Jean-Luc Godard

Emmi (Year 13) considers to what extent Godard was a revolutionary force in cinema.

Godard was renowned as a pioneer of the French New Wave movement which flourished during the 1950s and 1960s, and he was instrumental in driving a wave of innovation and experimentation within the cinematic landscape. At its core, the French New Wave advocated for an emancipation from the staid norms of Hollywood to save cinema from being completely ossified.  

One of the ways in which Godard challenged the traditional Hollywood paradigm was through his radical approach to editing. Prior to the New Wave, traditional Hollywood filmmakers favoured continuity and believed seamless cuts and transitions between scenes were crucial. Godard feared these movies were becoming ‘stale’ and formulaic, lamenting the dearth of ingenuity within the industry and hence, emphasised the need for ‘a new formula’. He popularised the jump cut – a technique that deliberately disrupts the continuity of a scene to create a jagged, fragmented narrative style. This departure from classical Hollywood editing norms represented a bold renunciation of the rigid conventions that had come to dominate mainstream cinema. 

This use of a jump cut also plays into Godard’s predilection for meta-cinematic narrative devices, as the disruption caused by a jump cut reminds the audience that they are watching a film. He furthers this through his consistent use of ‘tableau’ shots, in which he deliberately placed characters, akin to figures in a painting, thereby reminding the audience that cinema is a construction. This meta-cinematic approach is further exemplified in “À Bout de Souffle” (1960), where the protagonist, Michel Poiccard, reveres Humphrey Bogart and strives to emulate his mannerisms, therefore embedding a conscious homage to classical Hollywood within the fabric of the narrative.

This proclivity for meta-cinema not only underscored Godard’s radical departure from cinematic convention, but also blurred the line between fiction and reality, compelling viewers to interrogate the very essence of cinematic truth. 

In the late 1960s, Godard’s films assumed an increasingly political tenor, reflecting the turbulent socio-political milieu of contemporary France. “La Chinoise” (1967), for example, acts as a scathing political satire, criticising the burgeoning leftist revolutionary movements that had started to emerge within French society. Through his portrayal of Maoist students entangled in political discourse and radical activism, Godard utilises the characters’ idealism to interrogate the allure of ideological extremism and the inherent dangers of dogmatic politics. Similarly, “Le Weekend” (1967) sought to expose the moral bankruptcy intrinsically rooted in bourgeois society, offering a corrosive indictment of capitalism and the consumerist ethos. Many critics often cite these films as ‘prescient foreshadowing’ of the events of May ’68 highlighting Godard’s significance in voicing the socio-political concerns of the country. This act of social commentary was radical as previously, Hollywood films portrayed a glorified version of life. Roland Barthes, for example, argued that ‘il aime à sortir d’une salle de cinéma’ as the experience is almost like coming out of a ‘hypnosis.’ Arguably, the socio-reflexive aspect of Godard’s films breaks the ‘hypnosis’ of cinema and instead projects a palpable sense of verisimilitude.  

Ultimately, Jean-Luc Godard’s radicalism extends far beyond his technical innovations. As Shakespeare’s Hamlet famously stated, the significance of art and performing, lies in its capacity to ‘hold a mirror as t’were, up to nature’. He pushed the boundaries of the capabilities of cinema itself, propelling cinema into uncharted territories of expression and reflection.