This was a fun way for Godard to have a conversation about the differences between men and women in a light love story. As always, the best part of the film is Anna Karina. Every artist needs their own Anna Karina. There are so many interesting choices here that I don’t think anyone would think of (this mostly has to do with how the film is edited, as in most Godard films). Aside from her presence, I absolutely loved how it was shot — the camera is what kept me interested in the film while the story, for me, went in one year and out the other. Though that doesn’t mean there aren’t great moments. The best scene is when Angéla and Émile aren’t speaking to each other and keep grabbing books while holding onto a lamp and then speak to one another via the book titles. I also loved when she catches the food in the frying pan after she throws it up in the air and takes a phone call. It’s such a small moment but adds to the magic of the film. The production design is so minimal that it forces you to focus in on the actors. I thought the music sounded so much like Jacques Demy’s THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG and THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT that this had to have inspired them. They all sound so similar. Lo and behold when I look it up and see they are all the same composer, Michel Legrand. It’s also interesting how Angéla mentions Bob Fosse as someone she loves since when she dances and sings it at the Burlesque house it reminds me a lot of CABARET which wouldn’t hit Broadway until five years later.
