At the height of the French New Wave, riding high on the success of his debut feature Breathless, Jean-Luc Godard continued to explore the experimental boundaries of cinema with what he provocatively called "a neorealist musical" or a "non-musical musical," designed as both a tribute to, and an investigation of, the American film genre epitomized by Singin' in the Rain. Like many of Godard's self-consciously referential films, 1961's A Woman Is a Woman is a mixed bag, guaranteed to mystify most viewers unfamiliar with Godard's work, while others may find it wondrously liberating in its deliberately unconventional approach to cinema. It was "my first real film," Godard claimed, not to mention his first in Cinemascope and color, and starred the lovely Anna Karina (who was also Godard's soon-to-be wife, and pregnant during the film's production) as a beguiling "exotic dancer" who decides she wants a baby, but when her lover (Jean-Claude Brialy) refuses to cooperate, she turns to his best friend (Breathless star Jean-Paul Belmondo), creating one of the giddiest love triangles in movie history. Boasting a celebrated musical score (by Michel Legrand) that pops in and out like a playful intruder, A Woman Is a Woman--like many of Godard's films--is also a movie about moviemaking, so its appeal is likely to be limited to hardcore cinephiles; others might respond with a resounding "huh?" But the curious may well be rewarded, thanks to this handsome Criterion release that also features a bonus Godard short and an interview excerpt, as well as a 24-page booklet with essays to help steer the uninitiated toward Godardian enlightenment. Recommended. (J. Shannon)
A Woman Is a Woman
Criterion, 84 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95 Volume 19, Issue 5
A Woman Is a Woman
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