Synopsis: Screenwriter's marriage disintegrates during film production
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Actors: Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, Michael Piccoli, Fritz Lang
Date: 1963
How viewed: Rented from Lovefilm
Rating: 3/5
David Meyer says:
Godard understand cinema perhaps too well; his insights into how camera movement and even light itself can provoke emotion led him to abandon narrative early in his career.
I say:
Le Mepris (aka 'Contempt') is a key film in the French 'New Wave' of the 50's/60's - a movement in which directors such as Jean-Luc Godard broke the mould by introducing techniques such as fragmented discontinuous editing, and long takes, using portable equipment to produce a documentary style. As a result it's rather difficult to watch films like this in terms of simple story-telling - you probably need a few viewings to catch the mood and start to sit back and and enjoy it - but on first viewing it's pretty irritating! Le Mepris is a film about the making of a film of The Odyssey - the real life director Fritz Lang (Metropolis, M) plays himself (is himself, or plays a part?), who clashes with the producer (Jack Palance) who wants something more commercial and asks a writer (Michael Piccoli) to re-write the screen-play, partially, one senses, because he fancies his wife (Brigitte Bardot). There's a long, long, long middle section where the screen-writer and his wife interminably discuss and argue whether he should take the job and/or go to Capri where the next scenes are bring shot. They go, it doesn't turn out well. The film seems riddled with indecision, you just want someone to make their minds up about something so that the the plot can move along - but perhaps thats exactly what the New Wave were revolting against! As straightforward storytelling it didn't do it for me though. Best bit - the house in Capri where they film. Worst bit - the dubbing into English, very strange.
Godard understand cinema perhaps too well; his insights into how camera movement and even light itself can provoke emotion led him to abandon narrative early in his career.
I say:
Le Mepris (aka 'Contempt') is a key film in the French 'New Wave' of the 50's/60's - a movement in which directors such as Jean-Luc Godard broke the mould by introducing techniques such as fragmented discontinuous editing, and long takes, using portable equipment to produce a documentary style. As a result it's rather difficult to watch films like this in terms of simple story-telling - you probably need a few viewings to catch the mood and start to sit back and and enjoy it - but on first viewing it's pretty irritating! Le Mepris is a film about the making of a film of The Odyssey - the real life director Fritz Lang (Metropolis, M) plays himself (is himself, or plays a part?), who clashes with the producer (Jack Palance) who wants something more commercial and asks a writer (Michael Piccoli) to re-write the screen-play, partially, one senses, because he fancies his wife (Brigitte Bardot). There's a long, long, long middle section where the screen-writer and his wife interminably discuss and argue whether he should take the job and/or go to Capri where the next scenes are bring shot. They go, it doesn't turn out well. The film seems riddled with indecision, you just want someone to make their minds up about something so that the the plot can move along - but perhaps thats exactly what the New Wave were revolting against! As straightforward storytelling it didn't do it for me though. Best bit - the house in Capri where they film. Worst bit - the dubbing into English, very strange.
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