Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Adieu au langage / Farewell to Language (2014)

This is topic Adieu au langage / Farewell to Language (2014) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 01-07-2015, 08:35 PM:

One of the critic quotes at the end of the trailer says "The best 3-D film I've ever seen!". Assuming that he's talking about the same movie, that's a bit like saying "The most pleasant root canal surgery I've ever had". Another quote it reminded me of was from a British Board of Film Censors report, banning an experimental French film in the mid-1930s. The examiner declared that "This film is so obscure and strange that I can confidently say that it has no meaning whatsoever. However, if one was intended, it must surely be objectionable. Banned."

Being a Jean-Luc Godard movie I of course wasn't expecting a conventional story of the sort described in Robert McKee's scriptwriting manual. But this takes esoteric, arty bullshit to new heights of excellence / depths of infamy (delete as applicable). Even the film's Wikipedia page doesn't attempt a plot summary! It consists of random shots of various people and places in France and Switzerland, including scenes in which characters (in once scene, a totally nude couple) pontificate about philosophy and the meaning of life. Some of the 3-D shots work quite well, but others have deliberate fringe effects applied, and/or look like they're upscaled from standard def video. My co-worker who showed a preview yesterday morning texted me, fearing that the filter wheel system was buggered.

One distinct selling point of this movie is that it is only 70 minutes long. So sitting through it is not too much of an endurance test, and once you've done so, you'll be able to impress friends at dinner parties with your verdict on what a genius Godard still is. And you can confidently tell them that it's about whatever you like, because they won't be able to contradict you!

Edit - forgot to mention the screechy, acoustic feedback-type noises that come out of the left surround channel at random points during the show. Of course, the real intellectuals in your audience will not come out and complain about that, because they will instantly understand the profound statement that Godard is trying to make. For us mere mortal projectionists, however, please rest assured (and if necessary, reassure your customers) that there is nothing wrong with your audio system.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 01-08-2015, 10:40 AM:

guess we won't be seeing the Jean-Luc Godard, Peter Greenaway, Edgar Pera 3D collaborative films '3X3D' either, which is also 70 minutes and would have made a great double bill ...

you know Godard has become irreverent when the AFI (Silver) doesn't book it, despite it winning a Cannes prize.