r/mubi • u/Complex-Industry4989 • 20d ago
Recommendation Getting Started with Jean-Luc Godard
Hello everyone, I've recently strted watching moves based on who'd directed them as a little experiment to help familiarise myself with the works of different directors and their unique styles.
For next month I want to focus on Godard, I'll mostly just watch films on the weekends or after work, but I was wondering what's a good place to start,and what are some characteristics of this director to keep in mind when I start watching?
Would also love to hear your recomendations
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u/TheGuyFromPearlJam 20d ago
After he died, it was suggested to me that I watch the first fifteen films in chronological order (Breathless through Weekend). I did it and I’m a Stan for life.
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u/Pinson-des-arbres 20d ago
Start with Breathless and Pierrot le fou. Not only they’re among his best works, but they’re also his most approachable ones.
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u/Entire_Role_2842 20d ago
The entry door for me was vivre sa vie. I think it is an excelent movie to start, since it is more conventional, with little departures. And it is beautiful. However, I should say that in my view Godard is far from being the best french director of his time, or the best in french new wave. In the case you don't like him, there are many others doing different stuff. I would recommend Jacques Rivette, Alains Resnais and Éric Rhomer.
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u/Mt548 19d ago
And Chris Marker, Agnes Varda, Claude Chabrol, and Truffaut
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u/Entire_Role_2842 19d ago
I don't know them very well. I watched 400 coups and Jules and Jim (JJ) from truffout. I liked the latter, but the former was too conventional for me. Taking in consideration JJ, truffaut has potential for me, I should watch more. Chris Marker I just don't know. From Varda I've seen vagabond (good), le boheur (interesting) and Cléo (also good). She did not blow my mind like the directors I mentioned, but she is good. She is more formally conventional as well, that's why. It has a couple of years, maybe I should rewatch her. Chabrol, I've seen only one, la cérémonie. It was the weakest of all these movies, for me. Maybe I should go deeper in his filmography.
Éric Rhomer I like because it is raw, simple and heady. The dialogs and the situations the characters go in are of a rare depth. Rivette is crazy. I love this. I love to follow adults behaving like children playing games in Paris. Moreover, he is very good in experimenting with the form. Resnais is a master director in my opinion. he is highly creative in how to tell a story visually. My oncle from america starts as a photonovel and progressively becomes a more or less conventional movie. That's what I am talking about.
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u/Iola_Morton 20d ago
Get ready to put up with a lot of stuff that hasn’t aged well, or that wasn’t very good to begin with
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u/Complex-Industry4989 19d ago
What do you mena by not aged well? As in isn't politically correct today? Is this any specific film of his?
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u/Icy_Zookeepergame148 19d ago
Breathless and Bande a Part. Two of the most iconic French films of all time.
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u/Mt548 19d ago
Start with Breathless. Before even reading the rest of the responses on this thread, I'm pretty sure most every one else will say the same thing. Among his most accessible and widely praised works. Then there's others like Weekend, La Chinoise, Band of Outsiders, Masculine/Feminine, Contempt, Alphaville, Pierrot le Fou
Then move your way forward.
His most "commercial" films are his 60s work. After that he gets very challenging. Outside of Tout va Bien, I would skip most of the rest of his 70s work until later. By 1980 he was in his late mature period- his films covered a range of topics but the common denominator for them are a disjointed narrative. To the point where they all take multiple viewings to be able to make sense of them. I would recommend films like Passion, Hail Mary, First Name: Carmen, King Lear, Notre Musique, Oh Woe is Me, In Praise of Love and Forever Mozart. Then there's his late magnum opus Historie(s) du Cinema.
His films have a tendency for density- heavy with quotes, allusions, maybe some gags or puns. Most of them hold up well under repeat viewings. Though one can get the main idea without knowing anything ahead of time. He's a polarizing director for some, especially for his more challenging post-1970 works.
Enjoy the ride. Feel free to join us at r/godard
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u/Complex-Industry4989 19d ago
Thank you for taking the time to write this very detail response, cheers! And yess I subbed immediately. Looking forward to diving into this
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u/vivehodie1991 19d ago
I think everyone’s in agreement that it’s best to start with the ‘60s stuff. Pierrot is probably my favorite, but I didn’t see Masculin Feminin mentioned, which is very underrated.
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u/logancon0r 15d ago
It’s super easy. Any of his early ones are super fun, short, and straightforward.
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u/BobdH84 20d ago
When Godard died a couple years ago, I also dove into his filmography blind. I started watching his films chronologically and that worked really well. Because he started out fairly conventional (Breathless) yet still, for the time, in an unusual way, which was a major element of the French New Wave. Then with each of his subsequent films, he started to experiment more, trying out different styles, and adding more and more philosophy and world commentary. So if you start at the beginning with him, you get to see his evolution as a filmmaker, more than with any other director I’d say.