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3D Has anyone seen Godard's GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE? (1 Viewer)

Dick

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I hear this movie is pretty mind-blowing, with great 3-D visuals. It's out on 3-D Blu-ray right now, and am anxious to hear reviews.
 

bujaki

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Just watched it tonight. Godard has not been my cuppa for quite a while now, but I had to see this. It's fascinating, maddening; I'm sure I'll have to watch it again. He uses 3D for all it's worth, including, at one point, different takes for the left and right eyes, creating a literally mind-blowing effect. This is not for everyone, but, damn, the guy is a *** master of the medium.
 

StephenDH

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A fine example of the noble tradition of French art film making: say nothing but say it in French.

This load of merde seems designed to keep people out of cinemas and has all the usual French art movie tropes: pointless nudity, toilets, people staring earnestly into the middle distance or over each other's shoulders, whilst muttering poetry, random library footage, inability to keep the camera horizontal, everything bar killing an animal for real (something else which French directors seem to think is obligatory).

Godard seems to have just thrown bits of film into the air and cut it together in the order in which it hit the ground.

After 30 minutes I decided honour was satisfied and watched "Captain Harlock, Space Pirate" instead. Even in unsubtitled Japanese it was the more comprehensible of the two.
 

bujaki

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Stephen,

You may be right about your assessment of the film. There is no one more infuriating and, most of the time, incomprehensible, than Godard since he started spouting Maoism in the late sixties. But his films, even the merde, still elicit response, whether positive or negative, and that is better than total indifference at what you have just seen. I belong to the camp that is mostly infuriated and baffled.
 

schan1269

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StephenDH said:
A fine example of the noble tradition of French art film making: say nothing but say it in French.
This load of merde seems designed to keep people out of cinemas and has all the usual French art movie tropes: pointless nudity, toilets, people staring earnestly into the middle distance or over each other's shoulders, whilst muttering poetry, random library footage, inability to keep the camera horizontal, everything bar killing an animal for real (something else which French directors seem to think is obligatory).
Godard seems to have just thrown bits of film into the air and cut it together in the order in which it hit the ground.
After 30 minutes I decided honour was satisfied and watched "Captain Harlock, Space Pirate" instead. Even in unsubtitled Japanese it was the more comprehensible of the two.
But the French(followed closely by the Italian and Spanish) do nudity so well.

I was in 8th grade when introduced to French culture.

On a train between Madrid and Paris 4 of us(middle school class trip) were given the same cabin. It slept 6.

The other 2? French schoolgirls. HS equivalent. Maybe college(I wasn't exactly concentrating on their faces...much).

Anyway they proceeded to change. Two of my classmates started to freak out, to wit...one turns to me(as I was the calm one) and starts speaking in French. Then Spanish, something else...and eventually I heard..."Speak English?"...

I acknowledged...

She goes..."American?"

I nodded...

She turns to her friend, mutters French...then they put on bath robes to continue changing...
 

StephenDH

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Someone much smarter than me once said that the word "experimental", when applied to movies, books, music or food, was a synonym for "awful".

Some people think of Godard as an experimental film maker.
 

bujaki

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If Beethoven hadn't experimented we wouldn't have his late string quartets, including the Grosse Fugue. If Picasso hadn't experimented we wouldn't have Les demoiselles d'Avignon or Guernica. If Faulkner hadn't experimented we wouldn't have The Sound and the Fury or As I Lay Dying. The first close up; the first tracking shot; the first pan; the first zoom; the first use of color and sound; all were experimental.

So awful is as awful is. All relative.

Not defending Godard, though.
 

Interdimensional

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Experimentation is absolutely vital for progressing the medium.


Although, sometimes I feel they should experiment on their own time.


I sat through Goodbye to Language without getting bored or frustrated with it, it's certainly different and innovative. I wouldn't recomend it to the average moviegoer, but for a change of pace, I was glad to have seen it.
 

MikeDE

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I am so glad I read the comments here. My thoughts while watching this were that I just wasn't smart enough to understand it, followed by laughter as it seemed like a Saturday Night Live sketch, then confusion as I just didn't seem to get it. They talk about Hitler and light a cigarette. They walk around naked and light a cigarette. They say something that makes no sense as if it were a profound discovery and light a cigarette. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I bought it and will probaby watch it again. The 3D is an interesting experience. However, it's good to know I'm not the only one who thought it was an off the wall film.
 

schan1269

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Anybody in Chicago with a 3D projector want to watch this next week (I'm on vacation, getting a tooth pulled Monday).

I have everything but glasses in my theatre(no interest in permanent 3D though). I'll buy the movie...and you can keep it.

By the way. Have to go to Indy sometime during the week(other than Monday, day won't matter).

I'll even bring good beer...

Well's Banana Bread
New Holland The Poet
Lindeman's Lambic with "some chocolate beer" to mix(Saugatuck Neo Milk Stout, Boulder Beer chocolate shake, Bison organic chocolate stout or even Old Rasputin Russian Imperial)
Goose Island Sofie
 

StephenDH

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schan1269 said:
Anybody in Chicago with a 3D projector want to watch this next week (I'm on vacation, getting a tooth pulled Monday).

I have everything but glasses in my theatre(no interest in permanent 3D though). I'll buy the movie...and you can keep it.

By the way. Have to go to Indy sometime during the week(other than Monday, day won't matter).

I'll even bring good beer...

Well's Banana Bread
New Holland The Poet
Lindeman's Lambic with "some chocolate beer" to mix(Saugatuck Neo Milk Stout, Boulder Beer chocolate shake, Bison organic chocolate stout or even Old Rasputin Russian Imperial)
Goose Island Sofie

I'm fairly sure having a tooth pulled will be more fun (and over more quickly) than anything by Godard.
 

schan1269

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StephenDH said:
I'm fairly sure having a tooth pulled will be more fun (and over more quickly) than anything by Godard.
I'm a fan of Godard.

My film knowledge is based more on techical aspects. I still have a darkroom and shoot medium format film.

Even an absolute crap movie like Sharknado...has a semblance of artistic integrity.

So even if a film isn't my cup of tea(Russian Ark is an example)...the artistic merit is there.
 

SFMike

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StephenDH said:
After 30 minutes I decided honour was satisfied and watched "Captain Harlock, Space Pirate" instead. Even in unsubtitled Japanese it was the more comprehensible of the two.

I really enjoyed "Captain Harlock, Space Pirate" too. I just wish there was a dubbed version as reading subtitles in 3D is much more challenging than in 2D. Had some nice 3D going on.
 

StephenDH

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Godard's use of different takes for each eye made me think I was having a stroke. :3dglasses: :wacko:
 

Interdimensional

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StephenDH said:
Godard's use of different takes for each eye made me think I was having a stroke. :3dglasses: :wacko:
Actually I really liked that bit. Not sure what to make of the movie as a whole.
 

phillyrobt

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What annoyed me about it was the frequent use of empty black screens or words taking up the screen (in a 3d film) ...but that's the man's style going back to the 60s so it works for him....
 

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