Ferdinand and Marianne have little time to hang around in Godard classic
PIERROT LE FOU (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at Third St.
January 15-16, 11:00 pm
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com/series/weekend-classics/la-creme-du-crime
Art, American consumerism, the Vietnam and Algerian wars, Hollywood, and the cinema itself get skewered in Jean-Luc Godard’s fab feaux gangster flick / road comedy / romance epic / musical PIERROT LE FOU. Based on Lionel White’s novel OBSESSION, the film follows the chaotic exploits of Ferdinand Griffon (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and Marianne Renoir (Anna Karina, Godard’s then-wife), former lovers who meet up again quite by accident. The bored Ferdinand immediately decides to leave his wife and family for the flirtatious, unpredictable Marianne, who insists on calling him Pierrot despite his protestations. Soon Ferdinand is caught in the middle of a freewheeling journey involving gun running, stolen cars, dead bodies, and half-truths, all the while not quite sure how much he can trust Marianne. Filmed in reverse-scene order without much of a script, the mostly improvised PIERROT LE FOU was shot in stunning color by Raoul Coutard. Many of Godard’s recurring themes and style appear in the movie, including jump cuts, confusing dialogue, written protests on walls, and characters speaking directly at the audience, which is more or less along for the same ride as Ferdinand. And as with many Godard films, the ending is a doozy. The screening is part of the IFC Center’s twelve-film series of classic French crime thrillers, which continues on weekend nights at 11:00 through April 4; the upcoming lineup includes Henri-Georges Clouzot’s QUAI DES ORFEVRES and Jules Dassin’s RIFIFI, and that’s just January. Keep watching this space for more select reviews.
Godard film inspired Bernardi Roig exhibit at Claire Oliver Gallery
BERNARDI ROIG: PIERROT LE FOU IS (NOT) DEAD
Claire Oliver Gallery
513 West 26th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Through January 23 (closed Sunday & Monday)
Admission: free
212-929-5949
www.claireoliver.com
PIERROT LE FOU fans might want to squeeze in a visit to the Claire Oliver Gallery in Chelsea to check out this exhibit by Bernardi Roig inspired by the Godard film. Roig uses cast polyester resin, wood, and fluorescent lights in this multimedia installation to tell the story of the Man of the Fire Eyes, examining communication, desire, memory, and obsession as well as the nature of art itself.