Even though, the chances are slim that anyone ever reads this review, especially when they are hundreds of reviews already out there, it seemed necessary to express enthusiasm once more and to add one or more previously neglected detail.
It is OK to watch this film in bed on a small b/w TV. But whether or not you chose such a nostalgic setting, it is definitely OK to watch it a hundred times.
The film is about style. It breaks rules and surprises us with fresh editing. It delivers an atmosphere which is hard to beat. Do not make the mistake to believe the protagonists are seducing each other. They are solely seducing you. The naturalness of the famous bedroom talk is a performance. It is,however, a performance which is particularly enticing because of its off-beat naturalness. By the end of the film at the latest it becomes clear who is ultimately addressed: Jean Seberg looks directly into your eyes.
The story of the mysterious women is repeated once again but expressed strangely and beautifully by Jean Seberg. Whereas the hard-boiled gangster turns out to be a shallow copy of the romantic hero represented in western cinema, the heartless and mysterious femme fatale embodies the audience par excellence: she does not only watch the hero's actions with detachment, she also repeats his gestures, she constantly asks questions and then finally she turns to you for answers.
Thus, ultimately the film is not about gangsters or femmes fatales but about cinema itself. It pays homage to the classic American cinema and provides at the same time the best example of innovative European cinema. It deconstructs former cinematic rules and accelerates breathlessly with innovation.
It is OK to watch this film in bed on a small b/w TV. But whether or not you chose such a nostalgic setting, it is definitely OK to watch it a hundred times.
The film is about style. It breaks rules and surprises us with fresh editing. It delivers an atmosphere which is hard to beat. Do not make the mistake to believe the protagonists are seducing each other. They are solely seducing you. The naturalness of the famous bedroom talk is a performance. It is,however, a performance which is particularly enticing because of its off-beat naturalness. By the end of the film at the latest it becomes clear who is ultimately addressed: Jean Seberg looks directly into your eyes.
The story of the mysterious women is repeated once again but expressed strangely and beautifully by Jean Seberg. Whereas the hard-boiled gangster turns out to be a shallow copy of the romantic hero represented in western cinema, the heartless and mysterious femme fatale embodies the audience par excellence: she does not only watch the hero's actions with detachment, she also repeats his gestures, she constantly asks questions and then finally she turns to you for answers.
Thus, ultimately the film is not about gangsters or femmes fatales but about cinema itself. It pays homage to the classic American cinema and provides at the same time the best example of innovative European cinema. It deconstructs former cinematic rules and accelerates breathlessly with innovation.