Hail Mary (1985)

A college student gets pregnant without having intercourse, affecting people close and unrelated to her in different ways.

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writer:

Jean-Luc Godard

Stars:

Myriem Roussel, Thierry Rode, Philippe Lacoste

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Myriem Roussel	...	Marie
Thierry Rode	...	Joseph
Philippe Lacoste	...	L'ange Gabriel
Manon Andersen	...	La petite fille
Malachi Jara Kohan	...	Jésus
Juliette Binoche	...	Juliette
Dick	...	Le chien
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georges Staquet

Storyline

In this modern retelling of the Virgin birth, Mary is a student who plays basketball and works at her father's petrol station; Joseph is an earnest dropout who drives a cab. The angel Gabriel must school Joseph to accept Mary's pregnancy, while Mary comes to terms with God's plan through meditations that are sometimes angry and usually punctuated by elemental images of the sun, moon, clouds, flowers, and water. Godard intercuts a brief parallel story of Eva and her nameless lover; their adulterous affair, rife with philosophical discussions, leads nowhere.

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Plot Keywords:

female pubic hair | experimental film | vagina | female butt | female nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite

Country:

France Switzerland UK

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 October 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hail Mary

Filming Locations:

Nyon, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sara Films, Pégase Films, JLG Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to pressure from Catholic Church organizations, the film was banned in Brazil when of its release in 1986. It was released on home video years later.

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Quotes

Juliette: If God exists, then nothing is allowed.

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Connections

Referenced in Cathode Fuck (1986)

User Reviews

Nothing DIVINE here what so ever!

When this movie came out in 1985, I was in high school and quite interested in seeing it. I was raised Christian, and have always had a special interest in Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

I recently bought a copy of the film for $1 at a local video store "going out of business" sale. I thought the film might not really be as bad as I remembered it (after all I was only 15 at the time!!!) and figured for $1, what do I have to lose. The answer was perfectly clear when I watched it last night....

This movie is neither inspiring NOR blasphemous...it's just NOTHING.

A movie asking the question "What if Jesus was born today?" could be a very interesting film. But "Hail Mary" never even tried to really tell the story of "The Virgin Birth". Instead, we are bombarded with countless images of teenage Mary (played by Myriem Roussel) caressing her nubile naked body and playing with her pubic hair. At one point the camera is so close to Roussel's crotch the whole world became her gynecologist! This doesn't move the story along or even come off as "artistic nudity". It's pure shock value and nothing more.

The characters are incredibly unlikable. Mary is a cold, rude girl. Joseph is a sex crazy cab driver. The Angel Gabriel is a violent b***ard who can only be calmed by a little girl that travels with him. Juliette Binoche plays "Juliette", the high school tramp who is trying quite hard to get into Joseph's pants. Seriously, this movie is a MESS!!!

There is also a pointless subplot of a college student named Eva (played by Anne Gautier)who is having an affair with her older married professor (played by Johan Leysen). There is a very random nude scene involving these two that I still can't figure out.

Seriously, don't even bother with this film.