Alphaville (1965)

A U.S. 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:

dystopia | french new wave | satire | comic violence | surrealism | 

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Taglines:

Berlin Festival Award Winner (Best Picture)

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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)

Opening Weekend:

$7,298 (USA) (7 February 2014)

Gross:

$46,585 (USA) (30 May 2014)

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

Banned in all Pakistan's cinemas: 10th July 1970.

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Goofs

After Lemmy has shot Professor Vonbraun, he runs down a staircase and throws open a glass door. As he does so, the reflection of the cameraman can be seen clearly in the door.

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Quotes

Alpha 60: What is the privilege of the dead?
Lemmy Caution: To die no more.

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Crazy Credits

In the original version, the beginning credits flash one line at a time, each one scanning across the screen just below the last.

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Connections

Referenced in Blade Runner (1982)

User Reviews

Lazy/complacent throbbing of a movie

Godard is nothing but a frustrated intellectual who indulged himself into movie-making. Yet movie-making is an over-sized word to depict that patchwork of philosophical quotations and minimalist narration. Lemmy Caution arrives in Alphaville from the outer world. He does not belong here but he's got a mission: understand what he's been sent for. Alphaville is a Brave New City and it takes the whole movie and full loads of computer babbling (life, conscience... you know) to make him go mad about this, run amuck and away with the girl he met and fell for (you're telling me?).

So Alphaville is nothing but a base B movie with a high-brow pretense brought forward as a stylistic composition (note to weirdos: read 'philosophical homage to film noir'). Maybe you can smile at the the stylistic composure of the main character Lemmy Caution, some kind of a poor man's Sam Spade looking for booze in a poor man's Metropolis.

Well, you know what? Godard was lucky he had to cut A bout de soufflé (Breathless) down to 90min. That way the movie get focused on characters and action (plus it had JP Belmondo and Jean Seberg to take its breath). Billy Wilder said this guy was a lazy bum who brings his notepad full of scribbles and pretends to be the genius that can pile up shots that will eventually make a movie. Quotes/ideas/dreams... that doesn't make a movie although lots of people in post New Wave France cherish the sweet thought of it. Creativity is 1% beachcombing and 99% work. Work alone AND with other creative people: the hell with the overwhelming auteur bulls**t. People working alone can still write books or paint for instance but had Godard only tried this I doubt he'd have ever risen from the gutter where he belongs.

OK, enough with the Godard rant. That must be me, I just didn't get it that the subtext was much more important than all the on screen travails (??!). I'm intellectually, poetically and deconstructionismatically challenged. But I shall die a happy man for I know that somewhere on the face of this planet there is a species ready to take over our debilitated humanity. Yep, I'm f**king relieved to know that some people are so smart as to read the future in a cripple's balls.