"Fuck you with your logic"

Nov 03, 2004 22:00

Alphaville (Godard, 1965) (10/10)



What a gloriously transcendent amalgam of styles, ideologies, genres, and much more! Alphaville may have just become my favorite Godard film. It has a lot of standard sci-fi elements; fear of technology, dystopian love of reason, unaffectionate individuals, and, of course, the protagonist who finds himself enthralled in all this chaos. Godards protagonist is straight out of a dime-store novel. A secret agent who is terse with words, silent but strong, and handy with a gun. More noirish elements ensue as the the plot takes a page from Aldous Huxley, a little from Orwell, a lot from Philp Dick, and combines it with Godards New Wave sensibilities to create one of the most enjoyable and rich films in my recent memory. Elements such as the inclusion of the name Enrico Fermi and the repetition of Einstein's famous equation clearly hint at meaning in terms of the American/Russian cold war arms race. Socialism and Capitalism are both addressed. The idea of progress (those right pointing arrows) and time are stressed. Theres surrealism in scenes such as the execution on the diving board. There is postmodernism in the films take on the importance of language. I swear, this film has almost everything. It even has the lovely Anna Karina in top form! A delight from start to finish. Instantly one of my favorite films of all time.
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