Lars von Trier's favorite Godard.
0 Comments Published by Jesse Trussell on Saturday, September 03, 2005 at 11:58 AM.
Godard can be such a bipolar filmmaker, especially in the New Wave period. His films bounce from joviality to pain, from heightened romance to observed realism. Even within many of his films the mood can change without notice.
My Life to Live has little to none of the lightness of A Bout de Souffle or Bande a Parte. Both of those films were melancholy, in a way Wes Anderson would later base his career on, but Vivire sa Vie is just plain sad. But in doing so it also speaks much more deeply to human disconnection than his other films had hinted at.
Though he was often called a misogynist, in this film Godard seems to be playing with the virgin/whore dichotomy. Anna Karina's performance, drawn from Dreyer's Joan of Arc, is the clear midpoint between the silent film and von Trier's female martyrdom explorations. Though the paternalism can still be seen on the edges, this is definitely on of Godard's more sensitive efforts.
A word about the last scene. In a word it is one of the most unexpected powerful moments I have ever seen on film. Breathtaking.
My Life to Live has little to none of the lightness of A Bout de Souffle or Bande a Parte. Both of those films were melancholy, in a way Wes Anderson would later base his career on, but Vivire sa Vie is just plain sad. But in doing so it also speaks much more deeply to human disconnection than his other films had hinted at.
Though he was often called a misogynist, in this film Godard seems to be playing with the virgin/whore dichotomy. Anna Karina's performance, drawn from Dreyer's Joan of Arc, is the clear midpoint between the silent film and von Trier's female martyrdom explorations. Though the paternalism can still be seen on the edges, this is definitely on of Godard's more sensitive efforts.
A word about the last scene. In a word it is one of the most unexpected powerful moments I have ever seen on film. Breathtaking.
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