market today and this Criterion Collection DVD edition is now out of print.   I have not personally watched the Blu-ray version of “Contempt” yet, so I can’t comment on how it compares to the DVD version in picture quality (which is a given that that the Blu-ray will be better in PQ and AQ).

But overall, “Le Mepris” (Contempt) is a film worthy of having in your cinema collection.  If you are a fan of Godard films, personally, this is a must-own film.  A wonderful DVD release from the Criterion Collection and is a release that I definitely recommend!

Tout va Bien – The Criterion Collection #275 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Tout Va Bien” is definitely not an accessible Jean-Luc Godard film but a fascinating look into the filmmaker’s “radical” period when teamed up with Jean-Pierre Gorin.  A film that is literally an assault on consumer capitalism and social/political digress starring Yves Montand and Jane Fonda.  Another fantastic release from The Criterion Collection.  Definitely not for everyone!

Image courtesy of © 1972 Gaumont. © 2005 The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Tout va Bien – The Criterion Collection #275

DURATION: 96 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, Monaural in French with English Subtitles, 1:66:1 Aspect Ratio

COMPANY: HVE/Gaumont/The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2005

Written and Directed by Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorin

Produced and Executive Produced by Jean-Pierre Rassam

Music by Paul Beuscher

Cinematography by Armand marco

Edited by Claudine Merline, Kenout Peltier

Production Design by Jacques Dugied

Starring:

Yves Montand as Jacques

Jane Fonda as Suzanne

Vittorio Caprioli as Factory Manager

In 1972, newly radicalized Hollywood star Jane Fonda joined forces with cinematic innovator Jean-Luc Godard and collaborator Jean-Pierre Gorin in an unholy artistic alliance that resulted in Tout va bien (Everything’s All Right). This free-ranging assault on consumer capitalism and the establishment left tells the story of a wildcat strike at a sausage factory as witnessed by an American reporter (Fonda) and her has-been New Wave film director husband (Yves Montand). The Criterion Collection is proud to present this masterpiece of radical cinema, a caustic critique of society, marriage, and revolution in post-1968 France.

May 1968, France’s economy was shut down.  The largest general strike in an advanced industrial country, 11 million workers were on strike for two weeks and student protests ran rampant.  It was a blow to President Charles de Gaulle’s government and groups revolted against modern consumer and technical society.

1972.  Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard ala the man who was instrumental for Nouvelle Vague was no more.  The era from the late ’60s to early ’70s was the filmmaker’s “radical” years.  His interest in Maoist Ideology led to his partnership with Jean-Pierre Gorin and together they formed the socialist-idealist Dziga-Vertov Cinema group (named after Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov) and both would go on to create political films and from 1968-1973, the two would create five films showcasing their Maoist beliefs and one prominent film from that era of Godard’s career was “Tout va Bien” starring Yves Montand, Jane Fonda and Vittorio Caprioli.

“Tout va Bien” (Everything’s Fine) was the final major film to be created by Godard and Gorin.  The film revolves around a filmmaker named Jacques  (played by Yves Montand) and his wife/radio host/reporter named Suzanne (played by Jane Fonda).  Jane Fonda is not enjoying her relationship with her Marxist ideological husband and vice versa.

One day, they go to a sausage factory and immediately there is a revolt.  The employees at the factory have had enough of the mistreatment and are now all on strike.  For Jacques and Suzanne, both are held inside the factory for two days straight.

We then watch the deconstruction of what is going on at the factory via a Marxist style courtesy of Godard as we hear the employees, the union and the management giving their reasoning of why they are striking and what they perceive is happening.  The manager (played by Vittorio Caprioli) just wants to get home for a dinner party and doesn’t mind negotiating with the employees but because of their actions, he will not bow down to them.  The union members are angered because the employees went on strike and are doing things on their own and the employees are sick and tired of their mistreatment and seeing their wages docked for things such as going to the bathroom.

Although the film is quite political in its message, especially with the class struggle and Brechtian via it’s Marxist style, it is quite interesting to see how things play out and how the employees are seen almost like an ant farm via the cinematography of the factory set courtesy of cinematographer Armand Marco.

Hidden under several layers of the film is a love story or probably a story of the lack of understanding between the characters of Jacques and Suzanne.  Despite the film having big names, the film is mostly about what is taking place between the employees, the striking individuals who are sick of it all and bringing it to the big screen.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Tout va Bien” is presented in color (1:66:1).  For the most part, the film looks good but not as striking or vibrant like “Made in U.S.A.”.  There are where the film’s age does feel evident through the noise presented in the video.  But for the most part, Criterion has done a great job in trying to eliminate as much of dust and scratches from the film.  According to Criterion, the new digital transfer was created from a 35mm interpositive.  Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Tout va Bien” is presented in monaural via a 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic track and according to Criterion, the audio restoration tools were implemented in order to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle.  The audio is Dolby Digital 1.0 center channel driven but for those with a modern receiver can easily set their receiver to stereo on all channels to have a more immersive soundtrack if needed.  The film is primarily dialogue driven with a little music heard during a few sequences.

Subtitles (for the French dialogue) are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Tout va Bien – The Criterion Collection #275″ comes with the following special features:

• Letters to Jane – (52:22) An unauthorized sequel to “Tout va Bien”, Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorin evaluate a controversial photo of Jane Fonda visiting Hanoi (that was featured in the French magazine “L’Express”).  Was this photo manipulated by Jane?  The North Vietnamese people?  The French magazine that published it?    Both Godard and Gorin were very critical of Jane Fonda in this film and the film would be the final collaboration for both Godard and Gorin.
• Jean-Luc Godard, 1972 – (7:04) A 1972 interview excerpted from the French documentary “La Politique et le bonheur”.  Godard talks about political filmmaking and “Tout va Bien”.  Interesting to see Godard interviewed in his robe.
• Jean-Pierre Gorin, 2004 – (27:02) An interview with Jean-Pierre Gorin in 2004 in NYC for the Criterion Collection.  Gorin talks about the making of “Tout va Bien” and “Letter to Jane”.
• 40-Page Booklet – Featuring the following essays “Tout va bien revisited” by J. Hoberman, “Letter to Jean-Pierre and Jean-Luc” by Kent Jones, “Postscript to May 1968″ by Colin McCabe and “Angle and Reality: Godard and Gorin in America” by Robert Phillip Kolker.

I’m going to tell you right now…If you have never watched a Jean-Luc Godard film, do not start with this film.  “Tout va Bien” is possibly the most radical film I have seen come from the Criterion Collection and to appreciate this film, you need to go along with the journey of knowing Godard’s previous films.  Seeing how this filmmaker changed from “Breathless” up to “Weekend” and then seeing how the turbulent times had changed Godard.

From what transpired in France in May 1968, the Algerian War to the Vietnam War, those French New Wave years were over and this Maoist Ideological version of Godard is what the late ’60s and ’70s is what had become of the man.

Godard mentioned in an interview that what you learn from “Tout va Bien” depends on your background and your condition of life.  I have to agree.  To see how the three social forces are shown in this film, from listening to the management, the employees, the union (CP), the leftist and those who look at their lives and it was Godard and Gorin’s way to sum up of what transpired in France in the last few years.  Gorin said this is a film about France in 1968 and 1972 and thus the film goes into the tribulations felt from the people and the attack on capital consumerism.  In fact, the final scenes in a supermarket was chaos but enjoyable chaos onscreen of an incident that took place.

One can start watching this film and thinking a dying love story between Yves Montand and Jane Fonda but these characters are merely just a backdrop to the events that transpire.  They are also the star power needed to get the money to fund the film.

“Tout va Bien” is definitely not Godard’s most accessible film and in fact, it was a critical and theatrical failure.  And even Jane Fonda’s star power wasn’t going to help because since 1970, she became more of a political activist even helping in the FTA Tour (Fuck the Army) to show her opposition to the Vietnam War and in the biggest shock to people worldwide, Fonda visiting Hanoi in July 1972 and sure enough, North Vietnam released pictures with her with them and eventually used for propaganda.

Needless to say, Godard and Gorin were not amused and immediately began working on the unauthorized sequel titled “Letter to Jane” and questioning the photograph and whether or not it was devised by Fonda.   The film was the final collaboration between Godard and Gorin and fortunately, the Criterion Collection has added it as a special feature to the “Tout va Bien” DVD.

I enjoyed “Tout va Bien” because of my fascination with Godard’s work.  He was a man who walked the beat of his own drum and he was deeply unsatisfied with the way cinema was going and thus he did what he can to bring his view of the world into his films.  Where “Made in U.S.A.” definitely showed more of a side of his philosophy, “Tout va Bien” is Godard fully consumed by the world around him and using the film as a way to get his message across to a worldwide audience.

This is an awesome release from the Criterion Collection but at the same time, I caution those not familiar with Godard’s work to not watch this film until you get a good grasp of his work because then you can actually feel the fascination of how this filmmaker changed.  But this story shows relevance to many people today.  From the employee who feels they are being taken advantage of by their boss, to the couple who feel their life is just a routine and there is no love left.

I dare not want to call this a love story but there is a love story within this radical film.  Come into this film with an open mind, a good amount of sleep and soak it all in.  And eventually, you can appreciate what Godard and Gorin were trying to accomplish.  I really don’t know if we will ever see any more of the Dziga Vertov films anytime soon, but the fact that the Criterion Collection includes the two final films by the company is fantastic!

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