Godard è un uomo leggendario

The history of cinema knows many famous and significant names that developed and changed it drastically in some periods. Jean-Luc Godard is one such personality whose impact on the development of cinema is difficult to overestimate. The magazine Art de Vivre prepared some essential information about his life and contribution to cinema evolution.

Who is Jean-Luc Godard?

Jean-Luc Godard is a man that was a fan of cinema and was confident about the considerable influence of this art in different areas of people’s lives. He started his activity in cinema development in the 1950s — he was writing for an influential magazine dedicated to critics. Godard was criticizing the approach to film production prevailing in the French tradition. Finally, he started to shoot his films and give an example of which changes were indispensable at these times.

 

What is Godard famous for?

Godard stood at the grounds of the movement seeking experiments and searching for new approaches in the screenplay creation and filming process. This movement was named the French New Wave.

Further, the film critic started helping his associates to film new movies and finally became a film director. In his films, he described his vision of cinema, his private life, and political events. His views were clearly readable as red lines through the movies.

 

What is the best Godard film?

There are several films considered notable in all his activity:

• Breathless (1960) — one of the first films clearly expressing the moods of the New Wave;
• A Woman Is a Woman (1961) — a musical romantic comedy;
• My Life to Live (1962) — one of the most popular films by Godart;
• Contempt (1963) — the most financially successful film;
• Pierrot le Fou (1965) — based on Obsession by Lionel White; Godard considered this film to represent France and its controversies;
• Histoire(s) du cinéma (the 1980s — 1998) — a series of 8 films describing the development of cinema and reviewing its evolution in the 20th century.

Most of the abovementioned refers to his early period.

Jen-Luc Godard influenced world cinema like no one else, and it’s difficult to overestimate his impact. Read about this and other notable figures in Art de Vivre magazine!