MovieChat Forums > Le petit soldat (1963) Discussion > Why 1963? This movie was made in 1960!

Why 1963? This movie was made in 1960!

posted 19 years ago by david-1056
11 replies | jump to latest

It's kind of strange that this movie is listed with the year 1963, wich is only the release-date. It was shot during April and May 1960, just after the release of A BOUT DE SOUFFLE, and is Godard's second long feature film.
It was immediately banned by the french Government due to its sensitive political content and was not screened publicly until 1963. But it was definitely completed in 1960.

Well, anyway, great movie of course, like all of Godard's work of the 60ies!

http://www.ymdb.com/user_top20_view.asp?usersid=22306

[–] gpjager 18 years ago

Why don't you use the "Update Information" link then? It's on the bottom of every IMDb page, and IMDb is always glad to receive corrections ....

[–] david-1056 18 years ago

Hey thanks gpjager, I will do that!

http://www.ymdb.com/user_top20_view.asp?usersid=22306

[–] gpjager 18 years ago

Good .... By the way: I think you are definitely right. All the sources I know say that Godard made this film in 1960 (it is the film he made right after "Breathless").

[–] gpjager 18 years ago

"Why 1963 ?"

I have now read that the film premiered in 1963, because it took so long to pass french censorship. So all the premiere dates given on IMDb are right.

However, Godard filmed "petit Soldat" in 1960 right after he had finished "Breathless".

[–] david-1056 18 years ago

Yes, and that's what I wrote to IMDb as an update under "filming dates". They didn't mention any filming dates until now.

Have a nice day!
David

http://www.ymdb.com/user_top20_view.asp?usersid=22306

[–] bboy5365 18 years ago

This film was banned in 1960 and wasn't allowed release until early 1963.

Jack Edwards

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] englesy 16 years ago

Le Petit soldat was banned in France because of the stark portrayal of torture used by both sides during the Algerian war for independence from France. Although Godard shot the film in 1960 it wasn't until 1963 that he managed to get it released.

[–] Chris_Docker 10 years ago

Indeed, that was the official reason. Possibly true. But many commentators suggest that it was because France could not be portrayed as condoning torture from their side during the war. This is supported by the fact that the ban was removed when the government changed, by France's refusal to consider it even when Godard offered to make cuts, and by the lengthy attempts made by France to stop its distribution in any other country as well. It is hard to imagine the impact it would have had if it had been released at the time it was made.

http://comments.imdb.com/user/ur0064493/comments-index?order=date&; summary=off&start=0

[–] smthdonovan 14 years ago

The filmography at the back of Colin MacCabe's "Godard: A Portrait of the Artist at Seventy" has this information:

Le Petit Soldat
Release: 25 January 1963
Filmed: In and around Geneva, 4 April - early May 1960.

[–] lubin-freddy 7 years ago

Others have pointed out, correctly, that the film wasn't released until 1963.

Just to stress that release dates are always used for the "official" year of a film. Otherwise you'd have a mess, especially with a film such as Welles' Othello, shot over several years.

What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.