Band of Outsiders

I won't pretend to be a scholar of French New Wave. I've seen a few movies (including BREATHLESS, 400 BLOWS and a few more). And now Godard's BAND OF OUTSIDERS. Of the New Wave I've seen, Godard's films are often the liveliest and most "carefree." At their best, they have an undeniable energy that feels real, like something really happening while a camera happened to be running. Sometimes, you are VERY aware that a film is being made but in a way that delights you with the craftsmanship. And sometimes, you just don't quite know what's going on, because the elements of what we think of as traditional narrative and storytelling are less interesting to Godard.

BAND OF OUTSIDERS touches all these areas. We are introduced, somewhat abruptly, to Arthur & Franz, two young men with little money and big ambitions. And little in the way of scruples. They are both taken with the innocent young Odile (Anna Karina), whom they attend an English Class with. They like her, but they also like the fact that she lives in a home where one of the men there keeps a huge pile of cash in his closet. So they both woo her because they are interested in her, and woo her to get her to help them steal the money. She knows that's their goal, but is nervous about helping. It isn't always easy to tell how anyone really feels about anything. There's actually a narrator there to explain some of this to us, but he never really quite does. The two men are fairly stoic, and its hard to read them. They are clowns. They are romantics. They are men of their era who also like old Hollywood movies. Odile is innocent, but that doesn't mean she isn't interested in and tempted by these guys. She's ready to break out of her shell more than a little.

The "heist" in the movie is almost incidental to watching these 3 interact. At times, their relationship is quite amusing, and at times, there is an undercurrent of danger. Odile fancies Arthur, ultimately, because she thinks he's the most genuine. But to us, he feels the most sinister. Capable of violence. And at it's best, the three have some really amazingly fun scenes together. Best of all was a long sequence set in a cafe, which, after lots of amusing things regarding who will sit where at their table, the 3 launch into a dance (The Madison). That scene, one long, long take, is amazing. Nothing happens, really, except they dance...but it's amazing to watch. Karina comes into her own...she glows in this scene, and for me, at that moment, she became a truly interesting actor.

It's a goofy movie in many ways, and speeds along briskly, but mostly to nowhere. The heist takes the tone of the film in new directions, and I'm not sure how Godard wanted things to come across. It seems remarkably callous. There are times throughout the film where we simply don't have a clue what's going on in the minds of the characters. They engage in conversations that come out of nowhere and we're given no context. Yes, it's all very "new wavey", but we need a little more to be willing to take the journey with you 100%.

It's a fun movie, and feels very evocative of its time and of a particular generation in that time. The young and disaffected with no real prospects. I'm very glad I saw it.

This is a very rich and entertaining work. The plot revolves around two men and a woman who decide to rob the employer of the woman's aunt. However, Godard uses this slender plot as an excuse to riff on a wide spectrum of subjects. The would-be criminals run around, dance, recite newspapers stories to each other and have pretend shoot-outs.

This film is a lot of fun. Watch out for the celebrated dance sequence in the cafe and the scene where the three hold a minutes silence and all the noise on the soundtrack is cut off for the duration.

Acting wise, the film is stolen by the lovely Anna Karina (who was Godard's wife at the time) as the sweet, vague woman at the centre of the trio. Godard himself does the voice-over narration relating the story.

Filmed on the cold, de-glamorised streets of urban Paris, the film has a spontaneous feel that adds a lot to the exhilarating feel of the whole work.

This film is a charming, fun and suspense filled picture from one of the world's most interesting film-makers.

Accessible Godard! Between the more famous "Breathless" and "Alphaville.." Godard wrote and directed this gem of French chic. The story is straight out of the tabloids, a love triangle of misfits who band together briefly but end up making a mess of things. But their moments together are oddly fascinating particularly an infectious dance sequence as all three do the Madison. It's worth watching the movie for this scene alone! The leads, including Jean-Luc Godard partner Anna Karina, are young and charming and their quick dialogue keeps things light. Yet the viewer remains detached throughout and ultimately is left with a sense of surrealism. A wonderful example of French "new wave" cinema, "Band a'part" is a delight. Voyez!

With this film Godard returned to the (petty) crime genre and his fascination with American pop culture. Odile (Karina), Arthur (Brasseur) and Franz (Frey) meet in an English language class and become friends. When naive Odile tells them she lives in a house where a large amount of money is cached, their imagination runs wild. Fantasizing and discussing Hollywood B-movies and pulp literature, they decide to rob the house with the help of Odile.

Godard goes to even further extremes in "violating" traditional storytelling with his voice-over narration, giving the viewer information during the action and letting his characters talk to the camera. It might not be Godard's most innovative release, compared to let's say BREATHLESS, CONTEMPT and TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER, but is probably more entertaining and accessible to modern audiences than almost any other pre-1970 film he made (his later work is difficult to grasp for any audience). In the case of CONTEMPT audiences might have flocked to the cinemas because of Brigitte Bardot's presence, but besides BB-devotees, that's hardly a recommendation now. But this one generally is an entertaining and insightful film, with the dancing sequence in the bar justly memorable, as is the 9-minute tour of the Louvre.

Still, essential for movie buffs. Godard even credited himself as Jean-Luc "Cinema" Godard. Quentin Tarantino paid tribute to this film naming his production company A Band Apart.

I found this to be more of a film about film-making than a great piece of cinema in its own right. It started fairly slowly and was unlike anything that I'd seen before but at the same time it wasn't really going anywhere. I watched some of the extras with the DVD and I'm glad I did because it highlighted the camera work and score which is really all that I'd really picked up watching it. The dance scene was brilliant but aside from that I didn't really find much in the characters to hook me in. I understand from the extras that there was no script which I know isn't uncommon with other directors but it did play like that. There was some good interaction between the characters at times but overall the only real spark inside the film itself was the dance. More technical for me than anything else.