Customer Reviews

Les Carabiniers [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw this film some 8 years ago in a revival theatre along with most of Godard's early classics. As a part of his body of work, Les Carabiniers fits in snugly, but I would most emphatically recommend NOT to start your Godard spree with it. The film appears messy, with inconsistent pacing, strange comic interludes, baffling dialogue and pointed (but rarely obvious) commentary about the nature of war. Godard utilizes some action scenes (taking cues from Sam Fuller) and plays with the conventions of Hollywood cinema with obvious delight. Much of this is true of all his films up to WEEKEND. But at the heart of this small film there is an anger that would only resurface years later - probably due to the fact that this film was pulled from the market soon after its release (thanks to public indifference and critical vehemence, both of which are understandable reactions if you expect your standard fare from a film such as this). It is invigoratingly different, energetic to a fault, and of course pure Godard. It doesn't have (m)any familiar faces in it, and the sloppy approach with eccentric acting only enhances the narrow line between innocence and cruelty that the film repeatedly touches on. Very much worth a look, but be cautious in your expectations.

Godard made his 5th feature with the goal of infuriating the viewers, he succeeds on one level. But on another level, he made a masterstroke film that condemns war and inanities of blind patriotism. But employing a fictional setting and war, Godard is able to get at the heart of the matter more quickly than most anti-war films, because he doens't have to "waste time" setting the scene of the battle - whether it's D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge or Back to Baatan - those operations have to be faithfully re-created and, I guess, in Godard's mind cloud the real issues that are mined in an anti-war film.

Shot in 16mm to accecentuate the war correspondant feel of the picture, Godard employs he unique, trade-mark sound editing to most effective results and creates a world that takes to task the materialist cultures of the west that fight wars in order to ensure continued monied-existences for the citizenry.

The DVD transfer is remarkably clean, considering the elements and the style that Godard wanted. It probably looks better that even Godard intended. A worthy purchase those looking for a strident, fresh examination of that unqiuely human enterprise - war.

"Les Carabiniers" (1963) is a film directed by Jean-Luc godard. This black and white film is about two men who go to war and are given free license to do as they please, but when they return they realize they had been lied to by the recruiters about what they could hope for as a reward for their services. Like in any Godard film there is a cheeky quality about his film making style as he comments on serious issues like Imperialism, monarchies and war, and people's stupidity. The film itself has a look to it of a silent film with the use of written segments screened as the soldiers write home, and a general sort of naive playfulness and spontaneity and fragmented quality that is accompanied with the use of brash organ music on the soundtrack. The film itself has been digitally remastered and evidently looks even better than it did when it first came out. This is Godard at his audacious best though it might not be to everyone's taste given its playfulness with style and lack of dramatic storytelling and compelling characters.

This is more "straight" than most Godard films. It resembles the type of biting satire that another filmmaker might make; it's strange, but not as quirky and abstract as his other films tend to be. Herein, we watch a couple of country bumpkins go and fight in the King's army, commit various atrocities, and come home with the bounty they've earned (a briefcase full of postcards).

But, it's no great shakes. It seems based around a treatise that war is bad, because the masses are being exploited. There is no acknowledgement that war is sometimes reasonable or necessary, in the face of aggression. It's just the same old "the ruling classes are bad, and here are some glimpses of abject ugliness presented as proof" that was in vogue during the 60's and 70's.

Extremely dated, with a few clever and/or memorable moments. Points up for the attached commentary track (on the DVD) during which a critic who admires Godard's work tells us what he sees the film as being about.

To me Godard is much more of a thinker as opposed to a filmmaker or a storyteller. That could be considered to be an insult, if you'd like, but the overwhelming power of his intellect easily outshines his cinematic skills. Here he screams about the evils of war and imperialism that by the end nearly turn into a cry for Communism. At the conclusion of the film our two protagonists, Ulysses and Michelangelo, share the wealth they have procured throughout their time in the military with their girlfriends. Much to the chagrin of the ladies all they produce are a heaping pile of pictures of all the wondrous things to be found in this world. The point being that your riches lie in the world riches, and as a regretful capitalist I am very sympathetic to the idea. A more interesting idea for me was the way that war actually cultured these Neanderthals. Sure it resulted in mass murders in the name of a power hungry king, but what is more important the lives of those individuals or a more educated, albeit smaller, society?

The film follows a very simple outline; idiotic peasants go off to fight in a war they know nothing about because the King's cronies promise them Carte Blanche to burn towns and break the arms of children. They are supported by their girlfriends because they see this as an opportunity to improve upon their physical beauty (in their minds their studs would pillage towns and obtain beautiful clothes for them). So off they go, following their reptilian brains and holding tight to their letters from the king which they believe to be their free pass to do whatever they please. And let us not pretend, please, that our current society is any better. These two fools in this film were won over by a generic letter from the king; here in the US many of our troops were won over by grandiose speeches by Bush calling them into action to fight evil doers and terrorists. And in both cases that power ran amok. Godard shows his men slaughtering innocents and attempting to buy a Maserati with the letter, in the real world we were left with the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Both are cases of a society promising an individual more power than they can actually grant and then shaking their collective head when the miscommunication actually has consequences. Kill the bad people just don't humiliate them and take pictures of it. Well why not?

The film ultimately didn't work for me for a number of reasons, though it is not one of Godard's bigger disasters. I found it heavy handed that he would have us believe that Michelangelo was so stupid that he would fall through a movie screen trying to fondle the starlet. Also, the endless listing of photographs at the end went on way too long. Sure the point is that the world is filled to capacity with amazing objects, manmade and otherwise, but it really got to a point where he was beating a dead horse. At one point Ulysses and Michelangelo come across a female soldier who is trying to kill them. She starts quoting Lenin and is quickly thereafter shot. . .more for boring her audience than for dropping profound truths on them. Sadly I feel a connection to that scene because as I felt intellectually enriched by watching this film I was also bored and thus have to resist the urge to recommend it. **3/4

Jean-Luc Godard's "Les Carabiniers" (AKA "The Rifleman) was made in 1963 but wasn't released in the U.S. until 1968, and how fitting that is. Here is a movie that pretty much says war is a senseless act and at the time wars were being fought in Vietnam and Algiers.

Godard's film is about as politcal as "Fahrenheit 9\11" and for some reason I enjoyed it. I always thought of Godard as a radical who's tastes seemed to slant towards the left. Sometimes that bothered me. Usually I describe Godard as pretentious. I don't find him to be as simulating as other directors. I find his ideas juvenile. And I've always thought he had trouble resolving his stories. They usually end in death and I feel that is a cop out because now Godard has let himself of the hook and doesn't need to come to a conclusion on how to end these characters. If you don't believe me watch "Breathless", "My Life To Live", "Contempt", "A Woman Is A Woman" or "Weekend".

But "Les Carabiniers" is a different matter. It is amazing how well the story works in modern times. Everything that Godard argue could still be argued today.

The movie tells the story of two men; Michel-Ange (Albert Juross) and Ulysses (Marino Mase) who are told if they join the army they will be giving rich rewards, they will see the world and meet beautiful women. After getting their hopes up so high the two decide to leave their girlfriends, Cleopatre (Catherine Ribeiro) and Venus (Genevieve Galea) and head off to war on behalf of the King of an unknown country.

So the two men go off and kill innocent people, because they were told they could do so, as long as it was done in the name of their country, all but rape women, again, they were told they could do so as long as it was done in the name of their country, and steal. You'd have to be blind not to know what Godard is saying. People committ terrible crimes in times of war and if these actions were done at any other time they would be considered criminals, but because these actions are done for one's country they are forgiven.

I imagine a lot of people, including those on amazon, may not like this movie because of what Godard is saying. But, if you are a Godard fan you should know what to expect and should be aware of his views. Those who aren't familiar I wouldn't be surprised if you became offended by the movie. Particularly those with opposite political views. But have things really gotten so bad that movies or people are no longer allowed to express different opinions?

"Les Carabiniers" may push some people's buttons the way his other film such as "Tout va bien" did, but to my surprise I'm going to defend Godard and his films. If you enjoyed the directors other works I think you'll find this film just as pleasing.

Something that surprised me even more than the film was the fact that Robert Rossellini apparently worked on the screenplay. Rossellini, for those who don't know, directed such films as "Germany Year Zero" and "Paisan".

Bottom-line: To me one of Godard's best films. May be a bit too political for some but still an effective worthwhile effort.

Sans souffle would be the most appropiate title to intend describe the efforts made for Godard in this film built with a very good proposal that soon it decays in the boreness due the lack of intention .
Imagine a flight without any plan . This picture describes the merciless behavior of the war , but Godard emphasizes the insanity of this social phenomen abusing of cliche .
The script is extremely flat and predictable . And really nothing happens . A dissapointed movie in the filmography of one of the New Wave pioneers who gave with this issue the first signals of lack of creativity concerned with the world in that age .