Jean-Luc Godard, who died on Tuesday at the age of 91, was widely known as the King of the French New Wave. Since his emergence on the scene in the 1960s, his influential films such as “Breathless,” “Masculin and Feminin” and “Pierrot Le Fou” offered groundbreaking techniques that have since been replicated by countless filmmakers in the following decades.
In addition to stinging intellect and a stubborn stance against the “establishment” (ironically, including Hollywood itself), the Franco-Swiss director has been known for changing the rules of cinema – with his use of long runs, hops, and actors aside. They are just a few of the innovative practices he used in his films that are still in use today.
Fortunately, Godard left behind dozens of unforgettable films, many of which have been restored into the standard. Below, check out some of Godard’s best films to celebrate the late director:
“Piero Lo Foo”
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Godard perfects the Pop Art scheme in his landmark 1965 film Pierre Le Vaux, which follows two runaway lovers in the French countryside, played by Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo, Godard’s longtime collaborator. But the film is a far cry from typical romance, presenting a winding tale of what Goddard calls “the last romantic couple,” and featuring an elegant blend of comic book illustrations and stunning landscapes from cinematographer Raul Cotard.
Special Features: The new 2k release includes an interview with Kareena and a 2007 video article about the film written and directed by Godard.
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‘contempt’
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“Contempt” is widely considered Godard’s official entry into Hollywood, although the French New Wave director has still managed to thumb his nose up at the industry’s commercial excesses with his disruptive techniques. The story follows a respected screenwriter played by Michel Piccoli, who is hired to make a new script from “The Odyssey.” But things go wrong when his wife (Birgit Bardot) becomes so paranoid that he uses it to advance his career.
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“Every man for himself”
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“Every Man for Himself” is one of Godard’s most daring and experimental films, featuring slow “decomposition” as they examine the lives of three separate but intertwined characters: a TV screenwriter (Jack Dutronic), his ex-partner (Natalie Bay) and a sex worker (Isabelle Hubert). . Twenty years into his career, the film is known as Godard’s “second debut” as a director after a decade of avant-garde filmmaking.
Special Features: The Blu-ray Special Edition includes a short video created by Godard, a new video article by critic Colin MacCabe and new interviews with Huppert and producer Marin Karmitz.
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“feminine male”
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In “Masculin Feminin,” Jean-Pierre Laud and Chantal Goya start a stormy relationship in the vibrant youth culture of Paris in the 1960s. The film has all the right elements of a romantic comedy, but it also manages to pack satire and tragedy the way only Godard can. The title of one of the chapters is aptly named “The Sons of Marx and Coca-Cola”, mocking the idealistic thought of the era.
“breathless”
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“Breathless,” which follows a petty serial killer (Jean-Paul Belmondo) camping at his girlfriend’s house after killing a policeman, may be one of Goddard’s best screenplays, including so many quotes that it’s hard to pick one from. It may be best of all when Belmondo’s friend, played by Jan Seberg, asks a writer what his greatest ambition in life is, to which he replies, “To become immortal and then die.”
Special Features: The Blu-ray Special Edition features archival interviews with Godard, Belmondo, Seberg and Jean-Pierre Melville, two video articles and a 1993 documentary about the “Breathless” industry.
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my life to live
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Through separate daydream panels and dance sequences, Godard traces the vortex of sex work as young Parisian Nana (played by Godard’s greatest muse, Anna Karina) becomes a prostitute after a failed career as an actor. The 1962 film is the height of the French New Wave, combining great visual design with a captivating story.
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‘weekend’
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This scathing satire is one of Godard’s most beloved works, following an upper-class couple traveling through the French countryside in order to collect the inheritance of a dying relative. The film features one of the most famous cinematic sequences in film history, where the camera seamlessly tracks along an endless traffic jam. The story, rich in historical and literary references, doubles as a call to revolution as it traces its characters’ exaggerated decline toward brutality.
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