Jean-Luc Godard Boxed Set

Give me a cinematic film over a naturalistic one any day. I’m an unapologetic fan of pretty pictures, and auteur Jean-Luc Godard made some of the most beautiful–ever.

If you’re like me, you will want to see Lionsgate’s new collection, entitled simply: The Jean-Luc Godard Boxed Set. While these later films in the famous French New Wave director’s oeuvre are not his most popular, they are certainly right up there with the rest of his work, as far as good looks go.

Passion
First Name: Carmen
Détective
Oh Woe is Me

I watched Détective (1985) for the first time, mainly because it seems to be singled out as one of his “worst” and “most commercial” movies, done “just for the money.” It is supposed to be a film noir farce, but it’s hardly a send-up of a genre ala the films of Edgar Wright. In this one, you have to look pretty hard for the satire. But that’s okay…it’s gorgeous and the characters are quirky.

More about mis-en-scene than the mystery at hand, Détective ostensibly follows the intersecting–but not necessarily connected–stories of a collected group of people ensconced in the Hotel Concorde St. Lazare in Paris. Watching them all is the titled detective, Isidore (Jean-Pierre Léaud), his uncle (Laurent Terzieff), and their luscious young love interest, Arielle (Aurelle Doazan).

As the detective himself says, “To sum up: Lots of stories here, ours and other people’s. Something is bound to happen.” A lot does happen, but in a very languid, roundabout manner. This is definitely the kind of movie you watch for love of art, not for mindless popcorn-munching.

The DVD is fairly skimpy on the extras. Nevertheless, there is an excellent, short-but-sweet documentary which serves to introduce the viewer to the filmmaker’s singular sensibility and his personal philosophies. There are some great quotes from Godard himself, and refreshing observations from a handful of film historians focusing on these movies in particular. It’s very well-done. Recommended.