402. Le Mepris/Contempt (1963)

Running Time: 103 minutes
Directed By: Jean-Luc Godard
Written By: Jean-Luc Godard, from the novel Il Disprezzo by Alberto Moravia
Main Cast: Michel Piccoli, Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, Fritz Lang, Giorgia Moll
Click here to view the trailer

GODARD WEEK: PART THREE

See, I told you "Godard Week" would resume! "Contempt" has always been a film that has been able to intrigue me simply by looking at the cover of the DVD or even hearing the title. The word "contempt" always struck me as such a strong word and I had always wondered just what this film was all about. Tonight, I wonder no more.

How come when it comes to these Godard pictures, I have such a hard time trying to type out a decipherable plot synopsis? Paul (Piccoli) is a screenwriter and his wife is Camille (Bardot). Toward the beginning of the film, Paul is summoned to meet producer Jerry Prokosch (Palance), for reasons of doing a little touch-up work on the script to Jerry's latest production, Odysseus - a film adaptation of Homer's Odyssey. The director of the picture is to be Fritz Lang, of whom Jerry is having artistic differences. All of this really doesn't matter though, because the plot doesn't really revolve around the shooting of a film, but more so around the problems that begin between Paul and Camille. At the end of the meeting between Jerry and Paul, of which Camille later arrives, Jerry (a very confident, alpha male type who obviously has his sights on Camille) invites Paul and Camille to his home. He cites that Paul surely won't be comfortable riding in the back of his tiny sports car and suggests that he take a cab, while Jerry and Camille ride along to Jerry's house. Paul agrees, despite Camille's subtle efforts to change the plan and off Jerry and Camille go. After the meeting at Jerry's house, the couple arrive home and all of a sudden Camille is obviously very upset with Paul. Despite her best efforts to coax the reason of out of her, Camille continues to maintain that she's fine and that nothing is bothering her.

SPOILER ALERT!

Man, did that plot synopsis suck or what? Anyway, that's the meat & potatoes of it all, but there are some films that can't really be contained into a simple paragraph and mere words can't express what they're really all about. In a word, I thought "Contempt" was marvelous. In several words, it was also beautiful and heartbreaking. This is a film that I really wanted to like and usually when I want to like something, I don't. This time I more than liked what I wanted to like, but rather, I loved it! Let's cover the basics and then we'll get into some of the more symbolic elements and some of my interpretations. The camerawork is breathtaking and I haven't seen anything this gorgeous since "Fellini Week", as far as film's from THE BOOK go. The acting is fine, with Palance being a surprisingly good fit and a really great pair of finds in Michel Piccoli and Brigitte Bardot. They had great chemistry together, even though their characters, for the most part, lacked chemistry. And what about that music? It was almost tear inducing. There were times throughout the picture when it would strike up and I'd wonder if I was supposed to be feeling something at that moment. It was such a powerful score and it was played throughout A LOT of the movie. Played too much, perhaps? Well, it was just so good, that I can't bring myself to say that, but it's possible I guess.

So, anyway, Camille is mad at Paul for not protesting when Jerry offered to take her alone in the car. Jerry was obviously hot for Camille and his reasoning for wanting to be alone with her was absolute poppycock, "Oh Paul, you surely won't be comfortable stuffed into the backseat, why don't you take a cab", to which Paul replied, "Oh sure Jerry, I'll just take a cab". C'mon dude, you're wife is a gorgeous blonde and this arrogant, confident, good-looking man, whom you can't understand, is going to take her alone and all you can say is, "sure, why not". Now, on the other hand, does Camille's eventual backlash due to Paul's decision warrant such drastic measures? I mean, it's later revealed, when Paul recounts his interpretation of Homer's Odyssey, that he really did it because he had faith in his wife. He knew she wouldn't cheat on him, so he didn't have any problem allowing her to go alone with Jerry. It's a situation that I can see both points of view on, so therefore, the film works for me, because their arguments always seem genuine. I can see both sides, so all of the questions from Paul and all of the actions from Camille make some sense.

I have to say I was pretty proud of myself for picking up on the correlation between Paul, Camille & Jerry and Ulysses, Penelope & Poseidon. Of course, it's all laid out for you, so it's not as if you've had to have read The Odyssey. I also (and I'm not lying) picked up on Bardot's resemblance to Anna Karina (Godard's real life wife) when she donned the black wig. In fact, even from there I made the assumption that Camille dying in the end was Godard's way of saying, "Take that bitch!". I can already tell, just from the three films of his that I've seen, that he didn't have a very high opinion of women and that, for the most, part he thought them to act very childish and stubborn and possibly had great disdain for them or maybe just one in particular. Obviously here, Godard takes the side of Paul, playing down his actions and heightening the complaints and absurd behavior of Camille and then killing her for being so bull-headed. You can also look at the camera shots, specifically those from the entire scene in the apartment, when the two are at the height of their argument. Godard isn't constantly forcing us into the situation, but, for the most part, allowing us to peer through doorways, as if we're peering in on a real-life disagreement - possibly his way of saying, "it's more than a movie folks, it's my life - take a look".

Godard also seemed to be trying to say something, in the fact that you had Paul, a playwright who could form interpretations of Homer's writings and understand quotes about Dante, but couldn't interpret his own wife's emotions. Perhaps he's trying to say that women are impossible to understand?

I had a deep desire to understand every facet of this film. While I'm sure I didn't understand EVERY FACET, I think I swallowed it very well and understood the majority of it. This blow's "Breathless" and "My Life to Live" out of the water and has a nearly guaranteed chance of seeing a TOP 20 spot. I just finished and I can say, I honestly can't wait to see it again and try to fit more of the puzzle pieces into place.

RATING: 10/10 Yep, it's THAT good. Even if I hate the rest of his films, I do admire Godard for making this piece of perfection.

MOVIES WATCHED: 386
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 615

January 3, 2012 11:27pm