This controversial spy-romance tale by Jean-Luc Godard was banned from release in France for three years because it refers to the use of torture on both the French and Algerian sides during the Algerian struggle for independence. The story focuses on Bruno Forestier (Michel Subor), a young, disillusioned man who becomes involved in politics, yet in spite of the fact that he stands up to torture and commits murder because of this involvement, he does not have deep political beliefs. Also featured
is his lover Veronica Dreyer (Anna Karina, then-wife of director Jean-Luc Godard appearing in her first film) as a motivating factor in Bruno's behavior. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
Gradually it becomes clearer that, starting with Le Petit Soldat, Godard was forging his own individualistic art and becoming the most relevant director of our time.
I much prefer Godard's early work, Le Petit Soldat being his first political film and as far as I've seen, his best. First off, it looks great, new wave at its best. There is the romance between the two leads like in Breathless and there is intrigue like in Alphaville but Le Petit Soldat is never quite as accomplished
as either film. It feels more like a Malle film to be honest but to Godard's credit, the ending is wonderfully bleak and very much his. I generally like the style of his script rather what is actually said but the last scene leaves you with very little doubt about what this film is about and it really makes the film. Michel Subor is super cool and a great actor and Anna Karina is a goddess.
An early Jean-Luc Godard film that was made on a shoestring budget about a young revolutionary, Bruno, living in Geneva who is fighting against French involvement in the war in Algeria, only to run into Veronica (Anna Karina).Shot like a newsreel, much of the film is photographed with a hand-held camera, with sound
post-synchronized. A moody, often violent film, complete with sequences of torture modeled after the actions of occupying French forces in Algeria. These scenes resulted in the movie being banned by the French government for some time.
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