Jean-Luc Godard, who passed away earlier this year, was one of the leading figures of the French New Wave. He directed several groundbreaking movies that would go on to become beloved classics, including Breathless and Band of Outsiders. He had a lasting impact on cinema and has been cited as an inspiration by dozens of directors, from Francis Ford Coppola and Claire Denis to Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson.
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Godard started out as a movie critic in the 1950s at the publication Cahiers du Cinéma before stepping behind the camera himself. His movies are defined by unorthodox and energetic camera work, along with political themes and nonlinear narratives. Describing his disjointed storytelling style, he once quipped, "A film consists of a beginning, a middle, and an end, though not necessarily in that order."
'Alphaville' (1965) - IMDb: 7.0/10
This sci-fi neo-noir film centers on secret agent Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) who is sent to the distant city of Alphaville to carry out a series of missions. These include finding a missing agent, assassinating the creator of Alphaville, and, finally, destroying the city itself and the computer that runs it.
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Like most of Godard's movies, the dialogue was mostly improvised. However, Alphaville also stands apart from the director's other work in that it ditches a more realistic setting for a futuristic one reminiscent of an Orwellian dystopia.
'The Little Soldier' (1963) - IMDb: 7.1/10
This historical drama takes place during the Algerian War, fought between France and an Algerian group known as FLN. It tells the story of Bruno (Michel Subor), a Frenchman working for a terrorist organization aimed at undermining the FLN. However, he faces a moral quandary when he falls in love with Véronica (Anna Karina), a woman who supports the FLN.
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The Little Soldier boasts terrific lead performances and an important anti-torture message. It was actually initially banned in France because of this. The film is also notable for being Godard's first collaboration with Anna Karina. They would eventually get married, and Karina would become the quintessential Godard female lead.
'Une femme mariée' (1964) - IMDb: 7.1/10
Une femme mariée (French for 'a married woman') tells the story of Charlotte (Macha Méril), who is torn between her abusive husband (Philippe Leroy) and her superficial lover (Bernard Noël). There isn't much plot, though. The film mostly comprises meandering conversations on topics like memory, history, and identity.
Godard also deploys his unorthodox narrative tricks, as one would expect. The film is shot in striking black-and-white and makes innovative use of documentary footage. He interrupts the narrative with advertisements for women's clothes and monologues about body image. Méril is enchanting in the lead role and really gives the audience an open window into her character's mind.
'A Woman is a Woman' (1961) - IMDb: 7.4/10
One of Godard's more lighthearted movies, A Woman is a Womanis a musical and a romantic comedy. Karina stars as exotic dancer Angéla who is desperate to have a baby. However, her boyfriend Émile (Jean-Claude Brialy) says he is not ready. Things get complicated when Émile's friend Alfred (Jean-Paul Belmondo) offers to impregnate Angéla.
The musical numbers are sweet, and the film delivers plenty of tender moments. There's one particularly good scene where Karina and Alfred communicate by holding up books with titles that express what they want to say.
'Masculine Feminine' (1966) - IMDb: 7.4/10
Another romantic drama, Masculine Feminine chronicles the relationship between Paul (Jean-Pierre Léaud), a young idealist, and Madeleine (Chantal Goya), who is an aspiring pop star. The film explores Paul and Madeleine's contrasting views on music and politics. Once again, Godard uses some techniques borrowed from documentaries, like interviews with the characters where they expound on life and art.
In particular, the movie delves into the pop culture of France at the time, where American movies and music were all the rage among the youth, to the dismay of older generations. It also works as a layered character study of the young leads."Masculine Feminine is that rare movie achievement," wrote American critic Pauline Kael. "A work of grace and beauty in a contemporary setting."
'Contempt' (1963) - IMDb: 7.5/10
"Don't forget: the Gods have not created men. Men have created Gods." Contempt is one of Godard's larger-scale movies, with a bigger budget and bigger stars. While not as impressive as his best work, it succeeds as the director's send-up of the movie business.
It's also an acerbic drama about the collapse of a marriage. Playwright Paul Javal (Michel Piccoli) is hired to work on a film and brings his wife Camille (Brigitte Bardot) along to the set. But the film's producer (Jack Palance) has his sights set on Camille, putting Paul in a difficult position. He obviously doesn't want the producer making moves on his wife, but at the same time, he depends on the producer for his career advancement. Most of the drama stems from this predicament.
'Pierrot le Fou' (1965) - IMDb: 7.5/10
"Why do you look so sad?" "Because you speak to me in words and I look at you with feelings." Ferdinand (Belmondo) - aka Pierrot - is unhappily married, recently unemployed, and feeling stifled by bourgeois life. He abandons his wife and children to run off with his ex Marianne (Karina).
However, it turns out that gangsters from a far-right group are pursuing her. The pair of them live on the run, outside the law, and eventually settle in the French Riviera, but soon cracks start to appear in their relationship. It makes for one of Godard's most adventurous and visually gorgeous movies.
'Band of Outsiders' (1964) - IMDb: 7.6/10
Franz (Sami Frey) and Arthur (Claude Brasseur), two criminals with a passion for Hollywood B-movies, enlist Odile (Karina), a young woman studying languages, to help them carry out a robbery. It's Godard's take on a gangster movie, and easily one of his most beloved films.
The film features an iconic dance scene, which has been endlessly referenced and parodied, from Pulp Fiction to Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers. Interesting bit of trivia: the French title for Band of Outsiders - Bande à part - was the inspiration for the name of Quentin Tarantino's production company, A Band Apart.
'Breathless' (1960) - IMDb: 7.7/10
Godard's first feature-length project was this innovative crime drama following a young criminal Michel (Belmondo) who steals a car, kills a police officer, and goes on the run. The only person he has to turn to is his on-again-off-again American girlfriend Patricia (Jean Seberg). Michel repeatedly breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience, and the film is shot in a frenetic, hand-held documentary-style
"There was one way you could do things," Godard has said about Breathless's experimental style. "There were people who protected it like a copyright, a secret cult only for the initiated. That's why I don't regret making Breathless and blowing that all apart." Roger Ebert added Breathless to his Great Movies list, saying, "No debut film since Citizen Kane in 1942 has been as influential... [It's] headlong pacing, its cool detachment, its dismissal of authority, and the way its narcissistic young heroes are obsessed with themselves and oblivious to the larger society."
'Vivre Sa Vie' (1962) - IMDb: 7.9/10
"Words should express just what one has to say. Do they betray us?”Vivre Sa Vie (French for 'Live Your Life') is made up of twelve vignettes depicting the life of Nana (Karina), a young Parisian woman who leaves her family in the hopes of becoming an actress. However, she struggles and faces a series of challenges, becoming increasingly isolated. Eventually, she resorts to sex work to make a living.
The movie is melancholy and philosophical, referencing writers like Montaigne, Baudelaire, and Edgar Allan Poe. Once again, Godard's experimental instincts are on full display. He makes use of jump cuts, fourth wall breaks, and title cards that explain what will happen next. But the anchor of the movie is the powerhouse performance from Karina. She is utterly absorbing as the troubled Nana. Cultural critic Susan Sontagcalled Vivre Sa Vie "a perfect film" and "one of the most extraordinary, beautiful, and original works of art that I know of."
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