Film Reviews

Vivre Sa Vie (My Life to Live)

• Rating:
• Director: Jean-Luc Godard.
• Starring: Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, Andre S. Labarthe, Guylaine Schlumberger, Gerard Hoffman, Monique Messine, Paul Pavel.
• Details: Fra / 83 mins / (No Cert).

A new print of one of Jean Luc Godard's finest films (and his third collaboration with Anna Karina), Vivre Sa Vie superficially recounts the tale of an aspiring actress, Nana Kleinfrankenheim (Karina) who finds herself drifting into the world of prostitution. The word 'superficially' is used in the previous sentence because, like many of Godard's films (the ones I've seen anyway), the central premise may seem to be a simple one, but there's a far greater complexity on-going under the surface - here the director seems to be wrestling with the contradictions that society fosters upon women. Shot in close proximity to the central player, Raoul Coutard's cinematography is profoundly beautiful, and his technical awareness and skill adds an extra dimension to the film. It has been argued that the film is too stylish and cold to provoke much emotional response, and some may indeed see it that way. But in this reviewer's humble opinion, the emotional impact of the film is a hefty one (especially considering the fact that Godard and his leading lady were married at the time and his intense direction seems to reflect this) and the bewitching sense of style doesn't detract from what is an original, gorgeous and poignant piece of cinematic art.

Review by Garreth Murphy