Review of Contempt (1963) by Bradley R — 12 Jun 2007

Le Mepris is fascinating because the film works on so many levels. Above all it's a decisively harsh in-joke reflecting Godard's 'contempt' towards the real producers of the film (Carlo Ponti and Joseph E Levine), yet it unfolds into a profound and timeless meditation on absurdity, compromise, and integrity through the use of parallel story lines and the blurring of reality with fiction.

It portrays the breakdown of human relationships and the corrosion of cinema's artistic integrity. It's a modern adaptation of Homer's Odyssey both in Fritz Lang's vision and through the parallels of the main protagonists, (with Odysseus, his wife Penelope, and rival Poseidon).

However it's the beauty and playfulness of the film that really strikes a chord. The haunting and affecting score makes even the slowest moments a mesmerizing experience. The photography, the compositions and colours especially around the Villa Malaparte are incredible.

And of course Bridget Bardot looks fantastic. I wonder who might play a modern equivalent of Bardot and Piccoli?.. perhaps Kate Moss and Pete Doherty? One of the best films I've ever seen, If you can endure the pace, then It's well worth seeing!!