SEVEN
GODARD AND THE GODARDIANS:
A Study in the New Sensibility 4
To ae piroe-e nent? yr musth
‘oined by Susan Sootagthe operative word af cours, mt, not
‘Svat eb pets ue tat te ord srl fag
vor lve bento, bate, Mee abut et as Beno
it and athe et by Mir Song fo a ts >
tjston Pict atot y word by which we ore const?
‘eter lndoding te word vn inter sis sen
Tip oy mt the ry thing stand os spose ote or
ices ft ts th i le
iso asiduus and itn tty orgeng pe
doing so out of a lack of that qual oo
Sang tt lo a guys 8 were pon
Tower tat sy be, tw gt back tthe concept of the
new sensi” wich is supposed to account fr the revelation
inthe eto things He latory nd letono masto-
dads mettre ees nplaceof ufo action pl pop
ti op aon slp. the Ue for ro al ed 1
‘nd dates npopelr me, fer hapa, eae
‘tonment and oer nied nea incllng peje pr
in andor an of Hlarmaking whose Seas Gord
Ea°Sciom the “andergound moti or "New Amccae
Gnas ay bl ny ic el ek
any oe te Pandor br of conteporay or
art has unleashed upon us; every kind as ‘ach ce
een ny ta pt
"Whetwas the Pandora who aly opened th a? As far as
Sin conceded tee nonet of dts
tla th co be deal ican be de nl pea
mm
Godard and the Godardians mm
tely-in a seemingly omocent sore of Jeane Godands
ee tgp, when came out that fn oked ther
art ta aa oof ws toda, tough one ca stl
Bo seems a comiderably es satfactory work. fo
5 ea seen in taking ofthe lovers have gone t0 the
2 pee ae wating an Ameria, o Americana western,
nove thundering hooves and gos. Bot sudden
samt Thesvuntrah to it voles renga each ole
es heutf poe, “Cov de cane "Nae hoe
ae teique/ Comme le masque Cun yen...” Now
See Soy rnscser What basins have the charters
eh Amerean western rating on of France’ Snes wen-
see an" fetes at each oter=and anphoaly, at that, os
Mrgrn win dloge thst ay wee improvsing®
"Sena wns dingo of thre thing ere ay have ben
Aygo ake fun of Apa’ poe by ntodvcing i ito
ae et of be may have been oping to elevate the
‘also dhe anure of genine ef Nost Hey, og be was
wee feng pom be ha jut stumble opto an ett
mt tae fo ate come shock fect. Bat whatever he
seen seatbity tat wil Indigent kindof ec is
a bie tis eye, potentous, and dete, Cea
rae ing maka vale agent in the ost sual,
PEE cand, aye utenti, bose it wilde wit
Jado ction to sorting tht suppse to confer itl
‘ibrar onthe Rinmaker sel safectd, Beaute
erect the cota fg a gets ts Mek, When
seat introduce the story of Apoiale snd a yong woman
Paes ea (epee of fay wellknown iter biography)
eee aim Noles wht he dong and ts 0 jy
eer or nt to ral satiation urlevat, We ae ot
eet can of Beatle, th someting tht stbesns 3
Serato and showing of
reir ts dicen that Godard is proceed One watched
ce ie tutus bu arogant devi tp, the He
Penne 2Fsble eontny Badlae had aly
aaa era ari sone but Here Is «considerble
Freee ren the suposed he ok Asorpeise ay datesm Pricte Screenings
cr organs of perception ad ont undentuding may de
Shur arrose of something wo vaguely sensed, may bean
3 Sig pt yl ace al wee
Shock, 2‘llaton, disturbance or revermal of the etablisied
Cr A pte alo pnd po, ei,
cts cntact ands mot Hel, pup. Aspe spss the
‘Speed, at mary Dypases ifn av would Brolin
{wiay nething of Et, ave sebuabed fo state Codd
erbutes to Bo in Bond of Older “Everything that fnew
iS utomatialy tational” (Porton we ao oe,
toad ace sepa god") Ina othing tomate
in Godard, jst about everything, .
Aint ate Godard ders T lst few at andor
jes ly eb or ia free to New Wave often
{eco ing so np tag whit
rel thi faces aloe up sing top soteon he sgt
tree (aul while someones ploopaping sod) or
Gh none ping hack and forth ad ans betren te aes
Sco ten wha et ttn na
‘mera nth lot provecaton,nling poms by ews of
Toot, sg, inriptinsehind the Tacs of characte
‘Sc lnrpion may be wed o ut» porton-for exp
‘he Mared Woman, sign ead “ous” aud inte ne bot
the camera picks ot the mile pt ofthe word rad
“nce fre the ivan af i a epost ech
Gf wich there fied pretentious sey, cn wih sme
{frat for epaap he cnsuraging of eet to jmp boat
{Calin gon dos) in srt of upline omy Pca
Yale he iedacin of Gls st ete tency olen,
‘hich fave no dacemiblefomection wih ating trees
toler or pnb! orks eier made bythe ees pk
Inthe pon acelin non ans bya choraters
{Rating o mntoning tem there reference reson whol
{fatal suden death, often at the cod of «lm, whore
{bay ve tucked om for good yemon exept to provide a
tingid 2 semblance o aa np stopping the mse
mth untae for» fw ment si then Neng whe
Peto al witout mean, w pontBeting, pradopoeis
Godard and the Godordians 2
peudprfound ofscreen nation accompanying the mast
earmtene occurences onrfreeny a character winking cut a the
‘dinee and addressing them dicey.
nee ach as these, and tony Kindred ones, are nok neces
anh had thay may even be good~but when sed promisewosly,
‘eedloway, excused, withthe notion that they ae pt ft
Yalan utanately dsl. Godard’ “new”
food they become distaste
ryt int sorting eer, snd es, Un he tena:
rap gta antique, Why do these innovations age 5
Tecan, having othing but hem les on, Godard hat
sal has nto the nds because bend he devo there
1 oer ana eri lke Sosan Sontag ct, bythe wy
$s ate atspetaton which rather Ue beng sais
rei vey adetes eins a vite, OF View 92
Stes We don't know Nanas tvs except at die
Wer 2i6 arenes The fm eches all pyholgy thee 0
ta fst offering fine anguish” A ott, we
Poti ture se Vie, ike Godards other movies is “prot
ret hn aye Rsows at sapeting bpp. nt
sa pened Te esposes the sexorabiy of an even
ere dunes absurd Oban the Bl chews
a edt we eum even ner what Nant’ mae ae
Fe Copley airy and we so then frm such
ie acs a to ner, merely atte whatever ut
ae et are ar lth pata “exposes he
of anevem It does nothing ofthe Kid, Miss Sontag
ry ape delberately-am action with the portal
spi tn Tak Godard has his heroine Become a prose
of tat i Tne a bat i des 8 be to make
ea event, a Boman aco
Ir ineitale oe even plaosble
1 ne supposed tobe portraying, The very word “proof”
Cat tows al lahonest here. Arcam oly sugsest, persuade,
ene ost, demonstrate, cannot prov. But responsible
eo ght id artists and eres love to svoke the notions of
orca neteaiy, the txrable, Theo are generally, gaat
Prt ns forte arbitary, dhe sloppy, the mindless. plese
a err appene and that x supposed to bet justification. Tt
{Epocue is i ike eis bees Uke is216 Private Screenings
Or in other word, asthe emperor no clothes? How marvelous
Who wants clothes anyway? These ore eateprie in walk
‘hed, Naty cao mh sore daring snd more rel, Well, hat
Inny boo inthe case of svowed iy, in madly for purpae
Sy to show off «ghrious body. But Godard’ ls pretend to
‘the, they pretend toe contacts aia, demonstration
Gf haran acto In fact, however, they aze nothing: ne even
Suity only sen and even thse ati, made of card
tour Consider the dnue even: here are two pasnges fom
Content "Why So you sre this thovehtel sir?
fn hiking of something, would you blve 12-OF what?-Of
fr Men” And agains “Why. don you Tove me any meh
Tha ie.Why do you despise re?That I wll nove tll ou,
tt oven if L-were on the pont f death” How peteaticuh
freudomcenngfl these utterances are yet even x sigh cee
Eat reveals than to be tte tnd allow, Nor wl dot sy
{hat in Godard the words se aniportant. Tn hi ls, a8 he
‘Nnself has proclaned, "you have to ftom to ho people tllag?
‘Mis Sooteg goers fe asf tke sronly along speech of
‘Nant’ from which she quote and comments onthe fll,
“Tam respi 1 tc my bead Tan apostle, 1 ity
‘and, Tau sponte” And furthers“ pte apt. A man
‘ms Life He” What guna ipay schoolboy’ pray
cf Sartre ends with « gan revelation of mati edt
Arh once agai, prove merely the inate in plata, the
{fuitcocntal trom, Yet Mas Senay can ast thereupon,
Godard is perhap the ony director ta who ie ftrestd in
‘piloophicl Boar and ponssn an intligence and dncton
goal te the tak I you ave terested i Tearing how sch
pllsophical Mnvzsker come into being, here ta exp
i Sontag interes: “The twelve ens of Vie sa Vie ao
‘Nanas twelve sane ofthe cross, Ban Codsr’s lin the vale
Of sane and soatyrdon are transposed to 4 taal seer
plane” (There ar, actully, Rutten stone of the ers, bt
Such dtals probbly not matter you are agua fat
pretation) Ovestoned abot he meaning ofthe weve tables,
Godard replied. "Why twelve? T dont ow But, to be sure
ead toad bat the tablenos thenseves “accent the the
Godard and the Godardions a
: Loe
conte tea of Saar
ae ch Godard through a very different critic,
Poa Pesos combination of ely sewn en
A auc nd pny pba eh,
maa te puro Car He ety
wee .e St eather to avorble— cl or eam
eves f Bret pnt yng ev’ Bethe
Ieee ae OP ce pe gl
se a eo ihe aly epi, wo
fh Ait he i oC arta eg a
Seng Wt um he ta cn ta
sa gg em ey, wae ey he ld
a or gn ts soy fe Se
th wa tg cha” Wel tts propay du
tad a ud a Kal We
tonverted wo Godard : i
mos Gr gs Kal" Fech post k n
ct te one nla me
axa tal A ed een th 8 38
of he rome a Rev comping me
Imac ry arte Mey Splan
ee te i eto Rood Gurr weal Be Pe
A ey te Tait be
ete ah Ye Othe,
fame ave ten French humor
ech et 2 Joe same of Godard worl fot
Kea pone tc ects pin oe ess
ech et od a ve ed oe gins
Sere a nd nt rome i
SeISE, tn hat “pong, eo hte, gee ow swe
ee sears a st
Gena Ti exon ase may rh Ca rer
th Cage ey at rym ro ty
Ba Be nh er ne ch mee
Bao te sl
cl vax dewy-eyed over