Masculin, féminin

Masculin-féminin: 15 faits précis; art-film / drama, France / Sweden, 1966; D: Jean-Luc Godard, S: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Chantal Goya, Marlène Jobert, Michel Debord, Catherine-Isabelle Duport

Paul is reading a book in a cafe and waits for his friend Robert, with whom he protests against the Vietnam war. Paul works as a reporter for a newspaper where he meets Madeleine and falls in love with her. But Madeleine is often cold towards him and dreams of becoming a singer. Paul dies when he falls from a building.

For the unconventional opus of experimental director Jean-Luc Godard, conventional drama "Masculin-Feminin" is in it's own way again unusual. In this film, the inventive Godard decided to present fine, clear narration and throw away his surreal type of anti-narration, which is something worth of praise. Thus, this film in the end seems more like some classic achievement from Truffaut than as a further experiment of a rebellious film maker. The best parts of the film are the brave ones, like when Paul admits Madeleine that he loves her shape of breasts or when he and Robert use paint to write the parole "Peace to Vietnam" on a car of some American, while inventive ideas are sparse (the only exception is when Madeleine says that even "Crazy Pierrot" stole a car). Godard made a lot of excellent films, but never a masterwork. The reason for that lies in the fact that he was never interested for honest, real human emotions, but always just for artificial style. That's why some achievements, like "Groundhog Day" or "His and Her Circumstances" are the best Godard achievements he never made.

Grade:++