Tonight on Arte: A free documentary on Godard explores the loneliness of this cinematic genius

Tonight, Arte will broadcast the documentary Godard Seul le cinema, dedicated to the life and work of Jean-Luc Godard from a unique perspective. Indeed, the filmmaker Cyril Leuty chose as his point of attack to understand Jean-Luc, who often hid behind Godard.

Chronologically, the documentary begins with his first film, the legendary A bout de souffle (1960), which revolutionized cinema and contributed to the creation of a new wave, and ends with his series Histoire(s) du cinema (1989-1998), detailed and experimental. Studying the media of cinema.

Godard devoted his entire life to cinema, to understanding it, shaking it up, analyzing it, dissecting its smallest technical aspects, going so far as to turn it into a political weapon during his Maoist years and era. Dzhiga-Vertov. This obsession of the filmmaker also contributed to his social distance, which increased his difficulties in interacting with his contemporaries.

And if Godard’s life offered a great study of cinematography, it greatly diminished Jean-Luc’s life. Living alone in his Swiss home, surrounded by “machines” that allowed him to experiment with cinema, Godard was undoubtedly a visionary genius. But genius, unfortunately, is often lonely.

Archival images and unpublished footage pepper this largely theoretical essay with delicious anecdotes, making this exploration of the filmmaker’s life accessible to the general public. These testimonies include Nathalie Baie, Macha Merrill, biographers such as Antoine de Baeck or critics such as Alain Bergala. The documentary is narrated by Guillaume Gui.

Find the documentary Monday nights at 11:35pm on Arte or reruns on Arte’s Youtube channel until December 1st.