Also, I had it before, but somebody on fangs sold me Masculin Feminin (8/10), the Criterion version, for $10, so I am giving my old copy to someone else. aNYWay, had a re-watch last night. Let's face it, Godard films can be watched 100 times and still never get boring.
Love the 9 minute conversation with Miss 19..
Will any director ever have even half as good a run as Godard? Yeah, Giuseppe made 33 great-to-mindblowing films (with only one or two misfires) in 10 years. But Godard.. wow.. My Life to Live, Little Soldier, Pierrot Le Fou, La Chinoise, A Married Woman, Week End, and Masculin Feminin are simply some of the most inspiring, innovative, mindblowing films ever made. Counting his shorts, he made 23 amazing films from Breathless to Week End. In 7 years. Though I much prefer his later work (SLOW MOTION especially -- if you have not seen this film, please do whatever you can to see it!), he only releases like 1 film every 5 years now or something. He was just on such a fucking roll back in the 60's. Damn!
ANYWAY, MASCULIN...
(that really should've been the cover of the criterion version)
...is perhaps his most leisurely paced film of his early period. No music to speak of, really, aside from a reoccuring hit pop song, sang by the star of the film (and "# 6 in Japan!"). Unlike most Godard films of this period, the tone is oddly cold and self-important... there isn't a lot of absurdity or humor.. I can see why critics didn't like this film at the time, as it feels a bit aimless in places, and is very static at times. It lacks the visual flair of a lot of his films (keep in mind the film before it was his most colorful and inventive work up to that point, Pierrot Le Fou). It feels unfun and, perhaps, unimportant. But I love it for precisely those reasons.. the whole film is dark, but not in an obvious way, it's very subtle. The whole film is quiet except for random bursts of violence and LOUD gunshots. Note the opening scene, which is broken up with a sudden 10 second scene ending in a gunshot. The camera is more content to kind of sit still and observe, and all the characters are quite flawed and even a bit dumb. Godard was really trying to show how naive everyone was/is. That interview with Miss 19 -- I mean, what director does this stuff? 9 minute conversations with characters that have nothing to do with the rest of the movie, talking about events and topics that aren't covered elsewhere in the movie. It would feel like such a random scene, if it wasn't the most compelling and genius part of the movie. Also, gotta love the movie within a movie scene -- again, a good 5 minutes of screentime is devoted to a completely unrelated segment. Yet there's just
something about the nonchalance and patience of this movie that really makes it one of my all time favorites. The scenery is beautiful, Jean Pierre Leaud proves himself to be one of the best films ever (his acting in La Chinoise and Joy of Learning is absolutely incredible, as well, and he's the only reason to watch any of Trauffaut's duller films).
"Kill one man and you're a murderer. Kill thousands and you're a conqueror. Kill everyone and you're a god."
This film has a look to it unlike most of Godard's films, mainly because it was one of only ones from this period without Godard's usual cinematographer. Love the natural lighting and grainy black and white look. Absolutely captivating film, and the Bob Dylan reference is hilarious. He's a Vietnik? A beatnik overly interested in the Vietnam War.
Curtain rod.