"You speak to me in words and I look at you with feelings." Marianne
Pierrot Le Fou - Pierrot the Madman (1965) is a ravishing, unmissable masterpiece of celluloid escapism.
Directed By Jean-Luc Godard.
Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina and Graziella Galvani among others.
Godard said of Pierrot Le Fou that "it is not really a film, it's an attempt at cinema. Life is the subject, with Cinemascope and color as its attributes...In short, life filling the screen as a tap fills bathtub that is simultaneously emptying at the same rate." I put Godard's quote about Pierrot Le Fou, so that you could understand the film as I was able to comprehend what Jean-Luc was trying to say cinematically. The beauty of Godard's film is that you forget about the story, plot and narrative. A scene may or may not finish, scenes may or may not follow each other, but therein lies the artistry of Godard. Jean-Luc is basically creating an aesthetic look and feel to his film. Kind of like saying Cary Grant was suave and debonair character. Grant was a great actor, but like Godard, they both are at their core stylish, smooth and accomplished artists. Pierrot was the pinnacle of Godard's mastery of his cinematic art and craft as the Mona Lisa the crowning glory to Leonardo Di Vinci mastery of paint and brush.
The scene below starts off as a simple scene with Anna making breakfast for Jean-Paul. Then I started noticing that Karina keeps looking at something near her. Finally, we see its a dead man on a bed and she calmly goes about getting Belmondo's breakfast and leaves the room. The scene has no meaning, it sends the plot out the window and yet it leaves you thinking about the dead body on her bed. Godard's dead body in Pierrot Le Fou is like Luis Buñuel's rocking chair in Belle de Jour - Beauty of the Day (1967) in that they were meant to inform their audiences that film like life introduces things that can change the story or plot and not make sense.
Note - If you would like to view Pierrot Le Fou - Pierrot the Madman to rent or buy please click on the link below the comments. It is sponsored by Google, so it is the safest and most secure way to get a copy for your film library.
