Band of Outsiders Notes
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1. Quotes:
a.“Cinema is Everything” b.“Photography is truth. Cinema is truth 24 times per second” c.Describing Karina: “the cinema does not quarry the beauty of a woman, it only doubts her heart, records her perfidy, and only sees her movements.” (deceitfulness) d.Anne Bilson: Godard in his films w/Karina. “seems to have trouble conceiving that the female experience revolves around anything other than prostitution, duplicity or wanting babies.” 2.Godard/Karina Films a.The Little Soldier (’61)-pro Algerian spy b.A Woman is a Woman (’61)-stripper, aspiring actress c.My Life to Live (’62)-prostitute d.Band of Outsiders (’64)-simple girl e.Alphaville (’65)-functionary f.Peirot Le Fou (’65)-article of desctruction g.Made in the U.S. A. (’66)- h.The Oldest Profession-Anticipation (’67)-prostitution |
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1.Godard/Karina Relationship
a.Palmolive ad: “you only imagined me naked in tub. I had a swim suit on.”-on her rejection of Breathless part with nudity. b.Pregnant during Le Petite Soldat/Married c.Miscarriage/suicide attempt/fight/destruction of apartment-A Woman is a Woman/Affair d.Godard’s random and unacknowledged departures e.Second suicide attempt. Release from Hospital 3 days before shooting My Life to Live f.Divorce in 1965 g.“He was the love of my life” 2.French New Wave: Truffaut, Godard, Chabrol, Rivette, Demy, Varda a.Youth movement meant to challenge French film culture. b.Cinephiles and critics c.Entranced with American movies, particularly B movies d.Truffaut created auteur theory in A Certain tendency of French Film in Cahiers 3.Jean-Luc Godard (1930-2022) 9/13/22 a.Early Life: Well to do family. Father Dr./Mother banker’s daughter. Switzerland i.WWII spent in Geneva (rooted for Germany) 1946-Paris for Mathmatics 1.Failed exam 2.Rejected for film school 3.Noted for reading first & last page of many books ii.19 secular conversion to Cinema “Everything is Cinema” iii.Left Paris in ’50, claimed Swiss citizenship to avoid draft 1.Stole stock from Swiss TV station. Went to jail for 5 days. 2.Released to mental hospital by rich father iv.Writer: La Gazette/Caheirs du Cinema 1.Godard first young gun published in Cahiers in ‘48 a.Paid for Rohmer’s film stock by stealing books from uncle b.“A Certain Tendency of French Cinema”-Auturism/Truffaut |
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a.Filmmaker
i.Philosophy/Goals
a.Dark Sunglasses give the look of black & white film
b.Wanted to make first feature before 25, like Orson Welles
c.“If direction is the look, editing is the heartbeat.”
i.“Editing renders the subjective essence of reality”
d.In books, ignored plot & character development
e.Scalpel of artifice (Sight & Sound ’63)
ii.Style: Improvisational “Visual Jazz”
a.Location shooting
b.Blunt and strattling
iii.Influence: Rosselini. “2 Actors and a car”
i.Philosophy/Goals
a.Dark Sunglasses give the look of black & white film
b.Wanted to make first feature before 25, like Orson Welles
c.“If direction is the look, editing is the heartbeat.”
i.“Editing renders the subjective essence of reality”
d.In books, ignored plot & character development
e.Scalpel of artifice (Sight & Sound ’63)
ii.Style: Improvisational “Visual Jazz”
a.Location shooting
b.Blunt and strattling
iii.Influence: Rosselini. “2 Actors and a car”
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i.Breathless (1960) FIRST EXISTENTIAL FILM
a.Truffaut and Chabrol attached to film to get financing
b.Godard offered Columbia $15,000 for Sebring to appear
c.Belmando’s agent told him not to take the part
d.“A story about a boy, who thinks about death, and a girl who doesn’t.”
e.Style
i.“Making of the film has as much to do with film as the film itself”
f.To Cameraman: “I don’t want to see a shirt pocket (closeup)
g.Action Cinema=Action Paining-aesthetic yields image
h.Karina turned down offered role because of nudity required
ii.Le Petit Soldier (’61)
1.Made in Switzerland to avoid French censorship regarding Algerian War
2.Banned in France for 3 years, due to torture on both sides
3.First collaboration with Karina. 4th Godard film to be released.
a.Karina became pregnant while shooting
iii.A Woman is a Woman (Stripper/Actress)
1.Romantic scheme based on Lubitsch’s Design For Living
2.Fist Godard film with direct sound
iv.My Life to Live (Prostitute)
1.Like Classical music to Breathless’ Jazz
2.Melville: “you are making lazy man’s cinema. You put the camera down & watch people talk.”-Falling out. No Longer friends
3.Showcase for Karina the actress/portrait of the woman
v.The Carabiners: BOMB
vi.Contempt (1963)
1.Big budget cinemascope ($1 million)
a.Produced by Carlo Ponti/Joseph Levine
i.Demanded Bardot nude scene, so Godard added bed scene
2.Godard disillusioned with American film “In the past 80% were good. Now they’re the exception. It shows what not to do.”
a.Contempt’s attitude toward Amer producer evident
3.Bardot created distractions ($500,000 fee)
4.Idolized Fritz Lang
5.Mutual hatred with Palance
6.Cold relationship with Bardot
vii.Band of Outsiders (1964)
1.Pre-Production:
a.Delores Hitchens novel Fools Gold
b.Sent letters to Columbia, Paramount & MGM-only Columbia responded
i.So small Columbia didn’t even bother seeing screenplay
c.Created film company Anouchka Films
d.Originally titled “Arthur, Sami, & Anouchka”, then “Les Mimis” (the Cuties)
2.Production
a.25-day shoot
b.High point in marriage
c.Karina: “this film saved my life”
d.Rehearsed Madison sequence daily for a month
i.Godard claimed to have invented dance
ii.Brought to Europe by
3.Characters: Arthur=Arthur Rimbaud, Franz=Kafka, Odile=Godard’s mother
a.Odile’s physicality
4.Themes
a.Marriage of Film Noir and Romance
b.Film of gestures without coherent story
i.Death of billy the kidd
ii.Madison dance
iii.Heist/death throes
iv.Suburban versions of Belmondo/Seberg
5.Godard: It’s not really they who live outside society. It’s society that is far from them.”
6.Actors:
a.Sami Frey (Franz)
i.Bardot’s boyfriend during Contempt
b.Claude Breseur
i.Godson of Ernest Hemmingway
ii.Member of French boblsled team in ‘60’s
viii.Pierot Le Fou (1965)
ix.The oldest Profession-Anticipation (1967)-space age prostitute
x.Made in the USA (1967)-detective
a.Truffaut and Chabrol attached to film to get financing
b.Godard offered Columbia $15,000 for Sebring to appear
c.Belmando’s agent told him not to take the part
d.“A story about a boy, who thinks about death, and a girl who doesn’t.”
e.Style
i.“Making of the film has as much to do with film as the film itself”
f.To Cameraman: “I don’t want to see a shirt pocket (closeup)
g.Action Cinema=Action Paining-aesthetic yields image
h.Karina turned down offered role because of nudity required
ii.Le Petit Soldier (’61)
1.Made in Switzerland to avoid French censorship regarding Algerian War
2.Banned in France for 3 years, due to torture on both sides
3.First collaboration with Karina. 4th Godard film to be released.
a.Karina became pregnant while shooting
iii.A Woman is a Woman (Stripper/Actress)
1.Romantic scheme based on Lubitsch’s Design For Living
2.Fist Godard film with direct sound
iv.My Life to Live (Prostitute)
1.Like Classical music to Breathless’ Jazz
2.Melville: “you are making lazy man’s cinema. You put the camera down & watch people talk.”-Falling out. No Longer friends
3.Showcase for Karina the actress/portrait of the woman
v.The Carabiners: BOMB
vi.Contempt (1963)
1.Big budget cinemascope ($1 million)
a.Produced by Carlo Ponti/Joseph Levine
i.Demanded Bardot nude scene, so Godard added bed scene
2.Godard disillusioned with American film “In the past 80% were good. Now they’re the exception. It shows what not to do.”
a.Contempt’s attitude toward Amer producer evident
3.Bardot created distractions ($500,000 fee)
4.Idolized Fritz Lang
5.Mutual hatred with Palance
6.Cold relationship with Bardot
vii.Band of Outsiders (1964)
1.Pre-Production:
a.Delores Hitchens novel Fools Gold
b.Sent letters to Columbia, Paramount & MGM-only Columbia responded
i.So small Columbia didn’t even bother seeing screenplay
c.Created film company Anouchka Films
d.Originally titled “Arthur, Sami, & Anouchka”, then “Les Mimis” (the Cuties)
2.Production
a.25-day shoot
b.High point in marriage
c.Karina: “this film saved my life”
d.Rehearsed Madison sequence daily for a month
i.Godard claimed to have invented dance
ii.Brought to Europe by
3.Characters: Arthur=Arthur Rimbaud, Franz=Kafka, Odile=Godard’s mother
a.Odile’s physicality
4.Themes
a.Marriage of Film Noir and Romance
b.Film of gestures without coherent story
i.Death of billy the kidd
ii.Madison dance
iii.Heist/death throes
iv.Suburban versions of Belmondo/Seberg
5.Godard: It’s not really they who live outside society. It’s society that is far from them.”
6.Actors:
a.Sami Frey (Franz)
i.Bardot’s boyfriend during Contempt
b.Claude Breseur
i.Godson of Ernest Hemmingway
ii.Member of French boblsled team in ‘60’s
viii.Pierot Le Fou (1965)
ix.The oldest Profession-Anticipation (1967)-space age prostitute
x.Made in the USA (1967)-detective
