Antonioni


With the minimalism, the frame composition, and the marriage trouble, felt like an inferior Antonioni alienation tetralogy film, especially like La notte and Il deserto rosso.

Gorgeous visuals and musical score. Still a good film, but subpar considering everybody's almighty French auteur.

reply

I agree with you. Very like a glorious Technicolour homage to L'Aventurra in it's long, elegant but rather tiresome, cold style.
It all looks gorgeous. The cinematography, the framing, the car, the extreme, bold use of wide-screen, colour and land scape are all immaculate, but the narrative is flimsy and drags along with endless circular dialogue and long takes which, while impressive in themselves, simply run out of interest after a while.
The characters seem rather dreary and vacuous. Camile is a treat too look at but hardly appealing as a personality. Only Lang, playing himself, is really interesting.
Generally I found it quite unlike most Godard films from this period; more polish, less gusto and fewer tricks, although they creep in with the use of sound on the cinema interior scene and some jump-cuts in the inevitable driving scene. Otherwise it comes across as more Antonioni than Godard.
Having seen it once I wouldn't generally be inclined to watch it again as I have with , say ALPHAVILLE or BANDE A PART, both of which lack the production values of LE MEPRIS but have a good deal more energy about them.

reply

yes and much inferior

reply

Wayyyy inferior. To compare this movie to Antonioni is laughable. I can understand why people like Godard, but to me he's the most overrated director ever.

reply

I can see it.

reply