Contempt (1963)

Screenwriter Paul Javal's marriage to his wife Camille disintegrates during movie production as she spends time with the producer. Layered conflicts between art and business ensue.

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writer:

Alberto Moravia (novel)

Stars:

Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, Michel Piccoli

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Brigitte Bardot	...	Camille Javal
Michel Piccoli	...	Paul Javal
Jack Palance	...	Jeremy Prokosch
Giorgia Moll	...	Francesca Vanini
Fritz Lang	...	Fritz Lang

Storyline

Paul Javal is a writer who is hired to make a script for a new movie about Ulysses more commercial, which is to be directed by Fritz Lang and produced by Jeremy Prokosch. But because he let his wife Camille drive with Prokosch and he is late, she believes, he uses her as a sort of present for Prokosch to get get a better payment. So the relationship ends.

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Plot Keywords:

femme fatale | female rear nudity | satire | filmmaking | screenwriter | 

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Taglines:

More Bold! More Brazen! And Much, Much More Bardot!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French English German Italian

Release Date:

18 December 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Contempt

Filming Locations:

Isle of Capri, Naples, Campania, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$33,284, 27 June 1997

Gross USA:

$40,575, 17 January 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rome Paris Films,Les Films Concordia,Compagnia Cinematografica Champion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 82 min (cut) (re-edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The argument which takes place between Michel Piccoli and his wife Brigitte Bardot lasts for 34 minutes.

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Goofs

It is possible that all "mistakes" in the film that involve visible equipment are intentional, or at least intentionally uncorrected: the film, after all, is about the artificiality of making a film, and the initial credit sequence shows filmmakers shooting the film itself.

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Quotes

Fritz Lang: Producers are something I can easily do without.

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Crazy Credits

The opening cast credits are read, without titles

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Connections

References Rio Bravo (1959)

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Soundtracks

Spleen In Capri
(Italian Version) Written and Performed by Piero Piccioni E La Sua Orchestra

User Reviews

Godard's Contempt

The whole movie can be captured in one moment. That one fleeting second when the absurd irony and futility of 'everything' will dawn upon you. Either that or you will merely take it for what it is. A masterpiece.

So obviously chained by the wrath of Gods, the movie on the whole has too much to offer. Whether it is the parallels between the existing world and the world of homer, the constant struggle with commercialism or the perusal of a writer's integrity... you will keep on jumping between realism and.... romanticism? Throughout the movie, a haunting melancholic theme continues to play magic on nerves. Amongst countless striking scenes lies a splendidly performed sequence made on a shoestring budget in the apartment that captures the unsettling confessions of the pair. Definitely worth seeing/experiencing!

As much as you will fall under the spell of Godard and feel for the likes of Lang, you can't help being amused by the almost comical character of Palance. Very comical, Very contemptuous.

But at the end its Lang that captures attention on the whole. A lone figure standing amidst harmonious chaos, staring silently at everyone and no one, while life effortlessly moves around him. He makes perfect sense.

Contempt. The whole thing takes place within a system that seems to be contemptuous of itself. So much so that it even ends up holding a mocking mirror, capturing an ultimate contempt for the audience.