MASCULIN FEMININ

France, 1966, 103 minutes, Black and white.
Jean- Pierre Leaud, Chantal Goya, Marlene Jobert.
Directed by Jean- Luc Godard.

Jean- Luc Godard came into prominence in the 1960s, at the time of the French New Wave, Nouvelle Vague. While he made narrative films, he was more interested in philosophical and social themes as well as the politics of the period, especially by the middle of the 1960s and the years just before the student riots at the Sorbonne in 1968.

He made a number of feature films, but also cinema essays like this one, a focus on the relationships between men and women at the time, equality or superiority.

He also used another icon of the period, Jean- Pierre Leaud who come to notice in Francois Truffaut’s Wild Child.

The film was in 16 sequences, chapters, conversations, confrontations, chapters challenging audience response to the themes. Godard was to continue making provocative films, cinema essays, avant-garde films for more than a quarter of a century more.

1. The title, the emphases? Differences? Superiority?

2. The work of Jean- Luc Godard, the 1960s, his interests, themes, theories, cinematic presentations?

3. 16 scenes, captions, chapters? The audience invited to participate, yet be distant? Identifying with the characters? With the issues? The sensibilities of the 1960s?

4. Godard, philosophy of life, French existential reflection and traditions?

5. Issues of politics, society, France at the time, issues of equality? Pre-the student revolt of 1968?

6. Jean Pierre-Leaud?, cinematic icon in himself, character, appearance, work, communication, talk, relationships with women?

7. The women, the different characters, in themselves, relationships, beliefs?

8. The emphasis on men, on women, on the talking?

9. The effect for the audience of the 1960s? The later generations?