Godard Mon Amour (2017)

In 1967, during the making of "La Chinoise," film director Jean-Luc Godard falls in love with 19-year-old actress Anne Wiazemsky and marries her.

Director:

Michel Hazanavicius

Writers:

Michel Hazanavicius (script by), Anne Wiazemsky (adapted from the novel "Un an après" by)

Stars:

Louis Garrel, Stacy Martin, Bérénice Bejo

9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Louis Garrel	...	Jean-Luc Godard
Stacy Martin	...	Anne Wiazemsky
Bérénice Bejo	...	Rosier / Bamban's wife
Micha Lescot	...	Bamban / Godard's friend
Grégory Gadebois	...	Michel Cournot / film critic
Félix Kysyl	...	Jean-Pierre Gorin
Arthur Orcier	...	Jean-Henri Roger dit Jean-Jock
Marc Fraize	...	Emile
Romain Goupil	...	Le flic cinéphile
Jean-Pierre Mocky	...	Le client du restaurant
Guido Caprino	...	Bernardo Bertolucci
Emmanuele Aita	...	Marco Ferreri
Matteo Martari	...	Marco Margine
Stéphane Varupenne	...	Le publicitaire Eric de la Meignière
Philippe Girard	...	Jean Vilar

Storyline

Paris, 1967. Jean-Luc Godard, the maker of "A bout de souffle", "Le Mépris" and "Pierrot le fou", idolized by critics and intellectuals, is shifting from revolutionizing cinema to becoming a revolutionary tout court. Isn't he shooting "La Chinoise", more a political tract in favor of Maoism than an actual movie? His female star is Anne Wiazemsky, writer François Mauriac's granddaughter, sixteen years his junior. Anne and Jean-Luc have been dating since 1966 and they marry this very year. She admires Jean-Luc's originality, intelligence, wit and boldness while he loves Anne's freshness and - admiration of him. But May 1968 puts their marriage to the test. Godard, who is more and more involved in the revolution, indeed becomes less and less available to his young wife, which does not prevent him from acting jealous. It also looks as if the genius is losing his sense of humor.

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Plot Keywords:

nouvelle vague | french new wave | cinema | film director | based on autobiography | 

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic nudity, sexuality, and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the second time that Michel Hazanavicius has explored the world of cinema. The first was The Artist (2011).

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Quotes

Jean-Luc Godard: Politics is like shoes. There's a left and a right, but eventually you will want to go barefoot.

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Connections

References Les gauloises bleues (1968)

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Soundtracks

Magic Moments
Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Performed by Renato Carosone

User Reviews

A lot more enjoyable than I expected

At the beginning of 1968 Jean-Luc Godard is one of the most highly-respected directors working in French-language cinema. He is influential and admired. He has also just married Anne Wiazemsky, a teenage actress seventeen years his junior. He has the more arty end of the film world at his feet, yet he is feeling restless. Then erupt the Paris student protests which sweep Godard up in their revolutionary fervour. He becomes a supporter of the movement, and his opinions are in turn sought out by the young leaders (although, in the best tradition of ideologues everywhere, they also spend a large amount of their time arguing). As his marriage to Wiazemsky suffers, Godard heads further down what some might describe as a Maoist path, culminating - for this film's purposes - in the establishment of a sort of film-making collective without heirarchy - Godard may be the director, but his artistic vision is subordinate to the will of the workers. Hah! From the plot description this might seem like a terribly gloomy film; far from it. It is actually very playful: as Godard, Louis Garrel has to deliver directly to camera the line "I bet if you told an actor to say actors are dumb, he would do it"; and a scene where Godard and Wiazemsky (played by the frequently-undraped Stacy Martin) discuss film directors' enthusiasm for nude scenes is played with both actors naked. How accurate Garrel's portrayal is I am unable to say, but for an actor who has rarely before displayed any comedy chops he provides a fine, subtly comic turn here; I particularly like the hangdog look his Godard at times displays.

I am not massively familiar with either Godard or his work; I have little patience with pretention. But this film makes the famed auteur a more accessible - sometimes rather likeable - individual, without glossing over his faults (rudeness; arrogance; a controlling element in his relationship with Wiazemsky). Whether it is a fair representation of him I do not know, but it makes for a very interesting film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Myanmar

Language:

French English Italian

Release Date:

13 September 2017 (France)

Also Known As:

Godard Mon Amour

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

EUR11,110,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,994, 22 April 2018

Gross USA:

$82,264

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,335,846

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Compagnons du Cinéma, La Classe Américaine, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (as Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1