Why Jean-Luc Godard is Important
A Look at the Films of a Ground-Breaking French New Wave Director
Dec 2, 2008
Jean-Luc Godard is a name that crops up quite often in film studies. As a leading exponent of the French New Wave, Godard's films have become an essential constituent of film seminars and critical analysis. Encompassing world cinema, the European avant-garde, theoretical, political and experimental films, Godard's name is likely to appear on numerous term papers and essays.
Godard – A Pioneering Influence on Tarantino and Scorsese
The interpretation of Godard's films is, in many ways, dependent on what angle the particular area of study is focused on. Unfortunately, this can lead to a certain degree of disdain amongst modern viewers. The films do have an important role in illustrating film theory, but watching them in this manner can be a dry, monotonous experience. Students can be forgiven for wondering exactly how this guy came to be the inspiration for modern directors such as Scorsese and Tarantino. He was, and so will he continue to be for many others.
For those learning about films and film-making, Godard generously displays everything there is to know about techniques. But it's important to remember that the landscape of modern cinema is weighted by cinematic rules and conventions. It's this traditionalist style that Godard rejected. And it's this rejection of generally accepted cinematic protocol that makes Godard's films appear 'difficult'.
Breathless – Jean Luc Godard's Breakthrough Film
Perhaps one of Godard's most accessible films is his early breakthrough movie Breathless (A bout de souffle, 1960). It's also an excellent introduction to the themes and ideas of French New Wave Cinema, reveling in the excitement and glamour of the Hollywood gangster flick. With Breathless it is quite easy to grasp the notion of the genre defying French New Wave. The realism is heightened by shooting outdoors in natural light, and allowing the cast to interact with members of the public who just happened to be passing by. As a film, Breathless embodies one of Godard's most famous quotes that “All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.”
A Film Like Any Other – The Rebel Godard puts his Techniques into Practice
Godard's later films further pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in cinema, leading to some strange, even surreal moments such as the endless traffic jam in Week End (1967). Sometimes his films were not like films at all. At least not films the audience were familiar with. Godard parodied this concept in A Film Like Any Other (Un film comme les autres, 1968). He wanted to shake the very foundations of film-making; to test the audiences concept of watching actors playing dress up for our entertainment. That's why when this film premiered in America, the projectionist was instructed to flip a coin to decide the order of the reels. It's also why in films such as 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle, 1967) Godard revels in breaking the fourth wall. He whispers lines to his actors and tells the audience things such as “I'm going to introduce her in a few frames”, before going on to do just that. Effectively, Godard is reminding his audience this is a film, these are actors, this is the truth of how it's made.
Behind the Camera – Cinema Revealed
Godard's films offer an invaluable lesson in cinema history, and an insight into the actual film-making process itself. When the camera is kept rolling after the directors shout of 'cut', the facade of film-making is truly revealed. Cinema is fake, but it still has the power to entrance. Or, as Godard puts it, “Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world.”
Further Reading: Film History: French New Wave
Sources: IMDb, Godard: Images, Sounds Politics – Colin McCabe, 1980, French Cinema – Roy Armes, 1985.
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