Une Femme Mariée (1964)

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Starring Macha Méril, Bernard Noël, Philippe Leroy, Roger Leenhardt, Christophe Bourseiller.

Trifling Godard allegorical exercise finds Charlotta (Méril) being torn between her wealthy and oft-absent husband (Leroy) and a handsome but narcissistic lover (Noël). Godard’s abstract tone is playful despite the ruminative nature of the protagonist’s dilemma, stylized like a series of dramatized articles in a women’s magazine (replete with cutaways to photos and advertisements), and—presumably—the breathy and artsy-intimate confessionals/interviews are satirical in nature. The quirky visual rhythms and artificiality make it a pleasure at times to watch, but also ensures its short shelf life, as tongue-in-cheek aloofness doesn’t resonate the way that sharper and more probing writing would have. Godard seems disinterested in fidelity and sensuality as subjects, but uses commercialization as a tool to dissect the perceived superficiality and alienation of the “modern woman” in a world of cheaply-bought treasures and mechanical eroticism. He also narrates. English title translation: “a married woman”.

63/100