Jean-Luc Godard Retrospective

Playing with The Old Place

Short Synopsis

"Notre Music" is divided in three kingdoms: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise like in the Dante's Inferno in the Divine Comedy. Hell shows footages of many wars; Purgatory mixes reality and fiction in n Sarajevo; and Paradise is a surrealistic view of a beach "protected" by the American Marines.

Review

Using the kingdoms of Dante’s Divine Comedy: Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, Godard embarks on a complex exploration of war in Notre Musique. The Heaven and Hell segments are presented as ten-minute archive footage-based bookends, whilst Purgatory is represented by a writers conference in Sarajevo. Here, fictitious characters meet with real-life figures, including Godard himself, who gives a fascinating lecture on text and image.  Central topics include violence, philosophy, history, the Israel-Palestine conflict and the relationship between victors and victims.

While this unconventional set-up will undoubtedly dissuade some viewers, those who embrace it will be generously rewarded by its rich content and startling imagery. The Hell and Heaven segments showcase Godard’s gift for dynamic editing, demonstrating the horrors of war with an immediacy often robbed from most daily TV news bulletins. Purgatory presents a variety of captivating philosophical ideas, a meditation on the emergence of war through the hypocritical nature of human perception. He blends fact and fiction seamlessly, incorporating the musings of real-life characters into the central storyline while maintaining narrative flow.

Clearly offering Godard’s response to the post-9/11 war torn world, Notre Musique stands as one of the director’s most ambitious yet rewarding works.

James Merchant