Pierrot le Fou - Criterion Collection (1969)

Dissatisfied in marriage and life Ferdinand (Jean-Paul Belmondo) takes to the road with the babysitter his ex-lover Marianne Renoir (Anna Karina) and leaves the bourgeoisie behind. Yet this is no normal road trip: genius auteur Jean-Luc Godard's tenth feature in six years is a stylish mash-up of consumerist satire politics and comic-book aesthetics as well as a violent zigzag tale of as Godard called them "the last romantic couple." With blissful color imagery by cinematographer Raoul Coutard and Belmondo and Karina at their most animated Pierrot le fou is one of the high points of the French new wave and one last frolic before Godard moved ever further into radical cinema. System Requirements:Running time: 110 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/FRENCH Rating: NR UPC: 715515027823 Manufacturer No: CC1738DDVD Product Description

Artsy-Fartsy

It's beneath the artist to explain his work. You'll just have to figure out the meaning of my review's title on your own. July 4, 2008

Well...

I like Godard's early films A Bout de Souffle and Band Apart, but this is...I don't know what to say...too much? If you like Godard, the French New wave and so on, this Criterion DVD is made with excellent transfer and with some really good extras (like the documentary about Godard and Anna Karena). But the film is too playful for me to appreciate, it's more interesting as an idea than to watch. 2 stars for the film and 4 stars to Criterions package. If you haven't tried Godards films before don't start with this one, try A Bout de Souffle ("Breathless") instead, also on Criterion in a fantastic edition. June 26, 2008

50 Books to One Record

During the year of 1965, Jean-Luc Godard would create three highly acclaimed films: Alphaville, Pierrot le fou, and Masculin, Feminin. What makes this accomplishment even more outstanding is the fact that these three films could not be more different from each other with Alphaville being an Orwellian science fiction film and Masculin, Feminin being a romance with a strong socialist edge. However, amongst these three films it would be the lone color film Pierrot le fou, Peter the Wild, that would garner most critical attention. Having watched all three films myself, I can say at least that Pierrot le fou is indeed the most experimental of the three films and it delves heavier into the potential of film as a medium that the other two, but is it as enjoyable as the other two films? In my opinion, no, it is not a very enjoyable film and it borders on absolute tedium at times.

The film opens with Ferdinand Griffon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, reading in the bathtub while puffing away on his ever present cigarettes. Being forced to attend a party that he does not want to attend, Ferdinand states that he would prefer to stay at home with the children. Yet, because her husband is unemployed, Ferdinand's wife is insistent that he will attend the party. Also, a fellow party patron's niece will look after the children. On their way out, Ferdinand meets Marianne, Anna Karina, and soon is whisked off to the party. The party turns out to be a complete bore with its patrons speaking as if they were commercials. Ferdinand soon flees home and it is at time that we the viewers learn that Ferdinand and Marianne shared a relationship with each other some years before and, as he is giving her a ride home, Ferdinand soon decides to abandon his family. After spending the night with Marianne, Ferdinand sees that there is more to the young, pretty girl than meets the eye when he sees several automatic weapons in her apartment and not to mention a dead man with a pair of scissors sticking out of his neck. Therefore, they begin their lives on the run promising to love each other, but can that truly come to be?

I have watched a handful of Jean-Luc Goddard films now and for the most part my reaction has been quite cool towards them. I respect that they are quite creative and that Godard pushes the boundaries of film. I even like the strong socialist and antiwar groundings within the films, but at some points the films just come off as a bit ludicrous to me or that they were striving so much to become "art" that they ignore entertainment value for the viewer. I am not trying to say that I do not appreciate films that make the viewer think, I really enjoy the Brechtian films of Oshima Nagisa, but at least I want to feel some enjoyment while watching the film instead of feeling my eyes glaze over. I do think this film is important to watch in order to see the progress of the French New Wave, but if you want to simply enjoy a French New Wave film watch a François Truffaut film instead. May 6, 2008

lots of new shots in this crierion dvd

great movie
the old dvd was the first dvd i bought
they must have had a very different cut of this film
many many beautiful shots here that were simply not on the other dvd
image is beautiful
the color is great - to me this movie is so much about the color red

for me this is godard's masterpiece
the extras are great
anna on t.v. at the venice film festival is priceless
what a beautiful, beautiful woman and spirit ! April 24, 2008

Another Great Criterion

Criterion does it again.
I saw this film on the big screen twice in the past year. So, with that in my mind, I was prepared to be forgiving toward Criterion's transfer (which I knew would be better than anything around, but just not as solid and beautiful as the new print). But forgivness was not necessary. In some ways it would be a greater experience to watch this DVD on the proper Television than to watch a projected print! What an accomplishment.

If Godard is not your thing, you may not want to purchase this DVD, but if he is (or if you enjoy 60's French cinema) then this is a MUST OWN.

The Double disc is worth the price for the documentary on Godard and Karina alone. And also for the interview with the latter. Plus, it has a wonderfully insiteful primer from Jean Pierre Gorin.

A welcome addition to my DVD library. March 18, 2008

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