Review of Alphaville (1965) by Lorenzo V — 19 Dec 2010

"Time is the substance of which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along. But I am time. It's a tiger, tearing me apart; but I am the tiger.".

Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet. His very American character is at odds with the city's ruler, an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has outlawed love and self-expression.

REVIEW.

This film, from director Jean-Luc Godard, one of the luminaries behind the French "Nouvelle Vague" (or "New Wave") film movement, is science-fiction like you've never seen before. The story tells of tough private-eye Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine), who arrives in the futuristic city of Alphaville to search for a missing scientist. Controlled by the powerful computer Alpha 60, the brainwashed citizens of Alphaville live lives devoted to logic and devoid of emotion. The film was made entirely on location in Paris, selectively shot to give the appearance of a futuristic city, and Lemmy Caution travels through intergalactic space in a Ford car. The film is interesting and quite entertaining if you know what to expect. Some viewers may find Godard's offbeat style irritating and the frequent, long academic discussions dull, but ti is worth making the attempt if only to experience something completely unexpected. Inevitably dated, the film has still aged quite well. Glamour is provided by the lovely Anna Karina, Godard's wife at the time, as the scientist's daughter.