Every Man for Himself

Twenty years after his landmark debut film Breathless, and nearly a decade after he turned his attention to cinematic essays and experimenting with video for TV productions, French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard returned to narrative with 1980's Every Man for Himself, which incorporated his nonfiction experiments and the interests of his new creative and personal partner, Anne-Marie Miéville (who co-wrote the script with Jean-Claude Carrière). Every Man for Himself explores the relationships among three characters—TV director Paul Godard (Jacques Dutronc), a self-involved divorced father whose anger at women extends to his teenage daughter; his former girlfriend, Denise (Nathalie Baye), who wants to quit working for TV and move to the country to pursue artistic interests; and Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert), a prostitute who understands that her clients are more interested in domination and humiliation than sex. Slow-motion and freeze frames interrupt scenes, abrupt intrusions on the soundtrack redirect our attention, and perverse requests by Isabelle's clients make prostitution just another form of alienating labor. Godard ridicules his alter-ego and explores the frustrations and aspirations of females in a culture that constantly demeans them. Featuring explicit nudity and language (including a conversation about pedophilia), this is an important entry in the career of one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. Remastered for DVD and its Blu-ray debut, extras include a video essay, Godard's 1979 video treatment for the film, and new and archival interviews. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)