JLG/JLG: Self-Portrait in December (1994)

Director Jean-Luc Godard reflects in this movie about his place in film history, the interaction of film industry and film as art, as well as the act of creating art.

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writer:

Jean-Luc Godard

Stars:

Jean-Luc Godard, Geneviève Pasquier, Denis Jadót

Cast

Cast overview:
Jean-Luc Godard	...	Himself
Geneviève Pasquier
Denis Jadót
Brigitte Bastien
Elisabeth Kaza
André S. Labarthe
Louis Seguin	...	(as Louis Séguin)
Bernard Eisenschitz
Nathalie Aguillar

Storyline

Director Jean-Luc Godard reflects in this movie about his place in film history, the interaction of film industry and film as art, as well as the act of creating art.

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Plot Keywords:

self reflection | self portrait | film essay | experimental film | essay | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French German English Italian Russian

Release Date:

8 March 1995 (France)

Also Known As:

JLG by JLG

Filming Locations:

Lake Geneva, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References Oh, Woe Is Me (1993)

User Reviews

just about unwatchable

To see this work is to realize what becomes of a man whose monumental contributions to his craft/art came many decades prior. It's a shame that Jean-Luc Godard, grandmaster of the French New Wave, who once brought unprecedented spunk and verve to his films of the early 60's, all the while shattering and redefining most accepted cinematic notions for a new generation of filmgoers and filmmakers, now is forced to deal with his downfall. Yet he refuses to acknowledge the glaringly obvious fact that his magic touch has just about totally dissipated, for he has become so forlorn in his contempt of accepted societal expectations of film and in his need to further push his musings that the cinema is dead, that he is stuck within himself.

In JLG/JLG, we get many, MANY quotes from philosophers and other high-thinkers, put to what use? Beats me. Juxtaposed with shots of rolling hills, ocean waves crashing onto rocky shores, Godard toying around with rolls of film, writing on large pads of paper, and then playing tennis, it all ads up to a nice variety of static images. Pedantic in tone and crusty in narration, the film nevertheless abruptly dispenses one though provoking moment when Godard explains his take on metaphysics via two interlocking triangles that form a 6-pointed star.

Ultimately, I left the film with just one clear idea, albeit likely not one that Godard had intended - it is evident that for Godard, life does not imitate art; as, unlike his best films, he is going out with a whimper instead of a bang. Final Grade: D