The Four Word Film Review Fourum

All Forums

Film Related

Films

MVC #7 - Alphaville

Note: You must be registered in order to post a reply.
To register, click here. Registration is FREE!

Screensize:

UserName:

Password:

Format Mode:

Format:

Message:

Smilies

[quote][i]Originally posted by BaftaBaby[/i]
[br]ALPHAVILLE

Godard famously said, "All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl."

It's not as simplistic as it sounds, especially considering Godard's frightening intellect. And not to mention that he happened to have had at his cinematic beck and call one of the most iconic faces in his onscreen/offscreen leading lady Anna Karina.

I maintain that it wasn't until they split that his films were met with less public affection - Karina's screen appeal to both men and women allowed an awful lot of political polemic to underpin his odd quasi-genre adventures.

Well, Karina plus humor. And, as with the hysterically funny Les Carabiniers (the Riflemen), he punctures assumptions and justifications about truly serious matters such as war, by rendering them absurd.

Virtually defying classification, Alphaville is an effective eclectic mix of detective noir, the triumph of love within an emotionally dehydrated society presided over by a sci-fi dictator, and the simplistic narrative of what today would be termed a graphic novel.

It's the film's very eclecticism that justifies its existence. Godard, (like others in the New Wave of European cinema - some of whom like Truffaut had honed their theories with articles in Cahiers du Cinea) felt he had to document and decry the new, sometimes uncomfortable influences that were revolutionizing post-war society.

After the neat and tidy 1950s, whose power elites were trying to hide their self-advancement on the back of the global military sacrifices of WWII, the 1960s saw an unstoppable rise of a generation whose values kept subverting the status quo.

Yes, Alphaville owes much to cultural icons such as Metropolis, Brave New World, both of which challenged the very concept of a political structure. But it also recognizes in a visceral way the power of a high-stakes chase and the enigma of human emotions - and those are both seminal qualities found in the pages of Dashiell Hammet and Raymond Chandler.

Godard uses Karina as Stiller used Garbo, von Sternberg used Dietrich, and Dreyer used Falconetti. Because their faces are such luminous masks that barely allow their inner lives to ooze out, the directors invite you the audience to recognize the emotions you'd like to believe are there in the context of the scene.

It's only when Godard permits Karina some release, that we see what we've been missing - and, paradoxically, what we have contributed to the film itself. In that sense, we strongly identify with Lemmy Caution.

This futuristic detective, sent to investigate skullduggery on another planet under the rule of scientist Von Braun, is played with the same kind of understated intelligence that Bogart gives us as Marlowe.

He's played by Eddie Constantine, originally an American singer who found fame in France, particularly in a series of B-movie noirs in which he played ... Lemmy Caution! It's he who rescues Dictator von Braun's daughter Natasha (Karina) from her loveless emotional prison.

What confounded critics at the time - those, anyway, who wanted to view New Wave films in the most simplistic light - was that it's clear Godard was looking at a world in which conflicting systems co-existed - and taking a handful of fingerpaints and smushing them all up.

It's not capitalism, communism, or religion which are the problems, he's saying - it's that we're all marching along without upsetting the beat and losing the will to live. Pure pragmatism cannot snuff out the green shoots of love and compassion. Intellect combined with emotion - not one or the other.

And, just a word about Raoul Coutard ... along with a handful of others ... this genius of cinematography needs forever to be celebrated as Michelangelo and Rembrandt.

It's a wondeful fim.

[/quote]

- HTML is OFF | Forum Code is ON

Check here to include your profile signature.

T O P I C R E V I E W
Sean	Posted - 03/07/2011 : 00:34:00 And for your delighted viewing pleasure we move on to the seventh instalment of the 'Four Word Film Review' Movie Viewing Club. From an idea originally suggested by TitanPa, we will choose, view and discuss a new film twice a month - with each new round beginning on the 1st and the 15th. Everyone is welcome to contribute if you have seen the film in question, and all the better if you have recently seen or have recently rewatched the film. With all films chosen up to a month in advance it will allow those interested in contributing to source and view the film in question, either bought, rented or borrowed on DVD; through a subscription service or simply viewed online. You are also welcome to comment on any previous rounds. Each film is chosen by fwiffers in the order of initial interest shown on the discussion thread here. If you want to select a future title simply express interest on the thread linked above or drop me a message and I'll add it to the list. The current line up is as follows: 01.04.11 - TitanPa - TEETH (2007) 15.04.11 - GHCool - DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) 01.05.11 - demonic - THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (1928) 15.05.11 - Se�n - MONSTURD (2003) 01.06.11 - benj clews - AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2003) 15.06.11 - bife - TURKISH DELIGHT (1973) 01.07.11 - Cheese Ed - ALPHAVILLE (1965) 15.07.11 - [matt] - A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (2004) 01.08.11 - wildheartlivie 15.08.11 - ChocolateLady - BAGDAD CAFE (1987) 01.09.11 - BaftaBabe - WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE (1993) 15.09.11 - Tori 01.10.11 - Randall There's no commitment to watching and commenting on every movie in every round, but all reviews, comments and contributions will be very welcome from all comers. It goes without saying these threads will be a spoiler-heavy area, and anyone reading posts before viewing the film in question should be fully aware of this. ------------------------------------------ The film under discussion for MVC #7 is "Alphaville", a.k.a. Alphaville, une �trange aventure de Lemmy Caution (1965), that French B&W sci-fi / dystopia starring none other than fwfr's own Lemmy Caution! Get watching!
5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
BaftaBaby	Posted - 15/07/2011 : 10:23:40 ALPHAVILLE Godard famously said, "All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl." It's not as simplistic as it sounds, especially considering Godard's frightening intellect. And not to mention that he happened to have had at his cinematic beck and call one of the most iconic faces in his onscreen/offscreen leading lady Anna Karina. I maintain that it wasn't until they split that his films were met with less public affection - Karina's screen appeal to both men and women allowed an awful lot of political polemic to underpin his odd quasi-genre adventures. Well, Karina plus humor. And, as with the hysterically funny Les Carabiniers (the Riflemen), he punctures assumptions and justifications about truly serious matters such as war, by rendering them absurd. Virtually defying classification, Alphaville is an effective eclectic mix of detective noir, the triumph of love within an emotionally dehydrated society presided over by a sci-fi dictator, and the simplistic narrative of what today would be termed a graphic novel. It's the film's very eclecticism that justifies its existence. Godard, (like others in the New Wave of European cinema - some of whom like Truffaut had honed their theories with articles in Cahiers du Cinea) felt he had to document and decry the new, sometimes uncomfortable influences that were revolutionizing post-war society. After the neat and tidy 1950s, whose power elites were trying to hide their self-advancement on the back of the global military sacrifices of WWII, the 1960s saw an unstoppable rise of a generation whose values kept subverting the status quo. Yes, Alphaville owes much to cultural icons such as Metropolis, Brave New World, both of which challenged the very concept of a political structure. But it also recognizes in a visceral way the power of a high-stakes chase and the enigma of human emotions - and those are both seminal qualities found in the pages of Dashiell Hammet and Raymond Chandler. Godard uses Karina as Stiller used Garbo, von Sternberg used Dietrich, and Dreyer used Falconetti. Because their faces are such luminous masks that barely allow their inner lives to ooze out, the directors invite you the audience to recognize the emotions you'd like to believe are there in the context of the scene. It's only when Godard permits Karina some release, that we see what we've been missing - and, paradoxically, what we have contributed to the film itself. In that sense, we strongly identify with Lemmy Caution. This futuristic detective, sent to investigate skullduggery on another planet under the rule of scientist Von Braun, is played with the same kind of understated intelligence that Bogart gives us as Marlowe. He's played by Eddie Constantine, originally an American singer who found fame in France, particularly in a series of B-movie noirs in which he played ... Lemmy Caution! It's he who rescues Dictator von Braun's daughter Natasha (Karina) from her loveless emotional prison. What confounded critics at the time - those, anyway, who wanted to view New Wave films in the most simplistic light - was that it's clear Godard was looking at a world in which conflicting systems co-existed - and taking a handful of fingerpaints and smushing them all up. It's not capitalism, communism, or religion which are the problems, he's saying - it's that we're all marching along without upsetting the beat and losing the will to live. Pure pragmatism cannot snuff out the green shoots of love and compassion. Intellect combined with emotion - not one or the other. And, just a word about Raoul Coutard ... along with a handful of others ... this genius of cinematography needs forever to be celebrated as Michelangelo and Rembrandt. It's a wondeful fim.
BaftaBaby	Posted - 07/07/2011 : 09:01:50 quote: Originally posted by [matt] Hey guys, apologies for the lateness of my suggestion for the next film (and also for my lack of participation in the MVC threads); I've had an insanely busy few months starting a new job. My pick for MVC #8 is A Very Long Engagement, a great French film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of Am�lie. Should be one everyone might enjoy, unless you mind subtitles. No, but I subtitle minds GOOD LUCK IN YOUR NEW JOB [matt]!!!! Is it wonderful?!
[matt]	Posted - 07/07/2011 : 01:54:58 Hey guys, apologies for the lateness of my suggestion for the next film (and also for my lack of participation in the MVC threads); I've had an insanely busy few months starting a new job. My pick for MVC #8 is A Very Long Engagement, a great French film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of Am�lie. Should be one everyone might enjoy, unless you mind subtitles.
demonic	Posted - 03/07/2011 : 11:21:22 Thanks for starting the thread Se�n - it's going to be a manic month for me, but will contribute when I can.
Sean	Posted - 03/07/2011 : 00:36:54 I saw this last year but it's one of the few movies that I thought deserved a re-watch, so I'll do that this week hopefully. Edit:- OK, I saw it again. Well, it's low budget, nothing about it looks future-istic, it was filmed in Paris without any set-building budget from the look of it. It feels like it's another time / another place though, I guess that came from the characters who were anything but 'normal'. I can see where Lucas got his inspiration for THX-1138 although I guess it's all ultimately Orwellian. 7/10

The Four Word Film Review Fourum

Snitz Forums 2000