Alphaville (1965)
"Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution" (original title)

A US secret agent is sent to the distant space city of Alphaville where he must find a missing person and free the city from its tyrannical ruler.

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writer:

Jean-Luc Godard

Stars:

Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Eddie Constantine	...	Lemmy Caution
Anna Karina	...	Natacha von Braun
Akim Tamiroff	...	Henri Dickson (as Akim Tamirof)

Storyline

Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet. His very American character is at odds with the city's ruler, an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has outlawed love and self-expression.

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Plot Keywords:

lemmy caution | mathematical equation | comic violence | utopia quest | detective | 

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Taglines:

Suddenly the word is Alphaville... and a secret agent is in a breathless race against the Masters of the Future.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

5 May 1965 (France)

Also Known As:

Alphaville

Filming Locations:

EDF building, Paris 12, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$220,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Athos Films, Chaumiane, Filmstudio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jean-Luc Godard appropriated both the title character and the actor Eddie Constantine from a popular French series of kiss-kiss-bang-bang films released from 1953 (Poison Ivy) to 1963 (Your Turn, Darling).

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Goofs

When Lemmy shoots the man in his hotel room, smears on the mirrors from the blank cartridges' charges are plainly visible, instead of a bullet holes or broken glass.

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Quotes

Alpha 60: Once we know the number one, we believe that we know the number two, because one plus one equals two. We forget that first we must know the meaning of plus.

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Crazy Credits

Before the credits, Godard adds one letter at a time to compose the word "fin"--"i"..."in"..."fin"--as though to suggest "I, in the end."

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Connections

Referenced in Hard Core Logo (1996)

User Reviews

My brief review of the film

An excessively weird although constantly engaging futuristic film, there is plenty to enjoy in it, even though it is a bit hard to understand. Godard makes brilliant use of shadows and lighting to set up a scary atmosphere, and negative images are used effectively throughout to create a sense of awe and provide a feeling of a foreign environment. The sets are very creative, taken from existing buildings in France, and the music used throughout the film fits in delightfully. At times the film bears a bit too much resemblance to Orwell's '1984' to stand on its own two feet, and there might be a few other problems for the nit-picky, but I simply found this to be a fascinating and well made film, and it definitely comes recommended if you simply feel like watching something different for a change.