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Phrases: Six Films
Phrases presents the spoken language from six films by Jean-Luc Germany Nine Zero, The Kids Play Russian, JLG / JLG, 2 x 50 Years of French Cinema, For Ever Mozart and In Praise of Love. Completed between 1991 and 2001, during what has been called Godard's "years of memory," these films and videos were made alongside and in the shadow of his major work from that time, his monumental Histoire(s) du cinema, complementing and extending its themes. Like Histoire(s), they offer meditations on, among other things, the tides of history, the fate of nations, the work of memory, the power of cinema, and, ultimately, the nature of love. Gathered here, in written form, they are words without not exactly screenplays, not exactly poetry, something else entirely. Godard himself described them "Not books. Rather recollections of films, without the photos or the uninteresting details... Only the spoken phrases. They offer a little prolongation. One even discovers things that aren't in the films in them, which is rather powerful for a recollection. These books aren't literature or cinema. Traces of a film..." In our era of ubiquitous streaming video, ebooks, and social media, these traces of cinema raise compelling questions for the future of media, cinematic, literary, and otherwise.
376 pages, Paperback
Published May 5, 2016
About the author
Jean-Luc Godard
97 books262 followersJean-Luc Godard is a French and Swiss filmmaker and one of the founding members of the Nouvelle Vague, or "French New Wave".
Godard was born to Franco-Swiss parents in Paris. He attended school in Nyon, Switzerland, and at the Lycée Rohmer, and the Sorbonne in Paris. During his time at the Sorbonne, he became involved with the young group of filmmakers and film theorists that gave birth to the New Wave.
Many of Godard's films challenged the conventions of Hollywood cinema, and he was often considered the most extreme New Wave filmmaker. His films often expressed his political ideologies as well as his knowledge of film history. In addition, Godards' films often cited existential and Marxist philosophy.
Godard was born to Franco-Swiss parents in Paris. He attended school in Nyon, Switzerland, and at the Lycée Rohmer, and the Sorbonne in Paris. During his time at the Sorbonne, he became involved with the young group of filmmakers and film theorists that gave birth to the New Wave.
Many of Godard's films challenged the conventions of Hollywood cinema, and he was often considered the most extreme New Wave filmmaker. His films often expressed his political ideologies as well as his knowledge of film history. In addition, Godards' films often cited existential and Marxist philosophy.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 21, 2024
This book reads like a mirror inside of a mirror, never clearly reflecting its sources, providing fragments of narrative interspersed with partial quotes from a variety of figures that have nothing in common in order to reflect Godard's agenda with each of these films from as many angles as possible. The quotations, which have intentionally been taken out of context, make it impossible to tell which ideas are Godard's and which belong to the people quoted. A list of sources appears at the head of each film section: E.M. Cioran, Karl Marx, Thomas Bernhard, Bataille, Chateaubriand, A.E. van Vogt, and too many others to list. There's no telling where any given passage comes from unless you happen to recognize it - Hegel? Ingmar Bergman? Godard himself? The resulting obfuscations work surprisingly well for each of the six films.
"there's a service entrance and a main entrance
they
use the main entrance
into the apartment of the world
and leave the service entrance
to us"
The incoherence of the book, or its semi-incoherence, is pregnant enough with multiple shades of meaning to keep me turning the pages long after I'd planned to stop. The scarcely-connected threads of a linear narrative shine through the wreckage. Each of the six films are completely different from the others, replete with themes and explorations tied together by a main idea, which, as elusive as it is, is ubiquitous.
"you know that in Madrid
there isn't a single church
in which you can light a candle
what do they use
electricity
my god"
The films themselves are not the same as these transcripts, both because the latter have been altered to suit the medium of print and because the films are far more than a collection of snippets. The transcripts read more like a sort of poetic cinematomancy devoted to Godard's obsessions. Against all odds, I found them very enjoyable. I wish there were six more. Needless to say, highly recommended!
"as soon as it is out of my mouth
nothing remains of me
but the man who was cold
and this man
belongs to all of us"
"there's a service entrance and a main entrance
they
use the main entrance
into the apartment of the world
and leave the service entrance
to us"
The incoherence of the book, or its semi-incoherence, is pregnant enough with multiple shades of meaning to keep me turning the pages long after I'd planned to stop. The scarcely-connected threads of a linear narrative shine through the wreckage. Each of the six films are completely different from the others, replete with themes and explorations tied together by a main idea, which, as elusive as it is, is ubiquitous.
"you know that in Madrid
there isn't a single church
in which you can light a candle
what do they use
electricity
my god"
The films themselves are not the same as these transcripts, both because the latter have been altered to suit the medium of print and because the films are far more than a collection of snippets. The transcripts read more like a sort of poetic cinematomancy devoted to Godard's obsessions. Against all odds, I found them very enjoyable. I wish there were six more. Needless to say, highly recommended!
"as soon as it is out of my mouth
nothing remains of me
but the man who was cold
and this man
belongs to all of us"
Displaying 1 of 1 review