Jean-Luc Godard (1930–2022)

Ler a versão escrita de Histoire(s) du Cinéma sem as imagens é ainda mais interessante no cavocar de referências, a gente vai dando uma de Xeroque Holmes para pegar as referências implícitas para além das citações mais óbvias.
É um desses trabalhos que o tradutor fez toda a diferença na transposição do audiovisual para a escrita, especialmente porque aqui faltam as imagens que pontuavam as quebras na edição da Gallimard e que também estão na série. É quase como uma show more verdadeira releitura de ambos. show less

Nouvelle Vague iconoclast Jean-Luc Godard delivers a revolutionary Marxist polemic utilising excellent documentary footage of The Rolling Stones developing "Sympathy for the Devil" interspersed with a set of frankly annoying political "skits". These skits usually involve characters reading various texts for the viewer including readings of Eldridge Cleaver, LeRoi Jones, Stokely Carmichael and from "Mein Kampf". Another skit sees Godard's then wife, Anne Wiazemsky being asked ludicrous show more questions by a documentary film crew who follow her through a wood. She answers each of the questions with a simple "yes" or "no". These parts of the film are totally worthless. What makes the film worthwhile is seeing the Rolling Stones creating, developing and refining their (in my view) greatest song. It is fascinating seeing the song being built up from an acoustic guitar piece with layer-upon-layer of percussion, electric guitars, keyboards, piano, etc. Interesting to see Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithfull turn up to help out on the "whoo-whoo" backing vocals, which Charlie Watts assiduously appears to avoid engaging in. Sadly the film also shows Brian Jones slowly slipping out of view - initially sitting in his own booth with his guitar, only communicating to bum a cigarette until he finally completely disappears in the second half of the film. The Stones scenes are hugely interesting and watchable, but the overall film is a pretentious and boring mess that is a total failure as any form of political polemic. show less

2022 movie #44. 1967. Jean-Luc Godard's strange masterpiece. A married couple set out in the French countryside to murder the woman's parents. After many surrealistic encounters they end up kidnapped by revolutionary cannibals. I could not stop watching.

How do you rate something this strange? There are a lot of nice staircases. Staircases seem to be big part of the film. There is also a private eye or spy or whatever he really is trying to figure out what's going in a town apparently run by a computer with a very funny voice. Strangely compelling, but could have been much better with a couple more ounces of plot.