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 & 1 nomination.

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:

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 English

Release Date:

5 May 1965 (France)

Also Known As:

Dick Tracy on Mars

Filming Locations:

EDF building, Paris 12, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$220,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,298, 9 February 2014

Gross USA:

$47,696

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$47,696

Company Credits

Production Co:

André Michelin Productions, Filmstudio, Chaumiane

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When questioned, Lemmy Caution states that he drives a Ford Galaxie, when it's a Ford Mustang.

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Goofs

Just before Lemmy Caution/Ivan Johnson meets Natasha Vonbraun, around 10 minutes into the movie, you can see the crew in the mirror when the camera pans.

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Quotes

Lemmy Caution: Yes, I am afraid of death. But for a humble secret agent, it's an everyday thing, like whiskey. And I've been drinking all my life.

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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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Alternate Versions

In the original French version, the voice of the computer Alpha 60 sounds harsh and throaty as if produced by belching. One English-dubbed version gives the computer a more typical computer-like voice.

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Connections

Referenced in The Outskirts of Alphaville (2003)

User Reviews

First and foremost a spoof.

Lemmy Caution, a French version of Sam Spade -- or perhaps a James Bond gone to seed -- is on a mission: "liquidate" the tyrannical Dr. Vonbraun, inventor of the "death ray" and the Orwellian supercomputer, Alpha 60. But to get Vonbraun, Lemmy must make the intergalactic voyage from his home in the Outlands (roughly, "Nueva York") to Alphaville (roughly, mid-Sixties Paris). He gets there via his Ford Galaxy. That's right -- a car. Are you with me so far?

The key to understanding Jean-Luc Godard's *Alphaville* is to realize that it is first and foremost a spoof. It spoofs nearly everything it touches: science fiction; comic-books; George Orwell; Aldous Huxley; American private-eye movies; spy movies; technology in general and computers in particular; romantic love as presented in cinema. If you sit down to watch this expecting a high-minded piece of French New Wave cinema, you're going to end up being put-off. Those familiar with Godard will perhaps be less put-off. After all, when was this guy ever really "high-minded", anyway? Godard was the prankster of the "Cahiers du Cinema" gang. Just listen to the score by Paul Misraki if you're looking for the tongue in the cheek. Even the putative theme of the movie, which is the priority of "love" and artistic creativity over logic and technology personified by the talking Alpha 60 supercomputer, is not taken too seriously. "Love" is personified by the beautiful dingbat princess, Natasha Vonbraun (Anna Karina), who doesn't even know what the word means. She's a child, as easily manipulated by Lemmy Caution as she is by the technocrats of Alphaville. Therefore, our rooting interest for humanity resides in Lemmy. Eddie Constantine reprises the role of Caution, a popular TV character in France during the Fifties, for Godard here: Lord knows what Constantine thought when he first read the script. The way he delivers the line, "This 'Alphaville' ought to be called 'Zeroville!'" gives a forceful indication of his bemusement. He submits to Godard's nouvelle vagueisms like a good soldier, delivering a fantastic performance in the process. Raoul Coutard's cinematography captures the heartlessness of the architecture in mid-Sixties Paris, which seemed to consist of blocky buildings blaring florescent lighting from every window, claustrophobic corridors, run-down apartments, and endless spiral staircases. It's a pitiless place, which perhaps was Godard's one serious statement amidst all the postmodern, meta-cinematic foolery: we're living in Alphaville already.

Altogether, this is Godard's most satisfying film. Despite all its detractors, *Alphaville* still survives (in a Criterion edition, no less). Classics always do.