Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writers:

Marcel Sacotte (book)
Jean-Luc Godard (story)

Release Date:

20 September 1962 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This film explores a Parisian woman's descent into prostitution. The movie is comprised of a series...

Plot Keywords:

Prostitution | Gunfight | Billiards | Paris France | Crying

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Anna Karina	...	Nana Kleinfrankenheim
Sady Rebbot	...	Raoul (as Saddy Rebbot)
André S. Labarthe	...	Paul
Guylaine Schlumberger	...	Yvette (as G. Schlumberger)
Gérard Hoffman	...	Le chef
Monique Messine	...	Elisabeth
Paul Pavel	...	Journaliste
Dimitri Dineff	...	Dimitri
Peter Kassovitz	...	Le jeune homme
Eric Schlumberger	...	Luigi (as E. Schlumberger)
Brice Parain	...	Le philosophe
Henri Attal	...	Arthur (as Henri Atal)
Gilles Quéant	...	Premier client
Odile Geoffroy	...	La serveuse de café
Marcel Charton	...	L'agent de police

Also Known As:

It's My Life (UK)
My Life to Live (USA)
Vivre sa vie (France) (short title)

Runtime:

80 min | Germany:83 min (restored integral version) | Portugal:83 min | UK:83 min | USA:85 min | West Germany:79 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) | Australia:M | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:18 (w) (nf) | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Les Films de la Pléiade

Quotes:

Nana: The more one talks, the less the words mean.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Le mépris (1963)

Soundtrack:

Ma môme

For Ever Godard

This has become my favourite Godard. It doesn't have the jazzy razzamatazz and classic Paris shots of A bout de souffle, or the invigorating Marxist politics of Tout va bien, or the beautiful scenary, beautiful body and beautiful music of Le Mepris, but it has a softness and a depth that are just haunting. It has a documentary quality in its most reflective moments, when we see Nana lighting a cigarette or undoing her cardigan. It is a film that is made up of disparate strands - poetic, documentary, melodramatic. It both creates Nana as star of the piece, with her sweet smile, beautiful coats, and cropped hair, and even, at one point, identification with Joan of Arc, yet undermines this to underline how ordinary, how vulnerable, even how banal she is. If you're new to Godard, start with this.