Godard on DVD and Blu-ray

[jorencain]

I've watched "Nouvelle Vague" twice now, and it really is the imagery and music that have stayed with with me. With this (and many of Godard's later films) it's so hard for me to articulate what the film is "about", but there is more to it than just creating a mood. It seems to center thematically on memory, rebirth, love, and the difference between the sexes. I can't really say anything substantial when it's not fresh in my memory, so I won't even try. I do really enjoy it, though, and maybe I can come up with something to say after I watch it a third time.

Carmen, though, is indeed a very passionate, lush film, and not just because of the copious nude scenes or the always-threatening violence of the actors' relations. The soundtrack of this film is packed with warmth and emotion, from the stunning use of Beethoven's string quartets to the crash of waves and the fiery dialogue of the actors. The music rehearsal scenes have a mysterious elegance to them that lends the film a great deal of its charm, and it's a testament to the chemistry of the two lead actors that their brief romance and subsequent destruction burn brightly despite the deliberately fragmentary nature of Godard's narrative obfuscation.

I just got the Raro DVD of "Prenom: Carmen" in the mail and watched it for the first time tonight. This may be my new favorite Godard film. I was completely transfixed by the first hour, and then, suddenly, Tom Waits comes on the soundtrack! I couldn't have been happier. This stands out for me as a very human and emotional film from Godard; not at all cluttered with extraneous texts, quotes, and other elements that can sometimes be alienating to the audience. I also loved the string quartet sequences...in addition to providing a beautiful and moving soundtrack, I really enjoyed seeing them rehearse, and how this spilled into the story and rest of the film (or vice-versa: the story of the musicians happens to provide a soundtrack for the film).

Side note.......Another thing I've noticed, having watched about 15 Godard films in the past few weeks, is how beautiful French actresses are. My God, I want to move to Paris. From Anna Karina to the extras in "Passion" to Maruschka Detmers in "Prenom: Carmen", etc., Godard has really filmed some beautiful women.

[tavernier]

Side note.......Another thing I've noticed, having watched about 15 Godard films in the past few weeks, is how beautiful French actresses are. My God, I want to move to Paris. From Anna Karina to the extras in "Passion" to Maruschka Detmers in "Prenom: Carmen", etc., Godard has really filmed some beautiful women.

Actually, Detmers is Dutch, but I hear ya! =P~

[lubitsch]

Actually, Detmers is Dutch, but I hear ya! =P~

And Karina is Danish !!!

Personally I couldn't care less for Karina and the films are for masochists only.

[jorencain]

Actually, Detmers is Dutch, but I hear ya! =P~

And Karina is Danish !!!

OK, then I alter my statement to: "Godard has fine taste in women."

[sevenarts]

Rather than starting a whole new JLG on DVD thread, I figured I'd post this here. I've gone through Godard's filmography and posted everything available on DVD currently (with English subs only, since anything else is useless to me at least), picking what seems to be the consensus best version when there are multiple versions of films. This is, as far as I can tell, everything; if anyone knows of anything else, please point it out so I can update.

Operation Beton (1955)
Une femme coquette (1956)
Charlotte et Veronique (1957) – on Criterion "A Woman is a Woman"
Une histoire d'eau (1958) - "Their First Films", Alto Media, Korea R3
Charlotte et son Jules (1958) – "Their First Films", Alto Media, Korea R3
Breathless (1960) - Raro, Italy R2
Le Petit Soldat (1960) - Raro, Italy R2
A Woman Is a Woman (1961) - Criterion
La Paresse (segment of The Seven Capital Sins, 1962)
My Life To Live (1962) – Nouveaux, UK R2
Il Nuouvo Mondo (segment of Ro.Go.Pa.G, 1963)
Les Carabiniers (1963) - Fox Lorber R1
Contempt (1963) - Criterion
Reportage sur Orly (1964)
Band of Outsiders (1964) - Criterion
Le Grand escroc (segment of The Beautiful Swindlers, 1964)
A Married Woman (1964) – New York Film Annex R1
Montparnasse-Levallois (segment of Six In Paris, 1965)
Alphaville (1965) - Criterion
Pierrot le fou (1965) - Studio Canal, France R2; future Criterion?
Masculin Feminin (1966) - Criterion
Made in U.S.A. (1966) - Raro, Italy R2
2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967) – Nouveaux, UK R2; future Criterion?
Anticipation (segment of The Oldest Profession, 1967)
La Chinoise (1967) - Optimum, UK R2
Camera-oeil (segment of Far From Vietnam, 1967)
L'Amore (segment of Love & Anger, 1967) - NoShame R0
Week-end (1967) - Artificial Eye, UK R2
Film-tracts #s 7-10, 12-16, 23, 40 (1968)
A Film Like Any Other (1968)
One + One (1968) – Fabulous, UK R2
Le Gai Savoir (1969)
Vladimir et Rosa (1970)
See You At Mao (1970)
Pravda (1970)
Le Vent d'est (1970)
Lotte in Italia (1971)
One P.M. (1972)
Tout Va Bien (1972) - Criterion
Letter To Jane (1972) - on Criterion "Tout Va Bien"
Numero Deux (1975)
Six fois deux/Sur et sous la communication (1976)
Ici et ailleurs (1976)
France/tour/detour/enfants (1977)
Comment ca va? (1978)
Scenario de 'Sauve qui peut la vie' (1979) - on Artificial Eye "Slow Motion", UK R2
Slow Motion (1980) - Artificial Eye, UK R2
Scenario du film 'Passion' (1981)
Lettre a Freddy Buache (1982)
Passion (1982) - Cahiers du Cinema, France R2
Changer d'image (1982)
Prenom Carmen (1983) - Raro, Italy R2
Petites notes a propos du film 'Je vous salue, Marie' (1983)
Hail Mary (1985)
Detective (1985) - Optimum, UK R2
Soft Conversation on Hard Subjects (1985)
Grandeur et decadence d'un petit commerce du cinema (1986)
Meetin' WA (1986)
King Lear (1987)
Armide (segment of Aria, 1987) - Image R1
Keep Your Right Up (1987) - Facets R1
On s'est tous defile (1988)
Le dernier mot (segment of The French As Seen By..., 1988)
Puissance de la parole (1988)
Le Rapport Darty (1989)
L'enfance de l'art (segment of How Are the Kids?, 1990)
Nouvelle Vague (1990) - Cahiers du Cinema, France R2
Lettre a Thomas Wainggai (segment of Contre l'oubli, 1991)
Germany Year 90 Nine Zero (1991)
The Kids Play Russian (1993)
Helas pour moi (1993)
Je vous salue, Sarjevo (1994) – "Four Short Films", ECM, France R0
2x50 Years of French Cinema (1995)
JLG/JLG: autoportrait de decembre (1995)
Plus Oh (music video, 1996)
For Ever Mozart (1996) - New Yorker R1
The Old Place (1998) - "Four Short Films", ECM, France R0
Histoire(s) du cinema (1989-1998)
De L'origine du XXIe siecle (2000) - "Four Short Films", ECM, France R0
Eloge de l'amour (2001) - Optimum, UK R2
Liberte et patrie (2002) - "Four Short Films", ECM, France R0
Dans le noir du temps (segment of Ten Minutes Older, 2002) – Blue Dolphin, UK R2
Moments choisis des histoire(s) du cinema (2004)
Notre musique (2004) - Optimum, UK R2

[tavernier]

Great list, with one addition: Les Carabiniers is on DVD from Fox Lorber; it's not a great disc, but it has English subs and a David Steritt commentary.

[Dylan]

You should add the Studio Canal French R2 of "Pierrot le fou," which looks stunning and has English subtitles. It seems Criterion will pick this one up eventually, but until they do this is certainly the best version out there.

A Married Woman (1964) – New York Film Annex R1

Where is this available?

[sevenarts]

thanks for the additions, added those, although i'll still probably wait for criterion on pierrot le fou -- how about les carabiniers, is that another likely criterion someday? did i miss any others that are probably going to turn into criterions?

as for a married woman, it's available on the facets site, there was a thread here a while back where a few people said it was a decent enough disc, though i haven't ordered it yet.

[Oedipax]

Hail Mary is out in R4 with English subs.

Review

[Oedipax]

Also, you might give a slight edge to the R1 Wellspring Notre Musique. To my knowledge there hasn't been a comparison, but the image is superb. And there is a 5.1 audio track in addition to the 2.0, whereas the R2 just has the 2.0.

[BrianInAtlanta]

Weekend and Masculine/Feminine would be my first choices but my taste may not be reliable. Despite owning 16 Godard DVDs now, I still find myself, as the characters are quoting long passages from some French novel, sitting there thinking, "Gee, isn't Paris pretty! What a great little convertible!" I'm such a bourgeois, but I guess that's what lets me own 16 Godard DVDs...

BTW, does anyone own the U.S. videotape of Le Gai Savoir? How is it, quality-wise?

[lovermanzig]

The Le Gai Savoir VHS is horrendous...blown out, bleeding color, bad print. I presume you're referring to the Facets VHS right? If so, read above.

But it's a very good film, worth seeing in any form.

[David Ehrenstein]

One of the female leads of Les Carabiniers is Emmanuelle Beart's mother.

[toiletduck!]

So, I'm relatively near an upcoming program of post-68 Godard (which I haven't delved into yet, but fits right up my alley), but the commute is a long and arduous one via public transportation. I don't want to pass up a rare chance to see these films on 16/35mm, but at the same time I'm trying to think rationally here. Prenom: Carmen, Hail Mary, and Nouvelle Vague are pretty much locks, and I'm going to try my best to get to Sauve Qui Peut, Passion, and Detective, but what about Sympathy for the Devil, Helas Pour Moi, JLG/JLG and Germany Year 90 Nine Zero? I don't think I've seen them mentioned anywhere in this thread -- I'm assuming that means either I shouldn't bother or this is an opportunity I can't afford to miss. Which is it?

-Toilet Dcuk

[cinemartin]

I would definitely see Germany Year Nine Zero and JLG/JLG. JLG/JLG is a kind of companion piece to Helas Pour Moi and it gives insight as to why that film was a failure (much like Soft and Hard does for Detective). I personally like One + One, but I don't know if you should go out of your way for it, especially because the Region 2 dvd is so good.

[toiletduck!]

Much thanks, cinemartin, and a follow-up question. By companion piece, are we talking required viewing? JLG/JLG and Germany Year Nine Zero are on a double bill, so I can definitely hit that one, but I don't want to have to make another trip for Helas just to set up JLG/JLG. How will it stand on its own?

-Toilet Dcuk

[cinemartin]

It will stand fine on its own. We're talking about Godard here. His films are so allusive anyway, Helas Pour Moi is no more required to enjoy JLG/JLG than Germany Year 90 is required to enjoy Alphaville. These films have some connection to each other, but it is almost arbitrary.

[justeleblanc]

I take it they are not showing King Lear?

[toiletduck!]

Nope -- believe me, I'd be there with bells on. It's the above mentioned plus Tout Va Bien, but that's going to be a DVD projection, so I figure I can sit it out.

-Toilet Dcuk

[ka mai]

Are you talking about Chicago here? Where/When?

[Via_Chicago]

Every Monday night at 7:00 at Max Palevsky Cinema (Doc Films) at the University of Chicago. Their (I guess I could say "our" since I work there) fall calendar can be found here. More info on Doc Films can be found on their website. Come out and support us (if you arrange it with me, I can get you in for free)!

[toiletduck!]

(if you arrange it with me, I can get you in for free)!

Damn, boy-ee! You just made yourself a new starving artist friend...

-Toilet Dcuk

[Kirkinson]

Not that I'm trying to make your decision harder, TD, but I thought Helas pour moi was superb, enough so that I don't want to miss seeing it again in the form of a screening. I also second the vote for JLG/JLG, which was excellent, and bravo for making Nouvelle Vague a lock, as it's definitely my favorite of Godard's post-68 work (though I think his work since then -- at least what I've seen of it -- has been of such consistent quality that it's hard to make a judgment like that).

Anyway, I'll see you there some time (not that we'll recognize each other). It sounds like I have an easier time getting to Doc Films from the 'burbs than you do from the city itself.

[hangthadj]

I have at least two trips to make to Chicago now this fall, first the Mizoguchi restrospective and now this. I will definitely be up there for Nouvelle Vague and hopefully Germany Year Nine Zero.

Sorta unrealted. I just recently watched In Praise of Love and was maddingly frustrated by it all, even while I found it stunning to look at. Some of the anti-american banter just seemed pointless, and really not all that intellegent compared to some of Godard's other dialogue. And this coming from someone who has many issues with US governance etc. Did anyone else have a similar reaction?

[domino harvey]

in case any R1 people without region-free players were curious, the supposedly R4 Australian release of La Chinoise is actually region free. it also contains a commentary in which we are told Anna Karina starred in 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her.