Jean-Luc Godard

[jorencain]

Good to hear! I'm a big proponent of Godard's later work, which can be difficult but is well worth the effort. It's unfortunate that so many of his most important films (like Nouvelle Vague, King Lear and Numero deux) are missing from DVD entirely, though.

"Nouvelle Vague" is available on DVD, in a set with "Passion." Both have English subs and look good.

[sevenarts]

Good to hear! I'm a big proponent of Godard's later work, which can be difficult but is well worth the effort. It's unfortunate that so many of his most important films (like Nouvelle Vague, King Lear and Numero deux) are missing from DVD entirely, though.

"Nouvelle Vague" is available on DVD, in a set with "Passion." Both have English subs and look good.

Yes, I've had that set for a long time and it's really great. I should have specified Region 1 DVD: that set's really obscure and expensive for all but the most diehard Godard fans.

[domino harvey]

Considering it's one of Godard's five greatest films, it's definitely worth the $60 it cost. On the plus side, since you have to pay for expedited shipping via FNAC, it'll get to you like the next day

[Murdoch]

It's available used on Amazon UK marketplace for merely £9.99, not that that helps North American buyers.

[Kirkinson]

It's available used on Amazon UK marketplace for merely £9.99, not that that helps North American buyers.

It's not much use to UK buyers either. Look at the description:

Please note this is NOT the DVD version but rather an official French VHS release of the film' Nouvelle Vague' by Jean Luc Godard. It is in the original French language and has no English subtitles. It is also in the French SECAM format which means that if it is played in a UK PAL video player, the picture will appear black and white.

[Murdoch]

Yeesh, never mind. No wonder it's so cheap.

[Oedipax]

The Brody backlash continues over on Andy Rector's brilliant KINO SLANG blog where he has posted Adrian Martin's review of Everything Is Cinema.

Also contained within a follow-up post, links to view Godard's 2006 Prière pour refuzniks, Part 1 and Part 2.

[James]

A few posts up, I asked which book on Godard is best. I should clarify: I'm more interested in a book that talks about the craft behind his movies and perhaps puts them into historical context. I'm not looking for what Brody appears to be doing, and that is trying to tell us what Godard is like as a person (I don't really care about that). So, that said, is Godard on Godard the way to go, or does it not cover enough of his movies to get an idea?

[domino harvey]

Well, Everything is Cinema does exactly that beautifully (regardless of the now-popular backlash), BUT ANYWAYS... Godard on Godard is his Cahiers writings-- if you'd rather read a specific focus on his work, it's probably not the book for you. Let me re-recommend Douglas Morrey's book on Godard, which sounds like it'd be the closest to what you're looking for

[King Prendergast]

For late Godard, see the collection The Cinema Alone.
For a more informal look at his whole career, see Speaking About Godard.

[cinemartin]

If you can read French, I recommend Godard au Travail by Bergala (not to mention the 2 volumes of Godard par Godard); even though it only deals with the features up to Weekend, it is by far the most thorough examination.

[domino harvey]

For a more informal look at his whole career, see Speaking About Godard.

I had high hopes for this one, but I really didn't get much out of it

[James]

I'll probably just suck it up and read Everything is Cinema. I don't really want to read any arguments about how Godard is supposedly an anti-Semitic pedophile according to the author, but then again, there also appears to be the most extensive information available in all of his movies, so hopefully the latter stuff will outweigh the former.

[King Prendergast]

For a more informal look at his whole career, see Speaking About Godard.

I had high hopes for this one, but I really didn't get much out of it

The discussion of some films is better than others to be sure. The section on Numero Deux was helpful i thought.

[FerdinandGriffon]

Just saw an ad in Film Comment announcing that Koch Lorber is re-releasing Une Femme Mariee stateside. Good news for netflixers and the poor fools who don't know about the MoC disc.

If anyone's interested, they're also bringing back the currently OOP Ferreris they used to have. Hello hello Bye Bye Monkey!

[Noiretirc]

Did they even mention Detective in the Lionsgate Box bonus feature (JLG: A Riddle Wrapped In An Enigma)? Sigh.... "Passion this, Carmen that, Helas the other....."

Anyway...Helas Pour Moi is my new favourite Godard film. Oh I know....when I view Contempt or Pierrot again, I'll not be able to remember anything about Helas. Perhaps.

The first 5mins of Helas Pour Moi alone clearly outstrips the start of any other JLG by miles, in terms of....er....dramatic surrealistic alien intrigue. Or something like that.

OK look....I've only viewed half of it. I'm confounded, floored, desperate to see it again and again, and wondering if there is Criorg Love for this surely overlooked, forgotten, underappreciated Strange Beautiful Thing. I know nothing of the Cinematographer here, but he/she must be singled out and given the highest accolades available to any of his/her peers, ever. Visually, this lovely film is a wonder to behold.

Himself Himself outdid Himself here. The 80s slapstick is gone, for better or worse, and we are left with a very focussed, shocking, confusing, audacious work of ingeniousness. I'll have a lot more to say about this when I've viewed it some more, and when I'm sober. In the meantime, you must profess your hidden love for this Masterpiece, you JLG People, you.

[FerdinandGriffon]

I agree, it's a stupefyingly beautiful and complex work, one worthy of being revisited again and again, and sure to reward the viewer who does so.
But I haven't. Why? The fact is that I'm so put off by Depardieu's thoroughly obnoxious performance that I'm reluctant to go anywhere near the thing. Let me preface this by saying I consider myself far from the not exactly marginal gang of semi-professional Gerard haters out there; in fact I think he's done some very fine things indeed, but his work here is a disgrace. Apparently, he was incredibly difficult to work with and fought Godard every step of the way, and it definitely comes across in the finished product. It's as if there's a little bande-dessinee speech bubble above his head in every scene that simply says "what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck" ad infinitum. It's the only example I can think of of a capable actor not only refusing to put in the effort to give a good performance, but actively resisting any possibility of the film's success. It's simply petty meanness on Depardieu's part, and fairly masochistic to boot.
Eventually I'll get around to giving this remarkable film another shot, but I'm going to have to wait until my memories of Depardieu's smug, ignorant little mutiny have faded a little more.

[Noiretirc]

I agree, it's a stupefyingly beautiful and complex work, one worthy of being revisited again and again, and sure to reward the viewer who does so.
But I haven't. Why? The fact is that I'm so put off by Depardieu's thoroughly obnoxious performance that I'm reluctant to go anywhere near the thing. Let me preface this by saying I consider myself far from the not exactly marginal gang of semi-professional Gerard haters out there; in fact I think he's done some very fine things indeed, but his work here is a disgrace. Apparently, he was incredibly difficult to work with and fought Godard every step of the way, and it definitely comes across in the finished product. It's as if there's a little bande-dessinee speech bubble above his head in every scene that simply says "what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck" ad infinitum. It's the only example I can think of of a capable actor not only refusing to put in the effort to give a good performance, but actively resisting any possibility of the film's success. It's simply petty meanness on Depardieu's part, and fairly masochistic to boot.
Eventually I'll get around to giving this remarkable film another shot, but I'm going to have to wait until my memories of Depardieu's smug, ignorant little mutiny have faded a little more.

I knew nothing of this mutiny, and, erm....oh god....I know nothing about Depardieu at all actually. I forced my wife to give this film the 15min test, and she's all "Oh hey, there's Gerard Depardieu. This film sucks by the way. I'm going to bed. Weirdo."

Did you know about this situation before viewing?

[cinemartin]

Depardieu left before the shoot was even halfway finished. That's why this film is such a mess. Watch JLG/JLG to hear Godard's thoughts on this (among many other things, of course).

[Noiretirc]

Socialisme trailer, probably mentioned elsewhere.

[jackford]

I've been trying to see Helas Pour Moi for a very long time. How did you two get a hold of it?

[tojoed]

I've been trying to see Helas Pour Moi for a very long time. How did you two get a hold of it?

They probably bought this.

[James]

I've been trying to see Helas Pour Moi for a very long time. How did you two get a hold of it?

They probably bought this.

Or this. (And speaking of that, how is it transfer-wise?)

[tojoed]

I'm getting confused with "this" and "that", but anyhow, the Optimum transfer is pretty decent.
I don't have the Lion's Gate box.

[Noiretirc]

I don't have the Lion's Gate box.

I have...er....that.