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Movies / On DVD / Contempt
Contempt

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Contempt (1964)

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Reviews Counted:34

Fresh:32

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.3/10

Consensus: This powerful work of essential cinema joins "meta" with "physique," casting Brigite Bardot and director Godard's inspiration Fritz Lang.

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: Jean-Luc Godard's cynical look at the art of filmmaking follows a screenwriter in his attempts to recount Homer's THE ODYSSEY. Full of insights into the compromises required of filmmakers, as well... Jean-Luc Godard's cynical look at the art of filmmaking follows a screenwriter in his attempts to recount Homer's THE ODYSSEY. Full of insights into the compromises required of filmmakers, as well as autobiographical allusions, especially concerning the failed union of Godard and actress Anna Karina, 1964's CONTEMPT is one of the most widely recognized films about the filmmaking process. It is also considered the film that made Godard realize that lavish productions were not for him, sending him back into a lower-budget world where he could maintain complete control over his films. Shot in glorious CinemaScope by Raoul Coutard, CONTEMPT is a poignant artistic commentary and a dramatic exposé of a dying marriage. Paul Javal (Michel Piccoli) is struggling with Jeremy Prokosch (Jack Palance), the manipulative American producer financing his big-budget venture, and is frustrated by Fritz Lang (playing himself), the film's egotistical director. Concomitantly, his marriage to his gorgeous wife Camille (Brigitte Bardot) founders, and the emotional distance between them weighs heavily upon him. [More]

Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, Michel Piccoli, Giorgia Moll

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

Director: Jean-Luc Godard

Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Screenwriter: Jean-Luc Godard
Producer: Carlo Ponti, Georges De Beauregard, Joseph E. Levine
Composer: Georges Delerue

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 29, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

Blu-ray Disc Features:

  • Region [unknown]
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Contempt

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1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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It is not just the uniqueness of the narrative structure or the boldly original story that make Contempt such a fantastic film, but also Godard’s typically original and mind-bogglingly beautiful imagery that make the it one of a kind.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
09/21/02
Derek Smith
Derek Smith
Apollo Guide

No review available.

comment Comment
01/07/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

It's not Godard's best film, but it is one of cinema's most interesting looks at itself, masquerading as a love story gone awry.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

What's the price of selling out? Contempt asks the question of its characters, its audience, and its own director.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
04/11/08
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

No review available.

comment Comment
11/04/05
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

The star pouts prettily, as always; Palance is fascinatingly evil; and famed director Fritz Lang plays himself with aplomb.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Boxoffice Magazine

I would argue that Godard's eclecticism must be acknowledged and understood before one can genuinely appreciate the film.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Contempt was Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 attempt at a big-budget, big- star production, and more or less satisfied his curiosity.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An expensive international production, but still one of Godard's most personal and most perverse films.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
08/09/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Godard fascinatingly wraps the two stories around each other and plays the dark humor very subtly (one of his best comedic touches is having the crassly commercial producer character spout Communistic philosophy).

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

No review available.

comment Comment
06/14/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine

A superlative film about many things, including the making of a film, the break-up of a married couple, and the parallels between the contemporary New Wave world (of 1963) and the classical (Old Wave) world of Homer.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/12/02
Matt Langdon
Matt Langdon
Filmcritic.com

One of my favorite Godard films.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
02/28/02
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

This one has too much forced intellectualism to it, even though it is an engrossing time capsule.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Millar
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Godard has a great sense for the visual, and his films are feasts for the eyes.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/13/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A powerful, uncomfortable and essential work.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
11/25/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
12/01/03
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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