Godard's CONTEMPT

[MissGoddess]

I'm going to see this movie on Saturday and it will be my first time. Does anyone have any comments about it? I don't know what to expect. I really like BB, so no worries about her, but I have seen little else by Godard.

[Mr. Arkadin]

I'm working on writing something up. Hopefully, I will finish in time! If not, all I can say is this is an incredible film--see it!!

[Mr. Arkadin]

Hmm, you say Saturday, this film comes on TCM late Sunday evening. Are you going somewhere to see it on Saturday, or are we talking about Sunday's showing?

[Lzcutter]

MissG,

The score by Georges Delarue is a thing of beauty!

Plus, the movie is quite memorable, too!

[MissGoddess]

Hi Arky---didn't know it was airing on TV, but I'm still going to see it at the Film Forum on Saturday.

[MissGoddess]

MissG,

The score by Georges Delarue is a thing of beauty!

Plus, the movie is quite memorable, too!

Good music to a movie works magic with me, so now I'm really looking forward to it!

[Ann Harding]

MissG,
The score by Georges Delarue is a thing of beauty!

The name of the composer is Georges Delerue.

[Mr. Arkadin]

Hi Arky---didn't know it was airing on TV, but I'm still going to see it at the Film Forum on Saturday.

Well that's great. You will have a chance to check it out twice!

[Mr. Arkadin]

Apparently the print TCM will be showing is not in the best condition:

http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.j ... 3&tstart=0

[MissGoddess]

J'ai observé le film. J'ai pensé que c'était correct mais pas un chef d'oeuvre. La musique était jolie et triste et Carpri était joli en tant que toujours. Au moins j'ai eu quelques idées pour des coiffures de BB. I bien que Jack Palance ait été excellent en tant que producteur de film de Hollywood. J'ai su beaucoup comme lui quand j'étais là.

SUBTITLES: In other words, I saw it, thought is was okay but not great---BB's hair was great, though! And so was Capri, what there was to see of it. The music was lovely. I think the marriage needed to end from the beginning. I don't like Michel Piccoli---he has the same expression in every movie. Jack Palance was excellent as the Hollywood movie producer. I knew many like him when I was there. He looked great, by the way, very handsome in a beautifully tailored suit!!!

This is the hairstyle I think I like best:



Sorry, I guess I'm just to superficial for these movies! But I thought Fritz Lang was a darling! So gallant, and such beautiful manners....

[Mr. Arkadin]

Well, I'm glad you had the chance to view it, especially on a big screen with a nice print. TCM programmer actually apologized for the print that's being shown tonight (which I thought was very nice of them).

[MissGoddess]

The print at the film forum was very good quality and on a wide screen. The use of color reminded me of Hitch. I enjoyed the classic movie references (well, I guess they were "current" back then) to Hawks and Hitch. I thought it also quite amusing that BB and Piccoli liked Fritz Lang's Rancho Notorious more than his "M". Ha!

I really did like all the points and jabs about culture, Hollywood, et al. That registered more for me than the relationship angles.

I was thinking last night that Palance's producer was the best (most realistic) I've seen since Warren Stevens in The Barefoot Contessa. I mean of that type of Producer---as Fritzie said, they aren't "REAL" Hollywood producers like Sam Goldwyn, et al, were.

[myrnaloyisdope]

I didn't really like it as I was watching it, it was slow and very dialogue heavy, but the more I thought about it, the more it stuck with me, and I started to realize that man this is a great film.

I am looking forward to the Blu-Ray Criterion coming out in October. It might be enough reason for me to pick up a Blu-Ray player.

[Mr. Arkadin]

Hi myrnaloyisdope.

Here's a thread where we were discussing the film at the TCM forums:

http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.j ... 4&tstart=0

I don't have a blueray player, but the Criterion print is in the correct aspect ratio and looks wonderful.

[MissGoddess]

Last night I watched the "bonus disc" to the Criterion Collection's dvd set of CONTEMPT and wanted to encourage people to see it if they can, because it contains some really interesting interviews with Fritz Lang. Through them, he confirmed my initial impression of him as a cultured, old-world style gentleman and surprised me by the depth of his sensitivity, graciousness with younger director, Jean-Luc Godard (in a sequence that was more discussion than interview) and above all, his delicacy. His films are so strongly defined and often contain potent and vigorous characters, so I expected someone a little more brusque or "tough" seeming, perhaps. Someone more like Preminger or crusty, like Ford.

One of the most interesting moments is when Lang actually demonstrates how he goes about working out a scene. It's fascinating! I love interviews with directors, even those whose work I'm unfamiliar with, even more than interviews with actors and this disc contains one of the best. Film students everywhere should watch it and learn from it (more so, perhaps, than from the film itself!).

I also want to comment on one interesting remark made by Fritz Lang, he mentioned that in Hollywood sometimes the producers cut the very scenes that were the reasons why he wanted to make the film in the first place. I couldn't help but think about Cloak and Dagger, which apparently is one of his most butchered movies.