Review of Alphaville (1965) by Sabrina I — 23 Jul 2011
ALPHAVILLE is one of the most memorable and important sci-fi films. Its influence can be seen in a host of films that came after it but it still has Godard's stamp all over it. Only he could subverse our expectations of a genre like this in such a way.
The film is beautifully shot. Every scene drips with mystery and beauty. The film is pretty suspenseful because Godard keeps things from the audience more than sharing it. Anna Karina being in the film doesn't help matters.
Her eyes lure us in but we don't know what they are trying to convey. Can we trust her? Her performance retains a perfect balance of intrigue and innocence. The film deals with themes of government control, love and personal freedoms.
I think the message comes across well. For most of the film we either hear a computer talking about Alphaville or Lemmy Caution narrating. This works well because we can get into the head of Lemmy while also gaining an understanding of what Alphaville is all about.
I love how we know Godard is playing a joke on us but hey, we want to come along anyway. We get so immersed in the world of Alphaville. The film suffers a bit from its low budget but its intellectually and visually appealing.
A pleasure to watch.
This review of Alphaville (1965) was written by Sabrina I on 23 Jul 2011.
Alphaville has generally received positive reviews.
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