By 1965,
after only 6 short years
of filmmaking, Jean-Luc Godard had established himself as one of the
leading directors
of the French New Wave and one of the most influential and original
directors
of all-time. With Alphaville he turns the science fiction and
noir genres
on their sides, deconstructing and rebuilding them to his own liking
and as
always, for his own purposes. Made on a shoestring budget and
shot
entirely in Paris with a
minimal
amount of set pieces, the films sci-fi feel comes from the
philosophical yet
witty script, Raoul Coutard's playfully dark cinematography, and the
creepy
monotone voice of the Alpha 60 computer.
The story
begins with Lemmy
Caution, an inter-galactic secret agent sent from the Outlands to
Alphaville to
find Henri Dickson, another agent from the Outlands with whom they've
lost
contact. Soon after Lemmy arrives, he finds that Henri has become
as sex-obsessed
and mindless as the rest of Alphaville's population. More
importantly he
learns that the residents are under the control of a super-computer
called the
Alpha 60 that bases all of its decisions on undeniably accurate logical
conclusions. Professor Vonbraun, the machines creator, is seen as
a god
in Alphaville with his picture hanging on almost every wall. When
the
professor's daughter, Natacha Vonbraun, is assigned to look after Lemmy
during
his stay, he begins to realize how hopeless the citizens of Alphaville
are, but
for some reason senses that Natacha is different.
Godard's
concern in the film is not
the plot although the narrative is more linear and comprehensible than
many of
his other films. There are two angles that I look at this film -
the
political and the cinematic. At a quick look at the plot, it may
look
like an Orwellian nightmare where the individual has given up all power
to the
government. In a sense it is similar to Orwell's 1984,
but Godard
takes the nightmare to the next level and puts his own stamp on
it.
One could make the arguement that Alphaville is meant to represent America
(a target Godard never seems to tire of), but it really represents a
way of
thought where those in power rule through a system of control.
With
Alphaville, he shows this system gone awry where the people no longer
have any
free will and the so-called logic of the system makes all the
decisions.
That which is inefficient or illogical is forbidden, so there is no
room for
emotion, thought, or love. In other words, as Natacha says "One
must
not say why but because."
When Lemmy
asks Natacha about love
and conscience, two words which she had never heard before, she
explains that
those words cannot be used because they are not in the bible.
Lemmy soon
learns that what Natacha has called a bible is actually a dictionary
and new
editions are issued every few days forbidding more words each
time. This
is simply another Godardian pun about the importance of language in
shaping the
conscience and the way people think. The constant new editions
show the
slow progression of Alpha 60's brainwashing techniques in enforcing its
own
"logical" way of thinking.
The other,
and much less obvious,
angle of Alphaville is Godard's self-reflective views on cinema.
In
successfully melding the science-fiction and noir styles without
virtually any
of the genres typical characteristics, it is the ultimate statement of
individual creativity, something he (along with all of the other French
New
Wave directors) saw almost completely lacking in the films of that
era.
But it is not just in the way he made Alphaville that he expresses
these views,
but also in the film itself. Professor Vonbraun wears the same
dark glasses
that Godard himself was famous for wearing at all times. I
wouldn't say
that Vonbraun represent Godard, but he does represent the typical
filmmaker
that is only interested in pandering to the masses rather than
expresses
themselves as individual artists. The fascist system in
Alphaville is as
much Hollywood as it is a
political
system - although considering Godard sees Hollywood
as a political entity in and of itself separating the two is rather
pointless.
In the end,
Alphaville comes down
to a battle between the individual the state - in fact one of its
alternate
titles is Tarzan vs. IBM. It is Godard's ode to free will, love,
and the
power of the conscience to elevate the individual to unforeseen
heights.
It works both as a philosophical treatise on politics and film as well
as an
entertaining and often amusing look at a future overrun by
technology.
The dark humor allows it to be at once ironic and prophetic while the
cinematography and music set the perfect tone for the melancholic
atmosphere
and strange love affair between Lemmy and Natacha. Often referred
to as
one of the most unconventional films ever made, Alphaville breaks all
the rules
creating its own cinematic reality where everything is on Godard's
terms...and
it works wonders.
Cinematic
Reflections
