2 or 3 Things I Know About Her

Although there is a storyline of sorts in Godard's thirteenth feature, largely "a day in the life of" its central character, Juliette (Marina Vlady), for most 2 Or 3 Things is more akin to a visualization of a film-maker's notebook than a fully-developed narrative. Not that that would bother Godard.

Completed in 1966 and released in 1967 it sits on the cusp between the director's best-known and more accessible Nouvelle Vague works such as A Bout De Souffle (1959) and Vivre Sa Vie (1962) and his more explicitly political and "experimental" films of the 1970s.

A far-ranging work and, as Godard states at the outset, Paris itself, might also be considered as the "her" of the title. In this respect the film might be considered a companion piece to Jacques Tati's Playtime, released the same year. In the nature of a notebook there is much that stimulates one's imagination, Godard's striking visual compositions with their off-centre framing and use of spot-colour  is engaging as always, whilst his inter-titles are, once again characteristically, equally delightful. Thematically and stylistically the film exemplifies many of Godard's pre-occupations - the alienating depredations of consumer capitalism and the position of women within it (the film was based on a magazine article about housewives who prostituted themselves in order to maintain their consumer lifestyle), on the one hand, the formally deconstructive or Brechtian counterpointing of sound and image,on the other. It will be, however, of interest to those familiar with and taken by Godard's prior work rather than anyone looking for a conventional cinematic experience although retro-buffs will find much to enjoy in the marvellous contemporary Parisian fashions.

 

Want something different?