Without a doubt Jean-Luc Godard was the most visible innovator of the Nouvelle Vague. His first feature film, Breathless (1960) was based on a rather conventional imitation of a B-movie script, but featured handheld camerawork, innovative cutting and rambling overlapping dialogue evoking real conversations. In his subsequent movies Godard perfected a unique, personal style that included fast cutting, intertitles (sometimes almost subliminal), still photographs, diagrams, apparently unscripted conversations and movie-within-movie backgrounds (as in La Chinoise, 1967). Verbal brilliancy was a given (e. g. the "children of Marx and Coca-Cola" in Masculin Féminin (1966) is one of most iconic movie quotes ever). His films included references and in-jokes involving other movies and literary works. All of the above induced a sort of alienation effect that suited perfectly his subjects. Godard's movies had "something" difficult to define that included flair, excitement, intellectual stimulation. Even a totally static movie like Le Gai Savoir (1969) is watchable. Not all of this has stood the test of time, however.
Godard set aside movies in the 70s in favor of experimental TV work and Every Man for Himself (1980) is his return to feature films; he called it his "second first film".
I did not like this movie. Godard's magic of the sixties is gone. If the film has a theme, it would be dehumanization/commercialization of sex, relationships, work and of everyday life in general. What is disconcerting is that Godard has chosen to tell the tale in the way a child that plays with his/her first movie camera would. For no obvious reason the image is frozen at times, shown in slow motion or in jerky successive stops and some scenes like the accident at the end are filmed in deliberately clumsy nome movie style. Points that were subtle in his early movies are now ponderous and overstated. There are touches of humor but they don't add up to much.
On the positive side: the acting. Nathalie Baye is perfect in her role (and seems imbedded in a different movie) and the always fearless Isabelle Huppert makes the best of a part that would make other actresses pause. Except for this, the movie is a disappointment.
Godard set aside movies in the 70s in favor of experimental TV work and Every Man for Himself (1980) is his return to feature films; he called it his "second first film".
I did not like this movie. Godard's magic of the sixties is gone. If the film has a theme, it would be dehumanization/commercialization of sex, relationships, work and of everyday life in general. What is disconcerting is that Godard has chosen to tell the tale in the way a child that plays with his/her first movie camera would. For no obvious reason the image is frozen at times, shown in slow motion or in jerky successive stops and some scenes like the accident at the end are filmed in deliberately clumsy nome movie style. Points that were subtle in his early movies are now ponderous and overstated. There are touches of humor but they don't add up to much.
On the positive side: the acting. Nathalie Baye is perfect in her role (and seems imbedded in a different movie) and the always fearless Isabelle Huppert makes the best of a part that would make other actresses pause. Except for this, the movie is a disappointment.