Pierrot Le Fou (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965): France, Italy

Reviewed by Byron Potau.  Viewed on DVD

Few director’s films are as difficult to watch and as worth the effort as the early film’s of cinema iconoclast and intellectual darling Jean-Luc Godard.  I say early as in the first eight years of a career that has spanned nearly fifty years and could produce as many as three films in single year.  Convoluted, absurdly comical, audacious, and indulgent, the early films of Godard are an addition to cinema as enthralling as they are essential.  1965’s Pierrot Le Fou, for Godard, came near the end of one era, the Anna Karina years, and the beginning of another, prefacing the ultra left political Dziga Vertov Group films.  The film is part gangster film, part musical, and part love story.  Most of all it is an essay on the nature of art.
The film is about a pair of lovers on the run, Ferdinand and Marianne played by Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina.  However, this plot is merely a vehicle for a slew of thoughts and ideas on art, literature, music, theater, politics, war, consumerism, and of course, the cinema.  As is a Godard trademark, there is a wealth of references to other artists to keep one busy.  In the first ten minutes alone there are references made to Nicholas Ray’s Johnny Guitar, Balzac’s Cesare Birotteau, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Charles Baudelaire, the painter Velazquez, and a cameo appearance from American filmmaker Samuel Fuller.  The remainder of the film contains much more.
Godard makes use of the colors of the French flag, blue, white and red, and also, occasionally, uses yellow and green, however it is the blue and red which dominate the film, showing up in every scene through the use of costumes, sets, props, and filters, giving the film a Pop Art look to it in conjunction with the film’s art theme.  Especially fascinating is the party scene where Godard employs an obscenely garish use of filters.
Godard’s film is all over the place, on the road, on the beach, at society parties, in the world of art, literature, and war.  The plot can, at times, feel convoluted and meandering, but it also contains such fiercely funny moments as Ferdinand and Marianne’s Vietnam play, Uncle Sam’s Nephew Versus Uncle Ho’s Niece, with Belmondo’s side splitting interpretation of an American.  Only the humorless will fail to laugh.  Earlier in the film Belmondo gives an interpretation of an old man, clearly based on French actor Michel Simon, which is also very funny.
The success of the performances of both Belmondo and Karina are due in large part to their personal charm which adds consistency to a very loose narrative.  The translation of the film is relatively successful except for the ridiculous and baffling translation of the French word “ligne” to “thigh line” rather than “waistline.”
Recommending a Godard film can be dangerous work.  While I whole heartedly recommend this film not only as a masterpiece of the French New Wave, but of cinema itself, it must be said that there is no such thing as mainstream Godard, only more accessible, less accessible, and inaccessible Godard.  This film is of the more accessible variety, but if you have never seen a Godard film or are not acquainted with art cinema you may not know what you are up against.  However, if you can remain attentive throughout the one hour and fifty minute running time this film offers plenty to enjoy, laugh at, and ponder long after the credits have rolled.

DVD Extras:  Video interview with Anna Karina, a video program with commentary by Jean-Pierre Gorin, a documentary on Jean-Luc Godard and his life and films with Anna Karina, interviews with Godard, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Anna Karina, theatrical trailer, and a booklet with an essay by critic Richard Brody, a review by critic Andrew Sarris, and a 1965 interview with Godard.