Bande a Part

anna karina makes this a habit forming obsession from the outset..the dance scene is dramatic to the point.. andsince the passing of jean lac godard..there have been many stories but known like these

A classic of the French New Wave, this is based on an American pulp crime novel - “Fool`s Gold” by Dolores Hitchens, but has been freely adapted by Godard.The film has a number of famous cinematic moments – the one-minute silence, the Madison dance scene, the run through the Louvre, etc., it`s influence on film has been considerable, though on a single viewing it may be disappointing for some.I wasn't taken with it initially myself, but on subsequent viewings there's a lot to like; there are many cinematic and literary references to pick up on and a variety of often playful elements that one doesn`t notice first time around; it is a film of it`s time, but it still holds the viewer – and the more one knows of film and culture the more one gets out of it.Godard is a very singular director – he went his merry way to develop an approach that is difficult for many to appreciate, but this is still an entertaining – if quirky – viewing experience; certainly any true film buff should have this in the collection.The BFI DVD edition has an A-Z guide of the film comprising of short clips either from the film, with comments by Dr Roland-François Lack, or short interview material with Anna Karina and Quentin Tarantino; there`s also an 11-minute interview with cameraman Raoul Coutard and the trailer; a useful leaflet and interior cover notes are included.It is – of course – a French film with English subtitles.

Bande à part (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964, 97')Written by Jean-Luc Godard, Camera by Raoul CoutardStarring: Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Claude Brasseur, Danièle Girard, Louisa ColpeynMusic by Michel LegrandBande à part is a 1964 Nouvelle vague film. It was released as Band of Outsiders in North America; its French title derives from the phrase faire bande à part, which means "to do something apart from the group." The film is an adaptation of the novel Fools' Gold (Doubleday Crime Club, 1958) by American author Dolores Hitchens (1907-1973). It belongs to the French New Wave movement. Godard described it as "Alice in Wonderland meets Franz Kafka".Two crooks Franz (Sami Frey) and friend Arthur (Claude Brasseur) with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies convince a languages student Odile (Anna Karina) to help them commit a robbery. Arthur wins Odile, and they spend the night together. Odile and Franz drive off with a small stack of money from the robbery, where Franz and Odile's Landlady got killed. Odile, crestfallen, declares, "I'm disgusted with life." The two decide to flee to South America, and the narrator declares his story has ended here, "like in a pulp novel," and promises a technicolor sequel chronicling Odile and Franz's tropical adventures.In a famous episode, Odile and Arthur decide to dance. Franz joins them as they perform a dance routine. The music is R&B or soul music composed for the film by Michel Legrand, but Anna Karina said the actors called it Le Madison. Carefully and professionally choreographed by Bob Fosse, this relatively short scene leaves one of the strongest impressions of the film and conveys a sort of summary of identity.Quite dense despite little action, the trio of three actors, alone and as a group, is of spontaneous, extraordinary coherence and a great quality of non-pretentious acting. Godard did this with a very low budget, though his seemingly improvised style (eg, actors got text from Godard trough invisibly worn earphone clips), often leaving his regular and high level cameraman Raoul Coutard open to guessing; as always with Godard and Coutard together, though, the emerging style of the film is consistent and coherent - a very successful association due to two top professionals!262us - Bande à part (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964, 97') -B+ - 25/11/2013

“Bande à part" means ‘Band of outsiders’ and was made in earthy black and white in 1964. It has been hailed as a masterpiece and Quentin Tarrantino lists it as one of his faves – naming his production company after this film.It centres around three people Franz, Arthur and Odile. They meet whilst learning English and Odile is a spirited thing, who lets on that she is living with a wealthy family in Joinville and loads of cash is kept lying about the place. They are a tad short on liquid assets but make up for it in manufactured charm and schoolboy enthusiasm for all things American – especially gangsters. So they persuade her to help them with the foreseeable heist.Now that is simple but it is the detail and the acting that make this a stand out. There is a famous dance scene in this which seems impromptu but must have taken an eon of planning and to say it is both captivating and charming is well below the plaudits it deserves.The acting can be very physical too at times and borders on the comedic, but it is all these things that are anything but ‘run of the mill’ that make this film so enchanting. I had to watch it twice to really appreciate it but this is one that I was truly glad I did. I don’t always agree with Mr Tarantino on his choice of films but in this particular occasion we are happily in concurrence.