Jean-Luc Godard

[Capo]

jake said:

That being said, HMV occasionally have some excellent deals; I found Nostalghia, Andrei Rublev and Solaris all going for £11.99 recently, very rare to see them below £20 there.

Mirror is currently £9.99.

I was planning on revisiting Godard's work too, what I have of it. I get excited just thinking about those piano riffs, freeze-frames and obscure narration of Éloge de l'amour.

I'd like to get through those available which I haven't seen, too: Slow Motion, 2 or 3 Things..., La Chinoise, and, if I could somehow find them, the three films of his second boxset.

[jake]

I bought a copy of Éloge de l'amour a few weeks ago. I found it overwhelming (in a bad way) the first time I saw it, but I'm sure I'll like it much more on a rewatch.

You still haven't bought Mirror? . I've added it to my four-star films list and would have no problem with calling it the greatest film of all time. Surely that is enough motivation now? ;D

[Michael]

wetdog said:

17. 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1966)

0 stars! That's very strange to me. Care to elaborate?

I thought you'd love the use of color, and soothing voice-over...

[RNL]

It's been almost a year since I saw it, and I don't remember the use of colour--or anything at all about the film--being particularly impressive, but I do remember finding the voice-over annoying and the subject matter uninteresting.

[Michael]

wetdog said:

I don't remember the use of colour--or anything at all about the film--being particularly impressive

Do you remember the extreme close-up of the cup of coffee? What about the final scene?

I thought every moment of the film was oozing with beauty and provocativeness. Probably the best I've seen from Godard.

[RNL]

mikevronsky said:

wetdog said:

I don't remember the use of colour--or anything at all about the film--being particularly impressive

Do you remember the extreme close-up of the cup of coffee? What about the final scene?

Vaguely. It mustn't have been a very memorable experience. I remember lots of shots of cranes and the Paris skyline, I never for a second thought it was beautiful.

What was the final scene?

[Michael]

wetdog said:

What was the final scene?

The camera zooming away from a bunch of cleaning products laid out on the grass.

[Capo]

On another watch, I might rank Sympathy for the Devil in his top three (though Le mépris is due a rewatch for competition). Stylistically it's very much in the vain of Weekend, but its politics are hammered home with the same exhausting intensity as in La Chinoise. It's fascinating throughout, and I can't wait to see it again.

Highly recommended. Wet Dog, what were your further thoughts on Bande à part?

[Capo]

wetdog said:

But in order for me to appreciate Tout va bien and Weekend, I actually have to look past the anti-capitalist propagandising. It's not something I admire.

But would you agree that apolitical lovers of Cinema such as yourself are caught in a kind of dilemma with a lot of Godard's work, since it seems that political upheaval and a radical, revolutionary standpoint seems to have brought out the aesthetic best in him?

"When making political art, one should never neglect the art."
La Chinoise.

[Michael]

I've been thinking lately that Godard might be the Shakespeare of cinema. I see a lot of parallels in the way each present their art; with witty, provacative dialogue, a heavy dose of self-indulgence, narcissism, and genuine brilliance throughout. Both are also massively influential, and most likely controversial during their time (Godard still is).

[Capo]

I'd liken Godard more to James Joyce.

[Capo]

Did you record Sympathy for the Devil, Wet Dog?

[RNL]

No, I missed it, but it's on again next Saturday.

[Capo]

Watch it, then.

Or I'll cut ya balls off.

[RNL]

Yikes! Will do.

[Capo]

[Capo]

You've knocked some of his ratings, down, Wet Dog. Without reasons, I'll take a hammer to your face...

[Boz]

I never jumped in.

Breathless (1959)
Contempt (1963)

[Michael]

Simply thinking about Week End and Pierrot le Fou make me want to jump them up to 4 stars. There are some real mindnumbingly boring momets in those films, but the images Godard creates, and how he combines them with his music and dialogue just leave a massive imprint in the back of your mind. I can't stop thinking about the final scene in Pierrot le Fou, which more or less makes the rest of the film worthwhile. Or the scene in Week End with the black and white "brothers" talking for one another.

If I were to indulge myself in a single filmmaker's work, I think Godard would be the first I'd want to explore. From his first film to his latest.

[RNL]

admin said:

You've knocked some of his ratings, down, Wet Dog. Without reasons, I'll take a hammer to your face...

Just part of my general revisions. I've pared back my rating system. I think I'm being quite generous with Godard, pending some rewatches.