Contempt ( mépris, Le ) Movie Information

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Movie Information

Overall Rank: 2035

Average Rating: 2.9/4

# of Ratings: 40

Theatrical Release Date: 12/18/1964

Language: French

Genre: Drama

MPAA Rating: NR

Director: Jean-Luc Godard

Actors: Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, Giorgia Moll, Fritz Lang

Plot: A man attempts to write a script for Ulysses in order to make it more commercial. But in order to get the best deal, he throws his wife into the mix resulting in disaster for all involved. -- Chris Kavan

mitchellyoung - wrote on 03/28/2012

A lot of this film is self-involved and overly-intellectualized. If you know a bit of the backstory of the film, it's more fascinating, as there are a lot of interesting parallels between the romantic storyline here and Godard's real life. I give it three stars for the avant garde 30 minute scene in the couple's apartment, which creates emotional cues out of everyday action and gets to the heart of the film in an observational, non-intrusive fashion. Weird conclusion, but I guess I get it.

Alaine - wrote on 12/12/2011

The wife has contempt for her husband. He has contempt for a script he's supposed to work on for a film. The Director of the film has contempt for the Producer. The Producer has contempt for how the script is translating to the movie. There are other contempts throughout. We're supposed to think of The Odyssey. This is thought-provoking or crap. Watcher's choice.

Allison - wrote on 12/23/2007

My first Godard and Bardot movie. It didn't prompt me to see more. It took several years for me to move past this, even though this film is considered a masterpiece. Upon a second viewing, I understood and liked it more. It is about Camille (Brigitte Bardot) who is pimped out by her husband-producer, to receive more money for a film he is working on. She is outraged and there are disastrous consequences for all.

SteelCity99
Director

Contempt

SteelCity99 - wrote on 04/28/2018

Godard's constant self-centered intellectualism overflow and his constant cascades of artistic, philosophic and cinematic influences have never been a problem to me. Even if he wants to use cinema as an artistic medium to transform the dialogues, the characters, the references and the landscapes into a repetitive reflection of his own perception of the world and the meaning of art in life, such perception is fascinating. His ideas have a tremendous depth which only flaw is not to listen to the ideas of others. I suppose that being a genius comes with a prize.

But that's not the issue here.

Week End (1967) and La Chinoise (1967) would be two of his most flawless, brilliant and impressionistic masterpieces of his whole canon. Both share a sense of disaster and turmoil, and both focus …

cinegeek.de
Producer

Cinemascope

cinegeek.de - wrote on 09/02/2016

Our Daily Free Stream: Jean-Luc Godard - Le Mepris (french only). Le Mepris ist in gewisser Weise ein Experiment: Jean-Luc Godards erste Big Budget Produktion mit einem grossen Star: Brigitte Bardot. Es war ein einmaliger, mehr oder weniger befriedigender Auslug. Immerhin kann man alle nachfolgenden Filme Godards auch als Reaktion auf Le Mepris sehen. Nicht, dass der Film ohne Spannung wäre. Nicht nur zwischen den Dialogzeilen spüren wir den Kampf des Autoren gegen seine Produzenten. Ein verfehlter Dramaturg (Michel Piccoli) arbeitet für einen korrupten amerikanischen Produzenten (Jack Palance), das Drehbuch für ein Projekt zu schreiben, dass von einem Regie-Veteranen (Fritz Lang) umgesetzt werden soll. Der Dramatur hat eine wunderschöne Frau (Brigitte Bardot) und beide lieben sich …

Turfseer
Aspiring Actor

Slow-moving agitprop critque of Hollywood

Turfseer - wrote on 05/23/2011

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

For those who were utterly bored by Jean Luc Godard's 'Contempt', I urge you to watch the Criterion Collection's version, with the DVD commentary by Professor Robert Stam turned on. Stam's commentary actually explains what Godard was trying to do in the film and is not only a fascinating analysis of the plot but a wholly worthwhile digression as to the history of the film's production. In no way, however, do I agree with Professor Stam's unqualified praise of its director, Mr. Godard, as well as his implied conclusion that 'Contempt' is an important part of cinematic history.

As Stam points out, 'Contempt' was relatively a big budget production in relation to Godard's other 'New Wave' films during his heyday. The film wouldn't have been made …