Going Godard

A lot of Godard's work takes a few viewings to understand, or even enjoy. They are so strange and unique that they repel us a first, before alowing us in. The two films that are not like this, were Godard's two first films.

Breathless, his first first film, was not a work of art. Godard was just trying to make a film noir that he would want to watch. That's why it jumps off the screen with such delight. 

Every Man for himself Sauve qui peut (la vie) was Godard's second first film. After pulling out of mainstream distribution in the early 70's, he had mostly been doing video essays and political films. This film was an explosion of a creative will. Godard and his screen writer, the great Jean-Claude Carriere,  took a few stories by  Charles Bukowski and re-imagined them into a complete narrative. Then Godard asked Bukowski to do the english credits.

Via Seamus Cooney:

In a letter of August 1981, Charles Bukowski writes,
"On the Godard subtitles: ... I was surprised that he gave me credit. What happened is that a Frenchman translated the script into English and then I took the English script and Americanized that. But, on the other hand, Godard used one of my poems for a movie scene and I don't get credit for that, except one night we were drinking and he handed me this batch of francs, so that is cash, not credit, o.k."

The film came out of nowhere and is a blast from go. It was Godard's first film in years without a complaint, made just for the joy of storytelling. His female characters are stunning, the photography is perfect, the cinematic technique divine and he innovates a new type of slow motion shot.

Every Man for Himself marked a turn toward aesthetic materialism. Godard is no longer interested in distancing the viewers from the artifice of the film. The elements of the cinema, set against each other in early Godard, are now marshaled with the goal of being the really good, assaultingly good. It is the synthesis of neo-realism and expressionism. 

Here is the trailer:

And here is the first part of an interview Godard did with Dick Cavett in 1980 on a media tour for the film. An amazing interview that covers his career from the beginning. This is also where he renouces Truffaut.