Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend isn’t just a cynical comment on the France of the late 1960s; it’s a bleak, nihilistic view of an apocalyptic future where death isn’t even a distraction and cannibalism is part of the norm. Conceived as a picaresque as we see a society getting more and more desperate and barbaric, the film goes off the rails in its second half as its writer-director runs out of ideas. Still, like all of Godard’s 1960s films, it’s worth seeing and thinking about, and it was something of a harbinger: the youth rebellion in France was only a year away.
Weekend (1967) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Studio: Criterion
Year: 1967
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 104 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: PCM 1.0 French
Subtitles: English
Region: A
MSRP: $ 39.95
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Review Date: November 8, 2012
The Film
3.5/5
Young couple Corinne (Mireille Darc) and Roland (Jean Yanne) Durand are planning a weekend drive to see his dying father in Oinville, but along the way the couple run into unexpected delays at every turn: from a minor dust up bumping into another car to an insanely long line of backed-up traffic that finds society breaking down the farther they travel. By the time they get past that obstruction, they must deal with armed kidnappers on the highway and, inevitably, hippie terrorists who are interested in indoctrinating the couple into their guerilla liberation army.
Godard’s script emphasizes toughness and a lack of romanticism from the very beginning, a tone that only exacerbates as the film continues. There’s a lengthy early sequence as Corinne describes a sex dream for her analyst, and its pornographic nature is stripped of any sentimentality or loveliness; it’s just ugly, angry images being described, and as the film runs, we see many of those images mirrored in the society that’s systematically breaking down into barbarism the deeper the couple goes on their journey (which extends over much more than a weekend). The film’s most famous sequence is a dazzler: a ten minute tracking shot as Roland and Corinne maneuver their tiny sports car through cinema’s most astounding traffic jam amid the squelching bellow of hundreds of car horns and with humanity at its crassest and most impatient, and there are a couple of other notable tracking shots, one done in a 360-degree sweep while pianist Paul Gégauff plays Mozart on the piano in a barnyard (yes, the film inches into surreal territory from time to time). Godard strews his frame with the ugly imagery of twisted metal automobiles (often on fire) and bloody corpses along the side of the road (sneered at as obstructions by the indifferent Durands), but he gets a bit too cutesy with his characters noting that the appearance of Emily Bronte (Blandine Jeanson) and Tom Thumb (Yves Afonso) means they’re in a stupid film (not the first time Godard had his film characters admit they were in fictional movies). The film ends in a series of political diatribes about appalling political conditions in Africa, America, and in France and with the forest scenes where the guerillas nonchalantly consume human flesh, but by then, the director has made his points and is simply gilding the lily.
Godard reportedly despised leading lady Mireille Darc, but she’s certainly game for anything including being raped, tortured, shot at, and, inevitably widowed. She makes a fine example of a woman displaying bourgeoisie coldness and entitled pique. Jean Yanne is equally angry and offensive throughout wonderfully emoting the spoiled middle class values which Godard so abhorred, so much in fact that the film’s final title card suggested that Godard was finished with commercial cinema for good.
Video Quality
4/5
The film’s original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1 is faithfully rendered in this 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. While there are no age-related artifacts to distract from the film’s presentation, color saturation levels are a bit inconsistent with color usually nicely presented and hues believably saturated without being overdone, but there are occasional shots where color seems a bit wan and washed out. Flesh tones remain natural throughout. Sharpness is very good. Black levels aren’t especially deep, and shadow details can be murky at times. The English subtitles are printed in white and are very easy to read. The film has been divided into 19 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The PCM 1.0 (1.1 Mbps) sound mix is very typical of its era. The dialogue, sound effects, and music have been combined into the mono track with alacrity. There’s a bit of distortion during the famous traffic jam sequence with all those blaring car horns, but this may have been intentional in the sound mixing. There are no age-related artifacts like hiss or crackle to distract from the aural experience.
Special Features
4/5
A video essay produced by filmmaker Kent Jones in 2012 provides an entertaining explanation for some of the enigmas present in the movie and offers an excellent overview of Godard’s themes and attitudes. It runs 24 ½ minutes and is in 1080p.
An interview with cinematographer Raoul Coutard describes his off and on working relationship with Jean-Luc Godard over the course of many years. This 19-minute recounting of his experiences watching the director work is presented in 1080i.
Filmed in 1967 prior to the release of Weekend, stars Mireille Darc and Jean Yanne are briefly interviewed for French television in this 3 ¼-minute excerpt presented in 1080p.
Assistant director Claude Miller discusses his many projects with director Godard including the director’s working without a script, his routine of single day set-ups, and filming in sequence to ease continuity. He also discusses Godard’s serious approach to work without any joking around, and his tendency to always come in on or under budget. This runs 24 ½ minutes in 1080i.
“On Location” is an excerpt from a documentary television film shot by Philippe Garrel during the making of Weekend showing Godard at work with the actors setting up a scene for filming. It runs 8 ¼ minutes in 1080i.
There are two theatrical trailers, one from France and one from America and both running 2 ¾ minutes. They’re both in 1080p.
The enclosed 41-page booklet contains cast and crew lists, quite a few color stills from the movie, author Gary Indiana’s celebratory piece on the movie, excerpts from a book on Godard concerning the making of the film, and an interview with Godard conducted in 1969 by Rolling Stone journalist Jonathan Cott.
The Criterion Blu-rays include a maneuvering tool called “Timeline” which can be pulled up from the menu or by pushing the red button on the remote. It shows you your progress on the disc and the title of the chapter you’re now in. Additionally, two other buttons on the remote can place or remove bookmarks if you decide to stop viewing before reaching the end of the film or want to mark specific places for later reference.
In Conclusion
4/5 (not an average)
A crazy kaleidoscope of cynical images and increasingly barbaric characters make Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend a very disturbing but certainly arresting black, black comedy. A film where images and ideas are much more important than story or character development, Weekend on Criterion’s new Blu-ray release certainly contains enough to earn itself a recommendation for at least a rental.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
