Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le Fou (Cambridge Film Handbooks)

Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le fou (1965), made at the height of the French New Wave, remains a milestone in French cinema. More accessible than his later films, it represents the diverse facets of Godard's concerns and themes: a bittersweet analysis of male-female relations; an interrogation of the image; personal and international politics; the existential dilemmas of consumer society. This volume brings together essays by five prominent scholars of French film. They approach Pierrot le fou from the perspectives of image-and-word-play, aesthetics and politics, history, and high- and popular culture. A full filmography and a selection of reviews are included. Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le fou, made at the height of the French New Wave, remains a milestone in French cinema. More accessible than his later films, it represents the diverse facets of Godard's concerns and themes: a bittersweet analysis of male-female relations; an interrogation of the image; personal and international politics; the existential dilemmas of consumer society. This volume brings together essays by five prominent scholars of French film. They approach Pierrot le fou from the perspectives of image-and-word-play, aesthetics and politics, history, and high and popular culture, offering thought-provoking insights into the film, while demonstrating its relevance for a new generation of students of film. Also included are a selection of reviews of the film, as well as a complete filmography of Godard's work.--Publisher description Frontmatter Acknowledgments (page ix) Note on References and Abbreviations (page xi) List of Contributors (page xiii) Introduction Oui, bien sûr ... oui, bien sûr (DAVID WILLS, page 1) 1 The Imaginary Element: Life + Cinema (RICHARD DIENST, page 23) 2 Pierrot in Context(s) (ALAN WILLIAMS, page 43) 3 Godard's Tricolor (JEAN-LOUIS LEUTRAT, page 64) 4 Language Gone Mad (TOM CONLEY, page 81) 5 Pierrot le fou and Post-New Wave French Cinema (JILL FORBES, page 108) Filmography (page 133) Additional Films Cited (page 160) Reviews of Pierrot le fou (page 163) Select Bibliography (page 183) Index (page 185) "This volume brings together essays by five prominent scholars of French film. They approach Pierrot le fou from the perspectives of image and wordplay, aesthetics and politics, history, and high and popular culture, offering thought-provoking insights into the film while demonstrating its relevance for a new generation of students of film. Also included are a selection of reviews of the film, as well as a complete filmography of Godard's work."--Jacket Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le fou, made at the height of the French New Wave, remains a milestone in French cinema. This 2000 volume brings together essays by five prominent scholars of French film who approach the film from the perspectives of image-and-word-play, aesthetics and politics, history, and high and popular culture.

A handbook on Godard's Pierrot le fou, a milestone in French cinema.