Le petit soldat (1963)
Country: FR
Technical: bw 88m
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Cast: Michel Subor, Anna Karina, Henri-Jacques Huet
Synopsis:
During the Algerian war a reactionary working for counter-revolutionaries in Switzerland has a change of heart and declines to kill his appointed target, not because he is in love with an Arab operative but because his 'killing phase is over'.
Review:
Godard's second film is both a genre piece along the lines of A bout de souffle (the narrative trajectory is quite similar, in fact) and his first political film. It is more famous for being banned (until 1963) and for its quotable aphorisms ('...la vérité 24 fois par seconde', '...faire des films politiquement') than for being that good. I think this is an injustice: it is brisk, clear about what it is saying and memorable for introducing the radiant Karina and the brooding Subor (who became Bruno Forestier once again in Beau Travail - q.v.). The ending is typically brusque and off-hand, confirming that Godard couldn't give a damn about structure.
Country: FR
Technical: bw 88m
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Cast: Michel Subor, Anna Karina, Henri-Jacques Huet
Synopsis:
During the Algerian war a reactionary working for counter-revolutionaries in Switzerland has a change of heart and declines to kill his appointed target, not because he is in love with an Arab operative but because his 'killing phase is over'.
Review:
Godard's second film is both a genre piece along the lines of A bout de souffle (the narrative trajectory is quite similar, in fact) and his first political film. It is more famous for being banned (until 1963) and for its quotable aphorisms ('...la vérité 24 fois par seconde', '...faire des films politiquement') than for being that good. I think this is an injustice: it is brisk, clear about what it is saying and memorable for introducing the radiant Karina and the brooding Subor (who became Bruno Forestier once again in Beau Travail - q.v.). The ending is typically brusque and off-hand, confirming that Godard couldn't give a damn about structure.
Country: FR
Technical: bw 88m
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Cast: Michel Subor, Anna Karina, Henri-Jacques Huet
Synopsis:
During the Algerian war a reactionary working for counter-revolutionaries in Switzerland has a change of heart and declines to kill his appointed target, not because he is in love with an Arab operative but because his 'killing phase is over'.
Review:
Godard's second film is both a genre piece along the lines of A bout de souffle (the narrative trajectory is quite similar, in fact) and his first political film. It is more famous for being banned (until 1963) and for its quotable aphorisms ('...la vérité 24 fois par seconde', '...faire des films politiquement') than for being that good. I think this is an injustice: it is brisk, clear about what it is saying and memorable for introducing the radiant Karina and the brooding Subor (who became Bruno Forestier once again in Beau Travail - q.v.). The ending is typically brusque and off-hand, confirming that Godard couldn't give a damn about structure.