French New Wave enfant terrible director Jean-Luc Godard’s Masculin Féminin (1966)—a film divided into “15 specific events”—benefits from a pair of disarmingly pleasant performances by Jean-Pierre Léaud (known to many as Antoine Doinel in Francois Truffaut’s long-running film series) and Chantal Goya as ostensible lovers Paul and Madeleine. Paul is a would-be revolutionary while Madeleine is an aspiring pop singer (which Goya actually was). But their story is often lost amidst scenes devoted to Godard's more pressing concerns (sex, violence, and revolutionary politics).
At one point an intertitle announces that “this film could be called ‘The Children of Marx and Coca Cola’” and it’s true that as an impressionistic take on Paris in the year 1965 it does contrast the serious sociopolitical goings-on (an upcoming French election and the escalating war in Vietnam) with the burgeoning emergence of pop culture in music, fashion, and overall consumerism.
Sometimes clever, and occasionally even intelligent, Masculin Féminin will, nevertheless, be a tough watch for many, especially those unfamiliar with Godard’s artsy tics (such as his constant manipulation of the soundscape—inserting random loud gunshots or cutting the audio completely). And contemporary viewers will likely bristle over the somewhat misogynistic elements: the boys talk about politics and philosophy; the girls moon over fashion mags and spend a lot of time on hair and makeup.
Most uncomfortable is an extended scene (over six minutes) with a young woman who has been crowned “Miss 19” (Elsa Leroy). An offscreen Paul—who suddenly appears to have a job conducting polls/surveys—pummels her with questions about current political events and social issues (such as what are some “practical” methods of birth control—which is framed in a way that seems lecherous) that the girl either tries to avoid or simply knows nothing about.
At one point, Paul and Madeleine and the latter’s girlfriends go to the cinema to watch a Swedish film that seems to be a parody of Ingmar Bergman’s The Silence (1963). Bergman was not amused and later described Masculin Féminin as “a classic case of Godard: mind-numbingly boring.”
Presented in its original 1:33 TV-box-like aspect ratio in an excellent 4K digital restoration, the Criterion Collection’s Blu-ray debut of Masculin Féminin features extras including archival interviews with Goya, cinematographer Willy Kurant, and Jean-Luc Godard collaborator Jean-Pierre Gorin; a 2004 discussion of the film between film critics Freddy Buache and Dominique Païni; footage from Swedish television of Godard directing the Bergman-inspired scene, and a booklet with an essay by film critic Adrian Martin and a reprint of a report from the set by French journalist Philippe Labro.
For over half a century Godard has divided critics and audiences. Masculin Féminin is neither the most risible nor most intellectually stimulating film from Godard’s oeuvre, and it will likely be most appreciated by those who are already on the Godardian wavelength. A strong optional purchase.