Alphaville (1965)
| Alphaville | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jean-Luc Godard |
| Produced by | André Michelin |
| Written by | Jean-Luc Godard |
| Starring |
Eddie Constantine Anna Karina Akim Tamiroff Howard Vernon |
| Music by | Paul Misraki |
| Cinematography | Raoul Coutard |
| Distributed by | Athos Films |
Release dates | 5th May 1965 |
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
What I like about Alphaville by Jean-Luc Godard is that in the city of the future, those who behave illogically, are publically executed by women in swimming costumes, weilding knives. There is that, and the circles.
Alphaville combines the genres of dystopian science fiction and film noir. There are no special props or futuristic sets; instead, the film was shot in real locations in Paris, the night-time streets of the capital becoming the streets of Alphaville, while modernist glass and concrete buildings (that in 1965 were new and strange architectural designs) represent the city's interiors.
The film is set in the future but the characters also refer to twentieth century events; for example, the hero describes himself as a Battle of Guadalcanal veteran.
Expatriate American actor Eddie Constantine plays Lemmy Caution, a trenchcoat-wearing secret agent. Constantine had already played this or similar roles in dozens of previous films; the character was originally created by British pulp novelist Peter Cheyney.
However, in Alphaville, director Jean-Luc Godard moves Caution away from his usual twentieth century setting, and places him in a futuristic sci-fi dystopia, the technocratic dictatorship of Alphaville.
