'Film Socialisme' vs. 'Nude Restaurant': Attempt at a Critical Response

Disclaimer: I have seen only a few of Godard's films, almost all from the 1960s. I have also seen only a few of Warhol's feature-length films. From what I've seen, I seem to prefer Warhol.



I found Film socialisme intriguing, but count me among those who considered it to be an interesting failure. What I experienced was a dog's breakfast of interesting ideas (all of which were quite familiar to me already) and beautiful images that really didn't add up to a "movie" beyond the fact that it was presented on a screen and had moving pictures and sound. I suspect that if I owned a copy, it would be one I pulled out and watched from time to time, but that doesn't mean I think it is a "good" movie--maybe a guilty pleasure but not a good movie.

Now, let me compare it to Nude Restaurant, one of Andy Warhol's ersatz sexploitation movies. I found Nude Restaurant to be virtually unwatchable the first time around. Viva chatters away for the first twenty minutes with her arms crossed over her bare breasts. A nearly naked Taylor Meade looks bemused while only half listening to her. This is not a promising start for a sexploitation movie! What follows is no less banal. The last half-hour is given to a nearly naked draft-dodger trying to convince a nearly naked Louis Waldon to come to an anti-war protest "next Saturday."

Both films are pretty much a hodge-podge. Neither film really adds up to much. But both are films that traffic in reasonably significant themes, and I would probably watch either of them with some frequency to escape the tedium of following a plot tied to characters with a storyline.

To sum up, I guess my attitude is that I appreciate both films for what they are (or at least what they appear to me to be) without being blinded by a feeling that I am supposedly seeing "great art" (or even a particularly "good movie").

What say you? Do you really believe that Film socialisme is redeemed from being merely a catch-as-catch-can melange of disparate elements by the imposition of a tripartite structure? This really seems to be the common defense. I would love to be convinced that it is true because I really would love to discover that Nude Restaurant is also a great film.

I really do look forward to reading your response. Yes, that means you, dear reader. ;)