Jean-Luc Godard

[Mathew2468]

Simple question, I don't know where else to ask: What's this music from La Chinoise?

35 seconds in

I think it's Vivaldi, but... what?

EDIT: Ah, stupid. It's Vivaldi's concerto for two violins, RV 523.

[Stefan Andersson]

Saturnome: the 3D film JLG mentions is probably his contribution to the omnibus film Historias del Cinema (Stories of Cinema), it´s been mentioned online (shooting in Sarajevo according to various brief online infos). But a 3D segment in a film that´s likely not to be in 3D seems odd, so maybe this info is wrong.

The film is part of various arrangements centering around the Portuguese city of Guimaraes, European Capital of Culture 2012. Other contributors include Manoel de Oliveira, Victor Erice, Aki Kaurismäki. The film has a distributor (according to Screen Daily) so it should be released commercially.

Update: Godard is now shooting a new feature in 3D, Goodbye to Language. Read more here:
http://thefilmstage.com/news/jean-luc-g ... -assemble/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[muzunova]

Just an update to let you know that the release of caboose's translation of "Introduction to a true history of cinema and television" has been officially announced and you can now read a full chapter on-line as well as an excerpt from Michael Witt's scholarly article on the talks.
http://www.caboosebooks.net/true-history-of-the-cinema
There's also a nice pre-order offer for the hardcover edition coming out in September.

[Alan Smithee]

Sort of a random question but I recently watched the little doc about One AM that The Believer put out long ago and I'm curious if there's any knowledge out there about Godard and the use of uppers. His eyes are wild and he seems sped up on something. I think Bennies were popular at the time. None of the biographies I've read have mentioned it but it would certainly help explain his torrential output.

[Sam T.]

Sort of a random question but I recently watched the little doc about One AM that The Believer put out long ago and I'm curious if there's any knowledge out there about Godard and the use of uppers. His eyes are wild and he seems sped up on something. I think Bennies were popular at the time. None of the biographies I've read have mentioned it but it would certainly help explain his torrential output.

I would love to know the answer to this too. I don't have anything to add other than the educated guesses that have probably occurred to you already.

• * Godard is a stern and somewhat traditional moralist, with a strong ascetic strain to his temperament. He doesn't even seem to drink as much alcohol as is typical on the continent.

• * If Fassbinder is any indication, habitual drug use is something we would know about. Though I'm not sure if Fassbinder's use was common knowledge while RWF was still alive. Also, popping pills for a few years may not meet the definition of "habitual."

• * In a series of divorces, where you'd think the estranged wives would have had reason to paint as unflattering a picture of JLG as they could, I don't remember accusations of drug use being made.

• * On the other hand, as you point out, it would explain a lot: mood swings, intensity, pace of working, ability to walk on hands, etc.

Maybe... could a near-super-human rate of cigar consumption have an amphetamine like effect on a person?

[zedz]

I don't know anything about JLG, but I don't think Fassbinder's drug use is a good comparison for anybody this side of Keith Richards, and RWF was the aggravating centre of a large, loose and bitchy creative community. Even if he only smoked the occasional joint, word would have gotten around.

[evillights]

In yesterday's Variety: ADIEU AU LANGAGE 3D has been pre-sold in the United States to Fox.

[Oedipax]

In yesterday's Variety: ADIEU AU LANGAGE 3D has been pre-sold in the United States to Fox.

That is all kinds of insane and awesome

[Mathew2468]

What does this mean? What kind of distribution will it get? TV spots on American television? Imagine...

[warren oates]

Or once Fox sees the finished product and they realize it's still a Godard film, even if it is in 3D they'll hate it, treat it worse than Margaret theatrically and dump it to standard def DVD like they have with all the other interesting world cinema they've been buying lately (The Yellow Sea, etc.)

[domino harvey]

What's a less-encompassing arm than Fox Searchlight? Fox Itty Bitty Book Light?

[Oedipax]

Posted a comparison of the Olive and Intermedio releases of Numéro deux here.

[knives]

I put in the first of the two Vetov's that Olive just released tonight and while I'm not as at sea as I thought I would be the film still comes off as a little ill defined to me and I'd love to hear other voices on it. The DVD is obviously useless and shockingly little has been written on the board for Ici et Ailleurs. So any opinions board members might have or well done articles known would be rather helpful.

[domino harvey]

It's one of Godard's worst films and one I haven't been tempted to revisit since borrowing it on VHS from my professor during my initial Nouvelle Vague infatuation. So I guess my best defense is At least it's not Comment ca va?

[knives]

Why do you think it's bad? Really I just found it to be there and not much else so even an expansion on why it's bad might help.

[domino harvey]

I think Godard's overestimation of an audience's interest and engagement with his often obtuse arguments can get the better of his films (in this era and elsewhere). As such, this is a film symptomatic of his second period and should be viewed in light of that, but even comparatively this lacks the joy and spirit that defines even some of the trickier Dziga-Vertov works. It's a salvage job-- if memory serves Godard attempted to make or assist in making a much different doc and was left with the fragments to sort and embellish here-- and it shows. The only good news here is that if you picked it up with Numero Deux, that's a much different and far more interesting film (though not a DZ film)

[knives]

For some reason I thought Numero Deux came later. I think you're right that he's making much ado about his point. The salvage job aspect makes the point ill fitting to the message a little which is I guess what threw me off.

[Zot!]

I think Godard's overestimation of an audience's interest and engagement with his often obtuse arguments can get the better of his films (in this era and elsewhere). As such, this is a film symptomatic of his second period and should be viewed in light of that

I actually found it one of the more obvious of his "difficult" films, considering the subject matter is pretty blatant. I guess your appreciation would depend on your interest in the Palestinian cause as well as Godard's refusal to conform to some kind of sensible film making. If you haven't seen it since first watching Breathless, I imagine it wouldn't stick out as an obvious misstep anymore, but rather just a logical progression into the pure image-making where he lost at least some aspect of his appeal. If anything, I would consider it unremarkable.

[SpiderBaby]

For some reason I thought Numero Deux came later.

Godard filmed parts of Ici et Ailleurs as another idea/film with the Dziga Vertov Group but shelved the project until he revisited it with Mieville after Numero Deux, and long after the DVG. So kind of in a way Numero Deux came later (in terms of footage) but neither in my mind are under the Dziga Vertov Group label as only the footage of Ici et Ailleurs was filmed during the period, yet Godard took it in a different direction. It's more in the Godard/Mieville video/experimental era.

To help clear it up a bit, here is a quick description of Ici et Ailleurs:

"Ici et Ailleurs is a 1976 film by Jean-Luc Godard and Anne-Marie Miéville, made using footage from Jusqu'à la victoire, a 1970 pro-Palestinian film made by Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorin as part of Dziga Vertov Group"

[accatone]

I think this is a great film that marks a turning point (with Numero Deux, his second first film) in JLGs oeuvre. From the films titel to the final product its very coherent and shows the directors shift from "ailleurs (68 & world revolution)" to a more personal approach ("ici"). "Ici" is of course Rolle and Mieville, a new foundation from which you can see Godard working in his studio from now on (untill today).
The film is very "open" as it shows us all these political and personal shifts and that is why i like it so much.

[domino harvey]

I think Godard's overestimation of an audience's interest and engagement with his often obtuse arguments can get the better of his films (in this era and elsewhere). As such, this is a film symptomatic of his second period and should be viewed in light of that

I actually found it one of the more obvious of his "difficult" films, considering the subject matter is pretty blatant. I guess your appreciation would depend on your interest in the Palestinian cause as well as Godard's refusal to conform to some kind of sensible film making. If you haven't seen it since first watching Breathless, I imagine it wouldn't stick out as an obvious misstep anymore, but rather just a logical progression into the pure image-making where he lost at least some aspect of his appeal. If anything, I would consider it unremarkable.

Well, I saw it closer to the same time I was watching things like JLG/JLG, Letter to Jane, and Comment ca va?, so it's not that I couldn't appreciate its function within Godard's oeuvre, it just wasn't something I particularly enjoyed on any level. Unremarkable sounds like a fair assessment.

[Production601]

documentary about JLG for swiss TV to be shown at the Locarno film festival next august : http://www.tio.ch/Ticino/News/687850/CI ... -a-Locarno" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
does someone knows more about this ?

[accatone]

http://www.pardolive.ch/en/Pardo-Live/t ... carno.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In english language - as far as the director of this doc is a JLG collaborator we should at least expect something different as from Antoine de Baecque (not necessarily more objective of course…)

edit: looks like the link switches to german language when clicked…i do not know how to fix it, it must/was available in english language.

After google-ing for further news, i randomly hit a webpage where the director of the doc above is selling a Panasonic 3D camcorder that was supposed to be used for the preperation of Adieu au langage…he also worked on Notre Musique and Film Socialisme…

[lastrade]

The recent godard box set "jean-luc godard - fiction" has now been reduced to 43 euros on the french version of amazon, a very reasonable buy if you don't already have "keep up your right" and "JLG" (all films include english subtitles).

[Mathew2468]

You can buy them individually on Gaumont's website but they're 20 €, or at least Soigne ta droite is. I don't know if each one is included in a set or if some are only individual releases.

EDIT: All are in the set.