Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le Fou

A 2000 handbook on Godard's Pierrot le fou, a milestone in French cinema.

David Wills (Edited by)

9780521573757, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 April 2000

208 pages, 18 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.48 kg

Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le fou, made at the height of the French New Wave, remains a milestone in French cinema. More accessible than his later films, it represents the diverse facets of Godard's concerns and themes: a bittersweet analysis of male-female relations; an interrogation of the image; personal and international politics; the existential dilemmas of consumer society. This volume, first published in 2000, brings together essays by five prominent scholars of French film. They approach Pierrot le fou from the perspectives of image-and-word-play, aesthetics and politics, history, and high and popular culture, offering thought-provoking insights into the film, while demonstrating its relevance for a new generation of students of film. Also included are a selection of reviews of the film, as well as a complete filmography of Godard's work.

Introduction: oui, bien sûr … oui bien sûr David Wills
1. The imaginary element: life + cinema Richard Dienst
2. Pierrot in context(s) Alan Williams
3. Godard's tricolor Jean-Louis Leutrat
4. Language gone mad Tom Conley
5. Pierrot le fou and post-new wave French cinema Jill Forbes.

Subject Areas: Films, cinema [APF]