Jean-Luc Godard

[subliminac]

Are the extras subtitled as well?

[tachyonEvan]

I've only seen one Godard film (Breathless) and have Vivre Sa Vie on hold at the library. I'm really liking what I know so far.

Where should I go next? Thanks.

[Sam T.]

I've only seen one Godard film (Breathless) and have Vivre Sa Vie on hold at the library. I'm really liking what I know so far.

Where should I go next? Thanks.

Opinions about JLG's films can be quite divided, and these ones are my own, so in advance I'd like to say that I'm not trying to start a fight, and your (or the rest of the forum's) experience may differ.

Godard's best films are often his most difficult, but those are not a good place to start because, if you haven't built up to them with some of the more accessible or fun ones then the later ones will probably just piss you off. If your experience is like mine, though, you'll start out loving the fun '60s hits and, once you move on to the later stuff, wonder why the '60s ones ever seemed so great to you. I've divided them into four categories based on how "godard-literate" I would guess you need to be to enjoy them.

Good places to start: Pierrot le fou, A Woman is a Woman, Contempt, Masculine Feminine
Places to go next: Weekend, 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her, Alphaville, La Chinoise
After that: Tout va bien, First Name Carmen (his best film, IMO), Sauve qui peut (la vie) (my second fave), King Lear
If you dare: Le Gai savoir, Passion, Numero deux, Ici et ailleurs

That fourth category includes some films I don't quite find watchable yet, but I've been on the Godard train long enough now that I trust it to be leading me somewhere worth going, so I'll probably just keep trying to figure out what the hell he's doing in them.

Hope this helps!

[justeleblanc]

Where should I go next? Thanks.

So my two cents are that these ten are not to be missed:
Band of Outsiders
Contempt
Pierrot le fou
Masculin Feminin *(a personal favorite)*
Weekend
Tout va bien
Numero Deux *(a personal favorite)*
Sauve qui peut (la vie)
Prenom: Carmen
King Lear *(a personal favorite)*

Then I would say its worth going back and checking these out:
A Married Woman
Alphaville
2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
La Chinoise
Vladimir and Rosa *(just to get a taste of what Dziga Vertov Group films were like)*
Ici et ailleurs
Hail Mary
Woe is Me
In Praise of Love
Notre Musique

[Jeff]

I'd agree with Sam T. and justeleblanc's lists. I think Band of Outsiders is his most accessible and "fun" film, so it's a good place to start.

[Cold Bishop]

This is simple: watch everything you can made prior to Pierrot le fou, then watch Pierrot le fou.

[Alan Smithee]

I think as you go through his massive catalog you'll find that you want to see them all. The failures are such interesting failures, the masterpieces are some the greatest films ever made. I think some of his post sixties output should be thought of more as video art and suddenly your expectations change and it becomes easier to take it for what it is. As everyone says start with the sixties, fall in love with the beautiful girl in the corner of the room.

On that topic I just saw the new DVD of Numero Deux. Hadn't seen it for probably a decade, I was young and it was on VHS. I'll just quickly say that it's fascinating. Synthesizes so many of his later formal techniques with what is still a strong "story", I think the story of this family is as compelling and focused as Masculin Feminin but the dual screen nature creates a further distance that might turn people off. Also the opening with Godard doing his rambling pontificating with a cigar thing is a little dry but only lasts about ten minutes and from there it's one of the most structurally and aesthetically beautiful works he's done.
Ed Howards piece on it is worth a read: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2008 ... -deux.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This has made it to the top of the heap of Godard for me. My top 5 probably goes:
1. Contempt
2. La Chinoise
3. Histoire Du Cinema
4. Nouvelle Vague
5. Numero Deux

[Murdoch]

Do not miss Prenom: Carmen, far and away my favorite Godard if only for the visual sumptuousness of it (the hand silhouetted across a TV screen displaying static just blew me away).

[accatone]

Cinéma Suisse (10/10) - Jean-Luc Godard
http://www.rts.ch/docs/4155411-cinema-suisse.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Maybe the last 20 secondes show pieces of Adieu au langue…

additional: just watched it in full and telling from the Realisateur it indeed looks like Godard approved (opposed to other recent biographies). Very sentimental but quite interesting.

[barryconvex]

Do not miss Prenom: Carmen, far and away my favorite Godard if only for the visual sumptuousness of it (the hand silhouetted across a TV screen displaying static just blew me away).

Hello,i'm new to this thread as well and i've also been wondering which of Godard's films i'm missing out on.I feel like i know a little about his 80s stuff (Hail
Mary),a very little about his Dziga Vertov stuff (Tout Va Bien),nothing about his 90s films,and nothing about his work from this century.The era i know well are his 60s films of which i own all available (excluding shorts,or omnibus movies) except for La Chinoise,Le Gai Savoir,Sympathy For The Devil/One + One and A Film Like Any Other..Of the 60s films i know my favorites are: Band of Outsiders,A Married Woman,Vivre Sa Vie and A Woman Is a Woman..god,i love Anna Karina...I also loved Aphaville,Weekend and Le Petit Soldat...Of his 70s work i should say i thought i would hate Tout Va Bien but was pleasantly surprised.Although i should also say i didn't love it,love it.His only 80s film i've seen is Hail Mary,which i thought was brilliant...


Based on the quote above i have been thinking about buying the Godard region 1 box set that has...Carmen along with The Detective,Oh Woe Is Me and Passion on it.Can anyone speak on the quality of it?I'm not sure who put it out it but it's the one that has a black and white photo of JLG on the cover looking at a film strip...I'm also wondering about the 2 films olive released in June-Numéro deux and Ici Et Ailleurs.They seem like they would be,at the very least,interesting.Any advice would be appreciated.Thank you in advance...

[domino harvey]

The LionsGate box (the one you mention with Detective et al) is indeed a great purchase, especially for what you get for the price. The transfers are all fine as far as I know, and the films are terrific-- Detective is my favorite 80s Godard and features some familiar faces from his 60s work, Hélas pour moi is a solid sister film to Nouvelle Vague (only available with English subs from the French Cahiers du cinema DVD set), Passion and Prenom: Carmen are lesser films to my eyes but have many attributes which warrant a watch and to many others they rank amongst his best work. The Olive titles are from his tricky "Second Period" and are more formally challenging than his pre-Dziga Vertov/post-Slow Motion work, so I'd maybe put those off-- Certainly La Chinoise and La gai savior are more pressing (and serve as a good bridge to his Second Period)

[knives]

I'd just duplicate what Dom said, but I want to give an especially hearty rec for La chinoise which is probably his most sensible political effort from the decade (though I guess you shouldn't go to Godard for making solitary sense). To my understanding the Australian disc for La gai savior has a Martin commentary making it the option to go with if you can. It's not a perfect film with a few misplaced elements (as you can probably tell I respect the film more than I love it), but it's surprisingly fun especially when compared to a similar film like Un film comme les autres which is another one to wait to see until you've gotten at least a dozen under your belt.

[domino harvey]

La gai savior's Adrian Martin commentary is essential-- he challenges apathetic responses to the film and focuses on Godard's desire to "return to zero," effectively reclaiming one of Godard's most difficult films in the process. And yes, La chinoise is brilliant-- there are days when I'm convinced it's Godard's best film

[knives]

I'd love to hear it someday, but at the moment importing from Australia is a bit prohibitive. I actually like the film far more than I let on (it really is a miracle that the film is as stunning visually and verbally as it is considering Godard's attempts to make it a dead zone).

[domino harvey]

I know, it can be pricy. Wait for a sale and then import it with the Madman Masculin Feminin (Exclusive Adrian Martin commentary) and Histoire(s) du cinema (Inc. annotated guide to references-- best English-friendly release)

[domino harvey]

Wait, some guy is selling the Madman Le gai savoir on eBay for a very reasonable $22.95 shipped and has 10 copies currently available

[knives]

Thanks. Hopefully that dea;'s still around when I get my pay next week.

[barryconvex]

OK,that LionsGate box is a go then..Thank you Domino and Knives for the quick replies..Is there a better choice between the La Chinoise region 1 and region 2 discs? I live in NYC and can play all regions but would rather not spend $35+ for the region 2 version unless it's really night and day..Le Gai Savoir region 4 is definitely the way to go? I think i remember seeing a region 1 version of it pop up on ebay from time to time...

[knives]

R4 for that is definitely the place to go to if you can afford it (the region 1 is acceptable if lacking totally in extras). The image of the R1 for La Chinoise is also good. The English disc considering the company should be fairly identical.

[evillights]

You can watch Fabrice Aragno's (collaborator of JLG) 26-minute film as the climax of the "Cinéma Suisse" series here, DEUX OU TROIS VOYAGES DANS LE CINÉMA SELON DE JLG, comprised solely of clips from Godard's entire body of work here, broadcast a couple weeks ago in August.

The final minute of the film abruptly segues into sketches/studies/actual footage (?) of the upcoming feature ADIEU AU LANGAGE [FAREWELL TO LANGUAGE], with Godard and Miéville and their dog (Roxie) and cat, who will figure prominently in the new film. The footage and images, fleeting, are among the most perfect and touching of this era.

http://www.rts.ch/dossiers/2012/cinema-suisse/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ck.

[domino harvey]

Is there a better choice between the La Chinoise region 1 and region 2 discs? I live in NYC and can play all regions but would rather not spend $35+ for the region 2 version unless it's really night and day..Le Gai Savoir region 4 is definitely the way to go? I think i remember seeing a region 1 version of it pop up on ebay from time to time...

The R4 La chinoise (actually Region 0) has a commentary, but it's not by Adrian Martin and frankly I barely remember any of it save the embarrassing moment when the commentator confuses Anne Wiazemsky and Anna Karina, so that can probably be picked up cheaper stateside without too much heartache. Definitely spring for the R4 Le gai savoir though

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Gaunont blu of La Chinoise coming October. Will keep posted re specs

[El Kokolores]

The final minute of the film abruptly segues into sketches/studies/actual footage (?) of the upcoming feature ADIEU AU LANGAGE [FAREWELL TO LANGUAGE], with Godard and Miéville and their dog (Roxie) and cat, who will figure prominently in the new film. The footage and images, fleeting, are among the most perfect and touching of this era.

Thank you so much! I can't wait to see the final film. The color timing looks like the over-saturated DV shots from ÉLOGE DE L'AMOUR, which is to me one of his most accomplished films. It is so scary to see an artist like Godard in his 80s and still getting better, younger, fresher and more exciting in his work. For ever cinema!

[accatone]

Gaunont blu of La Chinoise coming October. Will keep posted re specs

Update

Old(er), but not posted yet.

[Zot!]

Gaunont blu of La Chinoise coming October. Will keep posted re specs

http://www.amazon.fr/Chinoise-Blu-ray-A ... 065&sr=1-6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sous-titres : Anglais

Yay! I'm really hoping this turns out well, this is one of my favorites.