Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (1965)

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writer:

Jean-Luc Godard (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 May 1965 (France)

Genre:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Suddenly the word is Alphaville... and a secret agent is in a breathless race against the Masters of the Future.

Plot:

Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet....

Plot Keywords:

Swimming Pool | Spoof | Totalitarianism | Mind Control | Philosophical

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Eddie Constantine	...	Lemmy Caution
Anna Karina	...	Natacha Von Braun
Akim Tamiroff	...	Henri Dickson

Also Known As:

Agente Lemmy Caution, missione Alphaville (Italy)
Alphaville (France)
Alphaville, a Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution
Alphaville, a Strange Case of Lemmy Caution
Dick Tracy on Mars (USA) (informal title)
Tarzan vs. IBM (France) (working title)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:12 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 (w) | South Korea:15 | Peru:14 | UK:12A (re-rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1994)

Filming Locations:

EDF building, Paris 12, Paris, France

Company:

Athos Films

Trivia:

Professors Heckel and Jeckell are named after the cartoon birds "Heckle and Jeckle", created by U.S. animator Paul Terry (of "Terrytoons" fame).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Lemmy has shot Professor Vonbraun, he runs down a staircase and throws open a glass door. As he does so, the reflection of the cameraman can be seen clearly in the door.

Quotes:

Alpha 60: I shall calculate so that failure is impossible.
Lemmy Caution: I shall fight so that failure is possible.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Cranberries: The Best Videos 1992-2002 (2002) (V)

Lemmy Caution you...

First, let me caution you, that is, those of you that like "mainstream" movies and big stars.....this is in black & white, made in 1965, and is in French with subtitles. Now, for those of you still with me after that, if you're adventurous and have an appreciation for strangeness, see this movie.

This is somewhat of a 40's detective movie where the hardcase Bogart wannabe (Eddie Constantine) finds himself in a futuristic totalitarian city on a quest. So what is Alphaville? Is it really on another planet? Or is it on earth? Hard to say but it sure seems like the folks that live there think it's another planet. It's run by Alpha 60, a giant computer. There are many references to George Orwell in this movie, like the "bible" in the nightstand in the hotel is really a dictionary, and the dictionary keeps getting smaller as certain words are taken out of the language, as in, BANNED. Logic rules and emotion is forbidden. So why is "Ivan Johnson" (Lemmy Caution, the private eye, as played by Constantine) there? It's a bit complicated and I'm not sure I even understood. I was fascinated by this movie from start to finish, but I can't honestly say I understood it all. Luckily I'm not one of those people that everything has to make sense to, at least when it comes to films. There are some strange little things thrown in here and there, like references to Dick Tracy & a pair of doctors called Heckell & Jeckyll. One segment has a group of privileged people watching executions of people (one of whom is a man that wouldn't stop crying when his wife died) and after each person is shot, they fall into a swimming pool and a bunch of young women in bathing suits dive in a swim around, to the applause of the audience. What the hell?? Anyway, I found this to be a very good, if not great, film, and for anyone that wants to see something different, please give it a watch. 8 out of 10 stars.