Review of Contempt (1963) by Al M — 04 Aug 2010
Godard's Contempt is one of those ultimate films about cinema, but it also about the alienation of postmodern life, an alienation that is exemplified by the camera that renders reality into a simulacrum.
But Contempt also ultimately asks the question of whether reality is nothing more than a simulacrum to begin with and that perhaps cinema proves to be more real than our ordinary perceptions. Featuring stellar performances from Jack Palance, director Fritz Lang, and the ravishing Brigitte Bardot (whose bottom remains constantly on display), Contempt is powerful exploration of relationships and desire and how the camera serves as similar intermediary between our consciousness and the real world.
Like cinema, we create versions of the world that end up being little more than fictions we have forced upon reality, relationships we have tried to bend to our wills, identities we have tried to understand but can never truly fathom--the camera represents our desire to force order upon reality in a way that we never can.
This review of Contempt (1963) was written by Al M on 04 Aug 2010.
Contempt has generally received very positive reviews.
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