- Am I getting less patient as I get older? In the past month, I've had to fast-forward through portions of three different films, which is something I never used to do. But then again, it's been over ten years since I last attempted a film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Godard's talents behind the camera are unquestionable, which is probably what bothers me most about his work. Either that, or the fact that he wastes acting talents like Jean-Paul Belmondo and Eddie Constantine on stories like Breathless and this film, Alphaville. There are plenty of lousy directors out there whom I'm content to completely ignore, but the talented ones who make excruciating films really bug me.
- On to Alphaville, specifically. I should be more predisposed than anyone to enjoy a dystopian sci-fi with noir elements. (Just ask my good friends Blade Runner and Dark City.) Furthermore, this movie features a sentient supercomputer, which is normally a good thing. There are even neon lights shaped like physics equations and streets named after Fermi and Heisenberg! It's as though Godard made a list of details I might appreciate, put them in a blender, and then also threw some dog shit in the blender. Harsh, I know, but how else can I describe a movie where the computer's grating voice constantly spouts off pseudo-philosophical drivel like "Time is like a circle which is endlessly described." Or what about "Everything has been said, provided words do not change their meanings, and meanings their words."
- Doubtless Alphaville's defenders would point to the fact that these meaningless statements are presented in the film as an indictment of heartless logic, rather than as something to be celebrated. Again, this is in many ways worse because it implies that Godard understands logic in a completely illogical manner, much as he does a great job directing terrible films. The movie literally has a character (Anna Karina) utter the words "Love? What's that?," which is a sci-fi trope I always hoped did not have a real antecedent. I will say that I was incredibly impressed with the film's tracking shots that not only followed characters through hotel hallways but even up and down elevators. Next time, I'll just watch those brief scenes and then go read some George Orwell.
- The film's full title is: Alphaville: A Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution, which I also dislike.
- Apparently Eddie Constantine is the only actor ever to play the character of Lemmy Caution.
