Review of Masculin Féminin (1966) by Melanie R — 20 Nov 2007

It's funny to be back here, after so many years. But it seems that now that I am a film student, I should have some sort of outlet for film writing, some sort of record of what I watch & how I react, at the time.

I am currently working on a project regarding Godard & Resnais. Last night I watched:

MASCULIN FEMININ (1966):

Made seven years after Godard's first feature film [i]Breathless[/i], Masculin Feminin has come a long way from the early application of [i]Cahiers du Cinema[/i] theory. Masculin Feminin is, as Godard calls it, the "introduction to the children of Marx and Coca-Cola", the generation born of an obvious contradiction.

The film follows a group of friends: Paul, the Communist activist who recently finished his army tour; Madeleine, his girlfriend, who is striving to become a pop star; Robert, Paul's activist friend, who is constantly trying to hook up with Catherine, the supposed virgin; Elizabeth, Madeleine's best friend who seems to always be in the middle of her and Paul's relationship; and Catherine, who talks about sexuality, diaphrams, and her lack of opinions about democracy and Vietnam.

Paul and Robert are activists, scribbling anti-Vietnam graffiti and taking polls of the average Parisian's view on sexuality, war, and democracy. Godard's film does follow politics more than some of his others, but it still refrains from taking a stand - Paul may be an activist, but he still drinks coca-cola, goes to the movies, and dates a woman who wants to be a pop-star (what could be more bourgeosie than that?).

Like [i]My Life to Live[/i] and [i]Weekend[/i], intertitles constantly interject themselves in the film. I'm always amused by these narrative interruptions.

I recommend the film to any fan of Godard. It is very much in line with the style & themes of his other works of this time period.