Review of Alphaville (1965) by Stephen C — 20 Jul 2011

Unlike Truffaut ,I once approached the works of Jean Luc Godard with an air of caution.

The first film I saw of his was the great Breathless and then I went all the way up the scale to the masterful Week-end.

This is Godard Sci Fi movie and again it shows just how brilliant a director Godard is when he is on top form.

Eddie Constantine plays Lemmy Caution ,a spy sent to the city of Alphaville from the so called Outer Countries to track down the missing spy Von Braun who has designed a super computer which has eliminated peoples real emotions.

During the carrying out of this task he Meets Natacha ,Von Brauns daughter who has her eyes opened by Cautions quick wits and passions.

Seems simple enough right?

Well in the hands of Godard a simple story becomes a head scratching epic with plenty to leave you to ponder on afterwards.

Godard also never forgets to tell you that you are watching a film ,he bleaches out the screen,cuts out dialogue and allows actors to break the so called fourth wall .

In the hands of a hack this would feel phoney and a bit of a cheat,but in Godards hands its pure genius.

Tha cast are all stunning and Raoul Coutard catches 60s paris in all its neon glory making it just as important as the actors.

It may take several viewings to come to grips with but this truly is the work of a master.