Vivre Sa Vie (1962)
"Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux" (original title)

Twelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution.

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writers:

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

Stars:

Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, André S. Labarthe

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

This film explores a Parisian woman's descent into prostitution. The movie is comprised of a series of 12 "tableaux"-- scenes which are basically unconnected episodes, each presented with a worded introduction.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitution | billiards | eviction | pool table | paris france | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

20 September 1962 (France)

Also Known As:

My Life to Live

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$64,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films de la Pléiade, Pathé Consortium Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min 83 min (restored integral)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rafael Romero (1910-1991) is a noted Spanish flamenco singer. He also appeared as singer, dancer and actor in at least nine films.

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Quotes

Nana: Shouldn't love be the only truth?
The Philosopher: For that, love would always have to be true.

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Connections

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Ma môme"
Written by Jean Ferrat and Pierre Frachet
Sung by Jean Ferrat
Conducted by Alain Goraguer

User Reviews

Sketches Of Ordinary Struggles

Jean-Luc Godard's ninth film "Vivre Sa Vie" ("My Life To Live") is also one of his most acclaimed and well known, because it's one of his movies that not only shows a great deal of maturity, but also of all the Godard-ness that not all of his films have as much. The full title of the movie is "Vivre Sa Vie: Film En Douze Tableaux", starring Godard's wife of the time, Danish-born singer Anna Karina.

The movie is split in twelve different chapters of the life seen on screen of a 22 year old woman, Nana, who ends up prostituting herself in desperate need for money. She works also in a record shop, has just ended her marriage, and has the aspiration of becoming a movie star. These twelve chapters are brief short films that have a certain independence from all the others, with a brief written summary on screen –indicating the characters, the setting, and a general idea of the event to follow– that starts each one. Godard for each segment finds new artistic inventions, from shooting as it were a cinema-verite' documentary, to assembling a highly stylized piece of work, full of heavy lighting. Despite this, there is of course a narrative flow from episode to episode, moreover there is a reoccurring theme in all of them: the failure of the protagonist in pursuing happiness and freedom. Again, independence becomes a key descriptor.

Anna Karina's beauty and fragility, Godard's artistic versatility, cleverly audacious script, and editing chops make "My Life To Live" a sincere and primordial meditation on the life-changing responsibilities that weigh on every person. In the background of the story, a typical 60's portrayal of Paris, full of coffee shops, new pop music, pinball machines, and American culture.