A
pioneer of the French new wave, Jean-Luc Godard has had an incalculable effect on modern cinema that refuses to wane. Before directing, Godard was an ethnology student and a critic for Cahiers du cinéma, and his approach to filmmaking reflects his interest in how cinematic form intertwines with social reality. His groundbreaking debut feature, Breathless, his first and last mainstream success is, of course, essential Godard: its strategy of merging high and low culture has been mimicked by generations of filmmakers. As the sixties progressed, Godard’s output became increasingly radical, both aesthetically (A Woman Is a Woman, Contempt, Band of Outsiders) and politically (Masculin féminin, Pierrot le fou), until by 1968 he had forsworn commercial cinema altogether, forming a le ist filmmaking collective (the Dziga Vertov Group) and making such films as Tout Va Bien. Today Godard remains our greatest lyricist on historical trauma, religion, and the legacy of cinema, well known for the aesthetics of his films, as well as the profound philosphical and existential statements they leave behind for the viewer to intepret. This book is an exploration of one of his most famous ideas in film, the non linear film structure and narrative- and how inevitably it is the feeling that resonates most with the viewer, not the storyline. Godard famously stated, “I agree that a film should have a beginning, a middle and an end but not necessarily in that order” Time is a meaningless sense in a Jean-Luc Godard film. Narrative films generally structure themselves on linear time; Godard’s films are concerned with space. Classic narrative filmmaking is concerned above all with creating a sense of unity; we know where we’re going and we know that everything we witness will give us clues to that end. But what Godard does goes much further than simply narrative, into the realm of ideaological purpose and cosmic visuals. In form, his films are innovative and experimental to the point of newfound interpretation of time and space. They are discontinuous, antimimetic, placed in the service of demystifying the facades of normal idealogy and life. In content, however, his films connect the audience to the visuals in an utmost seductive way. His films leave us feeling unexpected feelings, contemplating existential ideas that most films do not even begin to voice, and leave us in a void, persuaded to relate somehow, to this act of seemingly indulgent nonsense, as truth.
Still on the set with Jean Luc Godard and Bridgette Bardot on filming of Contempt, a 1963 film based on the Italian novel A Ghost at Noon. The film is well known for being one of the stylistically most fashionable in his reportarie.
﹐ ﹐ “”﹒ R E VO LT
WOMAN
WEAPON
SHADOW
FEELING
SUBJECT
TRAUM A
DRAMA
CRIMES
VO I C E S
APPEAL
SEXUAL
THEIVES
COSMIC
STROLL
FEELING
M AT T E R
S PAC E S
DREAD
LOV E R S
TEARS
FEELING
BLUES
T O U C H
BEAUT Y
03
a
B
R
E
A de
bout
T
H
L
souffle
E
S
S
04
the pretty girl man
the bad woman
the car thief the bogart
the bad boy
t h e r e v o lv e r
death
the american girl
the concerto for clarinet
pinup girl
the novelist
marseilles
the nice
the
maid
my friend gaby
the police humphrey p i cas s o
t h e i ta l i a n p h o t o g r a p h e r t h e a n a r c h i s t s
the
ta p e
recorder tenderness
love
t h e
c h a m p s e ly s e e s
fear
a n d g o d c r e at e d w o m a n
adventure
lies
the devil in the flesh s c a r fa c e
rififi
breathless
05
06
07
the lover has a vision of
prior to this vision
feeling which does not become conscious
08
09
10
patricia is
michel is
seberg is
belmondo is
11
12
13
14
15
TOUT
VA
EVERYTHING
IS B
I
E
FINE N
16
france, 1972
who is directing who
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
BAND
BAND
A
OF P
A
OUTSIDERS R
T
25
26
for
instance
:
how
do
you
describe
an
event?
“ T h e r e a r e o n l y t w o w o r l d s . Yo u r world, which is the real world,
of t h e h u m a n i m a g i n a t i o n : t h e i r
i s t h a t t h e y a r e t h e r e . T h e se
and
w o r l d s p r ov i d e a n a l t e r n a t i v e .
love
important. What is important
to
r e a l i t y , o r l a c k of r e a l i t y , i s n ot
time
Wo r l d s l i ke t h e se a r e t h e w o r l d s
a
a n d ot h e r w o r l d s , t h e f a n t a s y .
P r ov i d e a n e sc a p e . P r ov i d e a t h r e a t . P r ov i d e a d r e a m , a n d a
a
p ow e r ; p r ov i d e r e f u g e , a n d p a i n .
time
T h e y d o n ot e xi st ; a n d t h u s t h e y
die
are all that matters.�
to
They give your world meaning.
27
28
29
30
31
the woman
the man
i ta ly
the movies
the
a l fa -
r o m e o t h e m u s i c a l t h e g r e e k s tat u e t h e s l a p t h e b e d room
the kiss
t h e b at h r o o m
the crazy man
s ta r l e t
the old man
the sea
CARESSES
suffering
the steps
book love beauty
t h e b o at d e at h
the arguments
tenderness
revenge
the stroll the sun
fata l
fata l
fata l
the
betrayal
u n c e r ta i n t y m i s u n d e r s ta n d i n g s
fata l
the
fata l fata l
32
33
o De c n st r uc t n
La guag
e
Di s co e r v u
Tr th in Time - Bas d e Exp e r ie nce
s
34
35
36
2
ou
3
choses
2 or 3 things i know about her que
je
sais
d’elle
37
sense and nonsense. are these the right words to use? are there other possibilities that exist?
38
39
40
41
42
Go d c r e a te d he a ve n a nd e a r t h , su r e . bu t t ha t’s to o e a sy . we sho ul d p u t i t b et t e r: Sa y t he li m i t s of l a n gu a ge ar e t h e wo r l d ’s li m i t s , t ha t t he li m i t s of m y l an g u a g e ar e m y wo rl d s li m i t s , a nd t ha t w he n I s p e ak I l im i t t he wo r l d , I fi n i sh i t . An d o n e in evi t abl e an d m y ste ri o u s d a y , d e a t h w i ll co m e an d ab ol i sh t hese li m i t s a n d t he re w i ll b e n o q u est i o n s n o r a n swe rs . i t w i ll a ll be a bl u r. Bu t if ch an ce t hi ngs d o be co m e cl e a re r, i t m ay o n l y b e wi t h t he a dve nt of co n sci e nce . Eve ry t hi ng w i ll foll ow f r o m t h e r e .
43
44
Une
a
Femme
married M
a
r
woman i
ĂŠ
e
45
46
47
48
Ma ybe a n obje c t i s w ha t se r ves a s a l in k in betwe e n subje ct s , a ll ow i ng u s t o b e t o g et h e r. Bu t si n ce so c i a l rel a ti o n s ar e am bi g u o u s , si n ce m y t ho u ght s d i v i d e a s m u ch a s u n i t e a nd m y wo r d s un i te by w ha t t h e y ex p r es s an d i sol a te w ha t t he y o m i t , si nce a g u l f se p ar a t es m y subje cti ve ce r ta i n t y of m ysel f fr o m t h e obje c ti ve tru t h ot he rs ha ve of m e , sin ce I e n d up gui l t y eve n t ho u gh I fe el in n o ce n t , sin ce eve ry eve n t cha nges m y d a i l y l ife , sin ce I fail to co m m un i ca te , to und e rsta n d . To l ove an d be l ove d . I ha ve to li ste n . Mo r e t h an eve r. I ha ve to l o ok a ro und m e - a t t h e wo r l d al o n e .
49
50
51
52
53
LE
W
E
WEEK
E
K
E
e
n
d
N
D
54
e’ r
Ev
W
er
yt
hi
ng
Ik n
ow
.
“ We k n ow n ot h i n g . e
to
ta
lly
ig
no
ra
nt
of
ou
rs
el
ve
s.
We’r e a s t ot a l l y i g n o r a n t of w h a t t h i s w o r m i s .
We’r e b ot h e n i g m a s .
An y o n e w h o d e n i e s i t i s t h e m o st i g n o r a n t of a l l . Ev e r y t h i n g
I
k n ow
n ow.
“
55
56
57
LE
The
Petit
Little S
o
l
SolDier d
a
t
58
59
� P o o r p e b b l e . Ig n o r e d b y a r c h i t e c t u r e , sc u l pt u r e , m o sa i c a n d j ew e l l e r y . It d a t e s f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e p l a n et , p e r h a p s ev e n f r o m a n ot h e r st a r. Wa r p e d b y s p a c e , l i ke t h e st i g m a t a of i t s t e r r i b l e f a l l . It p r e - d a t e s m a n . A n d m a n h a s n ot y et e m b o d i e d i t i n h i s a r t o r i n d u st r y . He d i d n ot m a n u f a c t u r e i t a n d decide its place. The pebble p e r p et u a t e s n ot h i n g m o r e t h a n i t s ow n m e m o r y . O bv i o u sl y , minerals are neither independ e n t n o r se n s i t i v e . T h a t i s w h y i t t a ke s m u c h t o st i r t h e m . �
60
“ la mempris
“ la mer
61
62
63
64
m
made
a
d
e
in in
usa usa