Masculin Feminin - Criterion Collection
by Jean-Luc Godard
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Catherine-Isabelle Duport, Chantal Goya, Jean-Pierre L?aud, Marl?ne Jobert, Michel DebordDirector: Jean-Luc Godard
Brand: GOYA,CHANTAL
Cinematographer: Willy Kurant
Writer: Jean-Luc Godard
Editor: Agn?s Guillemot
Editor: Marguerite Renoir
Producer: Anatole Dauman
Writer: Guy de Maupassant
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Swedish (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 103 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-20
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of Masculin Feminin - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: Wonderful and natural performances by the main talents and just a youth film that is crafted like no other. Highly recommended!
Summary: 5 Stars
It was in 1966 that Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave) director Jean-Luc Godard ("Contempt", "Breathless", "Pierrot le fou") would release his film about youth in the mid-60's titled "Masculin f?minin: 15 faits pr?cis".
Released after the successful "Pierrot le fou" (1965), "Masculin f?minin: 15 faits pr?cis" would become a different film by Godard standards as it would focus on Parisian youth in 1965 but also start to show signs of a different Godard (who separated from Anna Karina, who was a major actress in his films) and also a precursor to his films incorporating his political views. But as for the characters featured in "Masculin f?minin: 15 faits pr?cis", call the young adults that were a sign of the times or as Godard would call them, "the children of Marx and Coca-Cola".
"Masculin f?minin: 15 faits pr?cis" was scrutinized and lambasted by critics during its release in 1966, many of those critics who have revisited the film have taken back what they originally have said and now realize how it is one of Godard's best films and some have considered it a masterpiece that was ahead of its time.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"Masculin f?minin" is featured in black and white and presented in 1:33:1. Cinematographer Willy Kurant supervised the new high-definition digital transfer which was created on a Spirit Datacine from the 35mm grain master. Also, thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed from the MTI Digital Restoration Ssytem.
As for the audio, the French monoraul soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the optical soundtrack master and audio restoration tools were used the Criterion to remove clicks, pops, hiss and crackle. The film is Dolby Digital 1.0 and center channel driven but for those who own modern home theater surround sound receivers, one can easily switch the audio via audio on all channels or stereo, to their own preference. Also, included is a selection for the the optional isolated music track.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Masculin f?minin" comes with the following special features:
* Chantal Goya (1966) - (4:50) An excerpt of an interview filmed for the TV show "Au-Dela De L'Ecran", Goya talks about being a pop star and working on "Masculin f?minin".
* Chantal Goya (2005) - (15:07) Interview with Chantal Goya in 2005 as she talks about her experience working with Jean-Luc Godard and on "Masculin f?minin".
* Willy Kurant - (11:59) 2005 Interview (in English) with "Masculin f?minin"cinematographer about his career and working with Godard.
* Jean-Pierre Gorin - (15:36) A 2005 interview (in English) in which Godard's Dziga-Vertov Group business partner talks about the historical and experimentation of "Masculin f?minin".
* Freddy Buache and Dominique Paini - (24:56) In 2004, Freddy Buache (film critic and founder of Cinematheque Suisse) and Dominque Paini (Director of Cultural Development for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris) talk about the importance of "Masculin f?minin" and how Buache criticized it when it was first released but now considers it an important Godard film.
* Godard on Swedish Television - (4:07) With "Masculin f?minin" being a co-production between Godard's Anouchka Films and the Swedish Production Firm Sandrews Films, a Swedish television crew were there to interview the director who was filming the "movie" scene.
* Original Theatrical Trailer - (2:01) The original theatrical trailer.
* Rialto Pictures Rerelease Trailer - (1:53) Remastered Rialto Pictures trailer.
* Essay Booklet - 14-page booklet featuring an essay "The Young Man for All Times" by Adrian Martin (film critic for the Melbourne Age) and "On the Set of Masculin Feminin" (an excerpt from the article "One Evening, In a Small Cafe" by Phillipe Labro.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"Masculin f?minin: 15 faits pr?cis" is quite a unique film, so unique that it was a film which I absolutely enjoyed. It's not a film that one can come and watch and say, I enjoy "Breathless" or "Pierrot le fou", I will love "Masculin f?minin: 15 faits pr?cis". Nor is it a film in today's modern world where you can think that if you enjoyed young adult films such as "Dazed and Confused" or "Metropolis" that you will enjoy "Masculin f?minin: 15 faits pr?cis" because the structure of the film is so different. There are way too many disruptions for the film's pacing and odd situations that either one can appreciate them or simply dislike them. Especially when you reach the ending.
I absolutely loved the improvisation and also the long use of dialogue between characters. I have said that I enjoyed Eric Rohmer's "My Night at Maud's" for effectively making long dialogue scenes so enjoyable but yet intelligent. If one can capitalize on moments in a film where communication is done effectively. And since the film was created with a low budget,Godard made great use of dialogue. In fact, because Godard didn't use a script, he had earpieces in which the talent were filmed answering questions that the director would ask them. He would effectively use the talent, tell them what to say on the earpiece and try to get an improvised but yet natural answer in which topics would bring out that awkwardness.
For example, a scene where Paul interviews "Miss 19, an actual beauty cover girl for a magazine that is being asked questions, even personal questions about sexuality, her past loves and political views. Her answers were not of an actress but her genuine answers. You can sense that uncomfort in her answers but that's what Godard wanted for this film. True feelings by people who represent that young generation in Paris.
As for the DVD, The Criterion Collection has done a magnificent job in restoring this film, supervised by cinematographer Willy Kurant. A good number of special features that are interesting, informative and enjoyable. It was great to hear from Chantal Goya sharing some of the Godard behind-the-scenes direction with the viewer. How the discussion about Madeleine's music career was actually a dialogue about her own music career but Godard using it on the film. And of course, Jean-Pierre L?aud is just a talented actor that both Francois Truffaut and Godard knew how to utilize in their films (despite Truffaut being a bit critical on how Godard handled him for this film). We sense a young man who is trying to make sense of his life. Has a set perspective yet being with a woman who is nothing like him nor does she want to be like him.
Masculin f?minin: 15 faits pr?cis" is a film that is definitely not a perfect film. In fact, because there are quite a few disruptions and the pacing is quite frantic at times, some people may see it as a film that is too artsy for its own good. As mentioned earlier, critics really blasted Godard for this film when it was first released. But the fact was, it was a film ahead of its time and what we have is a time capsule of youth, Paris during the mid-60's that now, many people who lived during that time, can watch this film and say, "this film was a masterpiece".
Overall, "Masculin f?minin: 15 faits pr?cis" is a film that is not only worth of being included in the Criterion Collection but also a Godard film worth owning. Highly recommended!
Summary of Masculin Feminin - Criterion Collection
With Masculin F?minin, ruthless stylist and iconoclast Jean-Luc Godard introduces the world to "the children of Marx and Coca-Cola," through a gang of restless youths engaged in hopeless love affairs with music, revolution, and each other. French new wave icon Jean-Pierre L?aud stars as Paul, an idealistic would-be intellectual struggling to forge a relationship with adorable pop star Madeleine (real-life y?-y? girl Chantal Goya). Through their tempestuous affair, Godard fashions a candid and wildly funny free-form examination of youth culture in throbbing 1960s Paris, mixing satire and tragedy as only JLG can.Juxtaposing images of pristine, romantic innocence with ones of mute, meaningless violence, Godard's Masculin-F?minin first lulls with a hypnotic, disjointed story line and then stuns with scenes of tremendous depth and meaning. This outrageous film follows the somewhat ineffectual courtship of Madeline, an aspiring pop singer, by Paul, an erstwhile journalist and interviewer but mostly groundless searcher. As in most Godard films, plot mechanics are secondary to elements such as dialog (generally marvelous, but sometimes a bit too pointed), lighting (bizarre and oversaturated, but never less than fascinating), shot framing (extraordinarily thoughtful), and performance. Godard allows his camera to linger on single faces, without cutting, for what seems by modern standards to be extremely long segments--perhaps even excruciatingly long--but the remarkably subtle cast members never disappoint, particularly the fantastically adept and frequently hilarious lead actors, Jean-Pierre L?aud and Chantal Goya. The filmmaker has little to add to our collective understanding of the relationship between masculine et feminine writ large; in fact, most of the female characters are uncomfortably stereotypical, framed as either willfully oblivious to the world or subtly (or overtly) deadly. But as an examination of a young generation faced with the prospect of war in Vietnam and the vagaries of French socialism, Masculin-F?minin proves remorselessly and chillingly trenchant. A towering influence, it would seem, on Whit Stillman's similarly themed Barcelona--but while Stillman lacks the conviction to follow his instincts to their logical, violent conclusions, Godard faces his uncompromising story with elegance and courage. In French, with subtitles that are occasionally difficult to read. --Miles Bethany
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