The attack of Alphaville...who will make it out awake?

Lecture 3
The attack of the Alphaville screening…who will make it out awake?

As much as I respect French New Wave Cinema, Alphaville was not exactly what I would call my favourite movie of all time. I understood the concept of the film, its representations of expectations for future society, technology and culture however; I don’t think I fully appreciated the complexity the film showed of its time as now I am practically living in the society predicted by Alphaville. Minus living in the ford galaxy which I’m sure our good friend Mr Harrison is thrilled that after his three film stunt as the infamous Han Solo he now gets a galaxy named after him, Kudos Mr Ford. I’m sure the ‘Millennium Falcon’ was estimated to be the choice of vehicle also and that a Wookie was the ideal household pet.

More onto topic, Alphaville was apart of the French New Wave Cinema movement. Directed and created by Jean-Luc Goddard, who at the time was renowned for his contributions for this new slightly bohemian form of film. Set in 1984, Goddard used futuristic looking architecture for his film to lessen the cost of the film and add to the effect of living in a 1984 Paris. Also to make for a cheap budget, Goddard did not use special effects there was no way he could have afforded them in 1965. However I’m sure that if Mr Goddard was given a multi million budget to make this film he would have gone all out but when that’s when you have to make a dollar out of 15 cents.

All that being well and good, sounding amazing right now I know, the story line however was something to be investigated and interpreted. Hold onto your undies, here’s a ride. Utopia, a word which some can relate to the ever popular movie ANTZ which in their case was an overflowing garbage bin in central park, is exactly that. An ideal society, the ultimate form of living and a world in which everything is without flaw.An example of an attempt at a utopian society would be Communism. The society in Alphaville set to influence its idea of a utopian society amongst the Ford galaxy (1984 Paris). Now we have that ‘idealistic’ word out of the way, we can move on to the bigger picture. The film is based around Lemmy Caution (Eddy Constantine), an American private-eye, who arrives in Alphaville and is sitting along the dark side of the ruler of alphaville, an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has created a type of ‘super computer’, named Alpha 60. Dare you shed a tear, have a heart, feel any ounce of emotion and you shall be executed by this ‘Alpha 60’, what a fun way to live I say. Von Braun’s daughter Natacha (Anna Karina) is like the welcome wagon for Alphaville and gives Caution a glimpse of how life runs in this ‘other world’. In turn mostly a shock and awe situation, Caution slightly educated Natacha into believing in free thought. Also the fact that women are treated basicaly like a household applience deffinately brought out the Germaine Greer in me.

A few kudos though have to be shouted out in relations to Jean-Luc Goddard’s 1965 Masterpiece. The editing was ingenious and original, the breaks of random neon flashing words which the whole way through I had not a clue what they meant, added a sense of amusement whilst viewing. The translation from French to English, apparently it was not quite accurate as throughout the film as I was watching with my fellow students, we had a little giggle at the randomness and confusing script whilst a French girl was sitting beside us cursing asking us what was so funny about the film.

All in all I appreciate the views in which were portrayed in this film. The idea’s of a furturistic society run by computers, has in some ways sadly come true. I’m sure that in 1965 this film was outrageous, slightly intimidating and scary for those who viewed it. Well Congrats guys, this is one estimation that has come true.

Yes I realise this is really long but so was the 90 mins that I had to watch this film in the coldest lecture theatre in history and this silly goose forgot a jumper!

Promise next weeks wont be this long, so until then…

See you later alligator!
Ciao!