Tag: Jean-Luc godard

Contempt

Contempt a.k.a. Le Mepris is a 1963 movie directed by Jean-Luc Godard.

WHAT HAPPENS?

The marriage between a screenwriter and his wife falls apart during a trip to Italy.

ONE LINE REVIEW

Contempt is a stylish, lush, honest but bleak portrayal of damaged relationships.

THE ACTORS

Michel Piccoli and Brigitte Bardot play Paul and Camille, a young couple whose relationship craters during the production of an Odysseus movie. Piccoli portrays Paul in a sort of suspended state: he takes on a writing job in lush Capri solely for financial gain, which stifles his creativity – and he learns his wife doesn’t love him anymore. Piccoli conveys a continual dread and depression about his life – which is brilliantly contrasted by the immaculate beauty surrounding him.

Bardot assumes the role of Camille, who after meeting Jack Palance’s churlish Jeremy – the producer of the movie – senses the downfall of her own relationship. Bardot’s character is interesting given her rapid emotional fluctuations – she expertly conveys a heavy sadness throughout the movie. She assumes a female role familiar in many Godard works, yet she maintains an appealing grace and power.

Palance and German director Fritz Lang round out the cast. Palance is terrific playing Jeremy – a producer who despises the artistic nature of filmmaking. He is fixated only on the erotic appeal of art, which translates to his continued pursuit of Bardot’s Camille. Lang plays himself – only here he is the director resigned to the commercial limits placed on his art. His dialogue – which he patiently delivers – serves to endorse the truths of the auteur, rather than its system of delivery.

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Le Petit Soldat

Le Petit Soldat is a 1963 movie directed by Jean-Luc Godard.

WHAT HAPPENS?

During the Algerian War, a member of a right-wing terrorist group falls in love with a member of a left-wing terrorist group.

ONE LINE REVIEW

Le Petit Soldat sees Godard challenge the existential ideals of love and alliance.

THE ACTORS

Michel Subor plays Bruno Forestier, the oft-reluctant Frenchman under the thumb of a right-wing terrorist group. Subor is given an interesting, if not fairly limited role. He’s a suspected double agent unwilling to carry out an assassination. Subor skillfully and briefly shows the nerves of a young man pressed into such a situation – yet the remainder of his character is nondescript, much in the manner of most spies. He is given ample time to expound his political and social views during the movie’s final half hour.

Likewise, this is probably Anna Karina’s most subdued Godard role. The vibrancy of her past characters is replaced with an air of mystery. We’re never sure where her motivations lie – she feels like more of an object than person. Early in the movie, she is photographed by Forestier while asked a series of questions. The scene could represent her own interrogation – either politically or as Forestier’s love interest. Yet even in this sense, her Veronica exists almost as an allusion; Forestier seeks to compare her eyes – a “Vasquez or Renoir grey.”

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Sympathy for the Devil/One Plus One

Sympathy for the Devil is a 1968 movie directed by Jean-Luc Godard.

Sympathy for the Devil/One Plus One is a pseudo-documentary masquerading as a leftist anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-fascist revolt. Godard mixes studio footage of The Rolling Stones creating Sympathy for the Devil with segments featuring Black Panther poets, an intellectual interrogation in the forest and a fascist, pornographic book store before closing on the beach as a film crew shoots scenes. The transitions between scenes include graffiti scribbled among various sites and the reading of a lewd novel.

THE BEST – Godard Wants You to Fuck Off

Sympathy for the Devil is Godard at his subversive height. He’s essentially making a Rolling Stones documentary where the band is mere background against messages of political revolution. We never hear from any of the band members – they are not identified and their purpose is never revealed. It’s a fascinating display of ego – Godard is granted access to a famous band and uses them as mere props. Anyone coming to this movie expecting to see the Stones will be sadly disappointed – which is kind of the point.

THE BEST Part 2 – Building the Song

However, it’s fascinating to have a view of the Stones crafting Sympathy for the Devil. The band adds different layers to the song throughout Godard’s segments – building simple harmonies into a dense piece of art.

THE WORST – No Edits

Godard is also at his most self-indulgent throughout the movie. His scenes with the Black Panthers and the forest interrogation linger uninterrupted. Perhaps he’s trying to offer the same unimpeded view he gave the Stones – or at least compare their process to the revolutionaries – but the segments become repetitive.

FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 3.75/5

Godard’s vision and petulance are worth 5 stars; however the filmed result is intentionally indulgent and tedious at times. Still, Sympathy for the Devil is a wonderful experiment and a unique movie.