Thursday, September 9, 2010

Some other uses of your time

I had a few extra hours to spare, so I was watching Masculin féminin and Alphaville by Godard.


I enjoyed both, but especially the former. Alphaville is, in the end, too much of a genre parody for me, and being a highly literate, referential, and genre-bending parody doesn't change this basic fact. Though it's clever, beautiful, and exhilarating, when Anna Karina utters the closing lines of the film and the music swells, the words "Je vous aime" seem to fall flat despite all that.


Masculin féminin is another matter altogether. It still feels like a fresh look at the youth of that generation with Chantal Goya as the self-consciously innocent yé-yé and Jean-Pierre Léaud as the idealistic, left-wing intellectual. It's got all the usual in there, discussions of love, sex, and politics, documentary-style interviews, and random shootouts. But in the end for me it was the young and awkward love that was most touching, and that made the ending hit home.

Now that I am beginning to appreciate, if not entirely love, some of the classic early Godard, it's probably time to venture into his films from the '70s, '80s, '90s...

xo

bb

7 comments:

Jude said...

You have totally got me on a masculin feminin crave - I think that will need to go on my DVD queue! Haven't seen that or Alphaville in eons, so loving your analysis here :)

Jude said...

P.S. Just popped back in to say thanks for sharing the paella recipe! I'd love to try (Also love the idea of Indianizing it - it's too fun to play around with recipes :))

RD said...

Hey Jude! Thanks for your recipe too! Though I'm vegetarian, I can think of ways to adapt it... xo BB

daily mix LA said...

might have to check it out!

the chirpy bird said...

Fabulous recipe! I'm always looking for ways to stay adventurous in the kitchen! Glad I stumbled across you today!
xo tash

Unknown said...

oh true...somehow alphaville was lost on me....but loved masculin feminin ;) venture onward!

RD said...

onward i will venture (though suggestions always appreciated!) xo bb

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