PIERROT LE FOU (French) (1965)

“In the end, the only thing of any interest is the paths people take. The tragic part is that even when they know where they’re going and who they are, everything is still a mystery. And that mystery forever unsolved, is life.”
– A line from Pierrot’s Diary

It’s not plot, theme or subject that matters while watching Godard films, it’s disjointed but refined artistic ideas juxtaposed in its experimental execution to cinematic medium that makes him unsurpassed Master than rest of the auteur. Pierrot Le Fou is one of as creative masterpiece of Godard as his ‘Breathless’. Though there’s tone of satire on modern society, pop-culture, consumerism, mechanical mindsets, insensitive media, there’s also dark humor filled with experimental fun and sarcasm played by two brilliant characters- Jean Paul Belmondo as Pierre/Ferdinand and JLG’s beautiful muse Anna Karina as Marianne.

Both characters here living life like a dreamy-imaginary characters of novel; roaming on beaches, forest and road. They’re born drifters, con couple and yet two poles apart figures odd in tastes- one is crazy about books, the other is about music. And it’s brilliant chemistry between two. Belmondo is absolutely amazing especially when he plays trick games to get money from Americans. Whether it’s Vietnam War or Russian commies- two absolute American obsessions of those days; JLG just enjoyed poking fun to them. Humor continues to surprise you even in scenes of life or death situations or climactic bizarre art death with dynamite stripe tied on face. Anna Karina is the beauty beyond myths and JLG bloody well know how to exploit it without showing her skin in any of his films.

One has to watch this Godard film for its sheer beauty in visuals. Undoubtedly it’s a beautiful cinematography by his loyal cameraman Raoul Coutard. But at the same time, the beauty in framing is not only just camera, it also lies heavily in brilliant use of natural and artificial fluorescent colors in backdrop, dressing, objects and as matter of fact even on face. There’s some classy reasonable lines in the film. In one scene Pierrot said to Marianne-“You never have ideas only feelings.” To that she replied, “That’s not true, there are ideas inside feelings.” The narration and dialogues of the film are filled with characters’ nonlinear inner stream of consciousness sometimes showing us absolute contrast. Perhaps with repeat watch I would grasp some of them quite clearly.

Satirical, humorous and beautiful…need to sum up more!!!

Ratings-10/10