Whether you're 20 or 50 years old, you have surely already seen a film by Jean-Luc Godard. The one that was presented as The Redoutable by Michel Hazanavicius in his eponymous film died this Tuesday, September 13th, at the age of 91.
Although the Franco-Swiss director mainly brought the 60s to life in his films, he has left a lasting mark on entire generations of cinephiles. A true living legend, Godard leaves behind him over a hundred films and 60 years of career, but above all, an immense passion for cinema: "I want to talk only about cinema, why talk about anything else? With cinema, we can talk about everything, we can achieve everything".
An iconic figure of the New Wave alongside François Truffaut and Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard pushed the boundaries of the seventh art. His films are a true reflection of their time, colored by a breath of freedom that cannot be found in any other.He is a director.
If it is difficult to summarize his work in a few sentences, we prefer to let you (re)discover it with your own eyes, thanks to this selection of our 5 favorite films by Jean-Luc Godard. To watch and rewatch endlessly.
1. Pierrot the Fool
It tells the story of Ferdinand Griffon, a disillusioned family man who has just lost his job in television. One evening, after returning from a depressing social gathering at his in-laws, he realizes that the babysitter hired to watch his children is an old friend, Marianne. She always calls him Pierrot to tease him. He decides to leave everything behind and go with her to the south of France on a great adventure where arms trafficking, political plots, bizarre encounters, as well as bucolic interludes and love conflicts will intertwine.
Why do we love it? Its songs and its energy instantly transport us into a world where imagination and reality merge, where love and rebellion prevail. Pierrot the Fool is a vibrant and poetic exploration of the human spirit in all its complexity.
On the "road movie" side, which will appeal to both romantic comedy lovers and gangster film fans. 2. Breathless Michel Poiccard, a young insolent thug, steals a car in Marseille to go to Paris. But along the way, during a checkpoint, he kills a policeman who was chasing him. Once in Paris, he meets an American student, Patricia. Throughout the film, Michel will try to convince her to sleep with him again, and she will resist for a while, claiming that he doesn't really love her. Why do we love it? The couple that lights up the screen. A superb Bebel as a suburban thug and a sublime and carefree Jean Seberg. 3. Contempt The screenwriter Paul Javal leads a tumultuous life.He accepts a job offer from the famous American producer Jeremy Prokosch to work on an adaptation of "The Odyssey" directed by Fritz Lang at Cinecittà. The couple then goes to the filming location and meets the team. Prokosch soon starts making advances towards Camille in front of Paul. This seduction attempt will ultimately lead to the downfall of their relationship. Why do we love it? For the gentle evolution of the feelings of the two main characters. From misunderstanding to anger, and from doubt to contempt. 4. Vivre sa vie Nana, a saleswoman at a record store in Paris, leads a monotonous life and struggles to make ends meet. Even though she has a certain tenderness for him, she is bored with her friend Paul, a failed journalist with whom she had a child that she put in childcare. After breaking up with Paul, in need of money...To pay her rent, Nana accepts the proposition of a stranger. She prostitutes herself for the first time and, through a friend, meets Raoul, a pimp. Nana is thus caught in the spiral of prostitution... Why do we love it? Nana's honest view of life, in its beauty as well as its sadness, and her meaningful philosophical reflections. 5. A Woman Is a Woman Paris, in the district of Faubourg Saint-Denis: Angela, a beautiful Danish woman working in a strip club, wants a child with Émile, whom she loves madly. But Émile refuses. So Angela decides to make him believe that she will ask their best friend, Alfred, to do her this favor. Except that Alfred is in love with Angela... Why do we love it? A light, funny, and sparkling film, filled with eccentric attitudes and arguments settled with books.
