As a film reviewer, it is almost embarrassing to admit that I have viewed none of the films created by directors in the French New Wave.  In my defense, I can offer that this “new wave” took place before I was born, and that by the time I was able to cultivate a taste for movies, many of the “new wave’s” inventiveness had already been co-opted by others.

This led me to two important questions I hope to answer in my review.  Firstly, if subsequent movies have taken advantage of a once-new filmmaking technique, does this make the originating movies any less relevant?  And secondly, can entertainment value survive in what is considered “experimental” cinema?  Although films can have artistic merits on their own, they must still be accessible to the common movie viewer.   

Film 

The theme of realism runs strongly through this film; this is really the best way to understand Contempt.  It is a story within a movie about a story, all of which are based on how things are, not how we want them to be.  There is also a reminder that no movie can ever portray reality, as it is impossible due to the inherent unreality of the medium.

Our main protagonist, Paul Javal (Michel Piccoli) has been approached by a repellant American producer, Jeremy Prokosh (the superb Jack Palance) to do rewrites on a movie adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey.  Prokosh is unhappy with the current direction of the film, which is being directed as an “art movie” by Fritz Lang (legendary director of Metropolis, played by himself).  Although Paul does not seem overly enamored with Prokosh or the project, he is enamored with his wife, and accepts the job to be able to help pay off their flat.  As Prokosh says to Paul, “You have a pretty wife; you need the money”

However, from the first meeting between Paul’s wife, Camille (the ever-lovely Brigitte Bardot) and Prokosh, things go bad.  Although on the surface there appears to have been little to cause trouble, small actions of Paul’s drive an irreparable wedge between he and Camille.

It has been said that Bardot was more of a celebrity than an actor, mainly due to her beauty, grace, and willingness to undress for the camera.  However, she displays the most “realistic” portrayal of a woman I have ever seen in a film.  Maddening yet seductive, passive yet aggressive, her impenetrable expression, mercurial temper and emotional committal is a work of art.  Her ability to use emotion to dissect Paul, to expose his insecurities, and to drive him into a rage is superb and believable.  And as per Godard’s theme, their relationship resembles reality, not a “Hollywood” relationship.

Piccoli is also superb as Paul.  He combines the tormented artist with an everyman sensibility; there is a problem with his relationship with Camille, and he’d like to fix it, but she won’t let him know how to.  He continually makes things worse through his words and actions, and does not have the sensitivity to understand when Camille feels threatened and needs protection.

The story within the movie is that of Homer’s Odyssey, with parallels drawn between our main characters and the novel.  Paul is sometimes compared to Odysseus, while Prokosh is compared to both Poseidon and the Suitors.  Camille is Penelope.  In making their movie, questions are asked of Odysseus’ motivations (Why did he take so long to return to Ithaca?  Did he really not want to get back to Penelope?), and we see the parallels with our main characters (Is Paul pushing Camille on Prokosh to advance his career?).  Paul and Lang discuss the relationship between Odysseus, Penelope, and the Suitors, without seeing how it relates back to Paul’s relationship with Camille.

It is often said about Jean-Luc Godard that he liked to remind his viewers that they were watching a movie.  Of Contempt this is certainly true – we see jump cuts that mix exposures and film colors, and have background singers stop in mid action so that dialog between the main characters can be heard.  Meanwhile, the repetitive, often overly loud score is interjected with regularity, oftentimes jarring the viewer into wondering “What is Godard doing?”  I would venture that he would state “Exactly what I wanted to – reminding you that you are watching a movie”.  It would be grossly unfair for Godard to make a realistic movie about the unreality of cinema without pointing out even a realistic movie is unreal.

I could understand how a movie such as this may have been very challenging in 1963, yet seem very un-revolutionary in 2010 after many directors have subsequently used Godard’s techniques for their own.  Has the movie lost its relevancy?  I think the previous sentence answers this – when we can still see Godard’s fingerprints on movies made today, his work, including this movie is still very relevant.

As entertainment, this is not a 2012 kind of “blow stuff up while running around madly brainless SFX extravaganza”.  This movie is very internal; anyone who has loved someone else, has felt contempt from another, or has been struck with the eternal struggle between our dreams and reality will fully appreciate this movie.  Although the movie is accessible and has a linear and comprehensible storyline, it is demanding.  It asks the viewer to understand and reflect on what they’ve seen, and leaves them the richer for it.  

Video 

Unfortunately, we know that Blu-ray and 1080p displays are merciless in highlighting any faults in source material.  That Contempt is considered one of the ten best films of all time by a number of academics likely meant that the Blu-ray transfer was as original as possible, with very little post-production.

It pains me to score this Blu-ray as low as I did, but it is fair and accurate.  The era in which the film was shot is revealed in all its glory on Blu-ray, including excessive “swimming” grain, which caused pronounced softness except in the brightest of shots.  Sunlight shots bloom with color, but interior shots vary between dull and washed, or cold and sterile.

There is a certain beauty to these older films – in a world where CGI further blurs the line between reality and imagination, it is almost uncomfortable to view a movie that has so much “human-ness” to it.  These were movies that were “made” not recorded, and the quality of the craft is evident.  Unfortunately, there is very little in the image that suited it to a high-def treatment.

Audio 

As expected, the original soundtrack suffers under the same recording limitations any early 1960’s mono track would have.  Besides being a solely front-loaded presentation, the DTS-MA 2.0 dual mono soundtrack is very harsh and forward in the mids, and is lacking both upper and lower dynamics.  One can almost hear the hiss of the original analog tape masters as sounds are reproduced, mainly due to the overall presentation of the sound.  The subwoofer is obviously unnecessary for this type of track.

As a side note, I did watch the movie in its original form (French, German, and English with English subtitles).  Not only is this true to Godard’s original, one has truly not been told they are contemptible unless they’ve been told so by a cold, angry French woman.

Although Studio Canal put an obvious amount of work into the soundtrack, it cannot escape its period limitations.

Special Features 

This is challenging for me to rate, as the features on this disc were different than seen on virtually any other disc I’ve seen.  Firstly, it comes with an 18-page booklet (yes, a real paper booklet) containing an essay on Contempt by Film Studies Professor Ginette Vincendeau.  This alone is one of the highlights of the package for me, though it can be a bit esoteric.

Video special features are mixed between period features (“The Dinosaur and the Baby” and “Conversation with Fritz Lang”) and more modern features in 16 x 9 (“Once Upon a Time There Was Contempt”, “Introduction by Colin McCabe”, and “Contempt…Tenderly”).

Combined, these features offer almost three hours of film-study quality documentary.  For a movie of this age, a feature level like this is unheard of.  And unlike most BRDs, I anticipate returning to this disc on subsequent occasions, simply to glean additional levels of film knowledge out of these features.  

Final Thoughts

Contempt has been cited as Godard’s most accessible movie, and I can wholeheartedly agree that this is no elitist art house movie.  Instead, we are treated to a perfectly enjoyable, superbly cast film with levels of subtext that demand our attention.  Although there are audio and video limitations due to the age of the movie, it is difficult to imagine any truly “classic” movies that will not have these issues. 

This movie will appeal to those who wish to understand Godard’s lasting influence in cinema today, and also those who look for more out of movies other than mindless entertainment.  Like any good movie, I have found myself reevaluating the film and its characters for days after its viewing. 

I can also see how this movie would not appeal to all.  The official wife of this reviewer spent a few minutes watching the movie, and was not engaged in any way, nor was even enticed to sit down and ask “So what’s going on?”.  There are those who do not wished to be challenged by movies; I believe they will find little to enjoy in Contempt.