November 18, 2007

Pierrot le fou (1965)

2/5

Wow. This movie makes absolutely no sense. At all. Well, I understood that there are two lovers on the run from arms dealers, but that's about it. Let me try to recreate the movie for you in equally abstract terms: a baby boy wearing a pink wedding dress vomits Legos on the ground as a German businessman walks by, causing him to trip and fall upwards into the sky. To me, it seems that Godard's motives have shifted. Instead of experimenting new ways to generate a coherent theme/emotion, he is experimenting for the sake of novelty. His decisions seem less like educated guesses and more like random shots in the dark. Perhaps this movie tries to bridge the gap between experimental and narrative film, but to me it doesn't succeed. Each is worsened by the other's presence. Additionally, it is technically subpar, as most of his films are. If I didn't know it was by Godard, I would be pointing out "mistake" after "mistake," which only goes to show how oblique his experimental techniques have gotten. Sound, editing, cinematography--all awful.

The only saving grace this movie has is its humor. Much like Family Guy, extremely unnecessary, inappropriate, outrageous scenes occur every so often that make you crack up. I don't even know how funny the scenes are; they're merely out of place. I suppose the movie is a necessity for Godard fans, but I have no idea why.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0059592/