The Essential Godard [Blu-ray]

I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you how every film here is 5 star, but they are. The set itself is excellent, I do not own any other physical copies of Godard's films so I cannot compare them to any previous releases but they have a wealth of extras that will have you busy long after all the films have been watched and is worth it for someone who has already seen them but wishes to know more. The quality is stunning, the booklet informative and nicely printed and the packaging sturdy and hassle-free. Perfect place for anyone wishing to get into the films of Godard or the French New Wave as a whole.

Great selection value for money speedy delivery

It really is impressive that Goddard made films such a long time ago that still look fresh and creative and show what a dull cinematic world we live in today. Goddard's films demonstrate how exciting cinema can be and his casting is so stylish. Its difficult to put into words the brilliance of his creative vision so the only way to find out is to watch this wonderful box set and enjoy.

Three of the five blu-rays included in this box-set have previously been released with the same transfers from 2009 and supplements by StudioCanal: Breathless, Le Mépris and Pierrot Le Fou. They are all essential sixties Godard, which means these films are among the greatest ever made - and probably already on the shelves of film fanatics. Une Femme Est Une Femme and Alphaville are, for the time being, exclusive to this set. Une Femme Est Une Femme has the same quality transfer as Le Mépris. It is not a 4K restoration, there are a few minor artefacts on the print, but the colours are great, there is natural film grain and no digital sharpening. However, the jewel in the set is the restored version of Alphaville. The transfer is stunning, beautiful - it really does justice to Raoul Coutard's exceptional photography. There are a couple of bonus features (an introduction by Colin MacCabe and an interview with Anna Karina), as well as a trailer and posters but they are superfluous. If you own the previously released blu-rays, it's an expensive set to purchase just for Alphaville and Une Femme Est Une Femme. Hopefully, Alphaville will be released as a stand-alone title at a later date. If you don't own the majority of films in this collection and need something more than a superhero blockbuster or TV series to get your fix, it's a no-brainer. Region 'B'-locked.

A great boxset for anyone interested in the Nouvelle Vague and Godard's style of filmmaking! Could be a fantastic present for film fanatics or someone who is a complete stranger to the genius of Jean Luc Godard. I particularly enjoyed flicking through the little book that comes with it which includes some context/subjects of interest for each film.

There is no Cinema without Godard. A perfect collection! Great re-mastering and elegant package with an informative booklet. A must for every film lover and student of life!

Not a massive fan of Godard,he is a bit too gimmicky,& plots are really thin - especially Une Femme Est Une Femme, although Breathless should be seen as the startling film it was in1959.However, the blue ray print is great & the packaging & explanatory booklet also.

At time of review this was the only way to get Alphaville on bluray and although I already have the others in this collection it was worth double the price to see the remastered version of it. One happy bunny.

Europe region code so price is cheaper. Excellent package of bluray movies. Order a LG Europe bluray player from Amazon UK, and use that for region 2 content.

La qualità visiva dei bluray è eccellente e i film, a mio avviso, sono delle opere d’arte senza tempo, tra i migliori del grande Godard. I contenuti extra sono molto ricchi, il booklet è ben fatto e nel complesso il cofanetto è un davvero bell’oggetto da collezione. Per gli amanti della Nouvelle Vague è sicuramente un ottimo acquisto.

Un très beau coffret au design de qualité. Un livret très complet (en anglais, c’est l’édition UK) accompagne les blu-rays. Chaque film est en français, les sous-titres anglais sont optionnels. Les restaurations et transferts sont très bons, souvent excellents - certaines scènes floues notamment dans Une Femme Est Une Femme, viennent visiblement du film original. Beaucoup de bonus très intéressants notamment les interviews et documentaires sur Godard et Fritz Lang. J’aurais peut-être préféré un coffret avec les affiches originales comme ont été édites “Le Mépris” ou encore le coffret Hitchcock par Universal, mais c’est un détail, ce qui compte ce sont les films et les boni qui apprennent plein de choses. Les amateurs de cinéma sont généralement partagés sur le travail de Jean Luc Godard, adorent ou détestent, je dois être au milieu: je reconnais son génie mais ce sont ses premiers films que j’aime le plus , et j’ai de la chance, ils sont dans ce coffret à petit prix ;).

La calidad de estas cinco películas en discos Blu-ray es excelente - son muy bien restoradas. Excelente también es el librillo explicativo y los ‘extras’ en los discos. Encontré especialmente valioso el documental sobre Godard en el disco ‘Pierrot le Fou’ porque facilita unos antecedentes importantes. Es muy útil entender que las películas son metáforos para la relación entre Godard y Anna Karina, que interpreta un papel clave en tres de ellas, y con quién Godard se enamoró, se casó y se divorció en la vida real.Sin este entendimiento las tres primeras pélis pueden paracer no conducer a nada. En su día eran innovadores - las tomas largas y continuas, la cámera que deambula tras los actores, los cortes rápidos sin motívo aparente - pero ahora estas son técnicas de rutina. Lo que menos me gusta es que a veces el diálogo parece improvisado por los actores y no saben que decir. En efecto no lo es, pero Godard solía garabatear los frases en trocitos de papel solo un par de minutos antes del rodaje.Para mí, las películas más interestantes son las dos últimas, ‘Alphaville’ y ‘Pierrot le Fou’. Esta última es la más segura y juegetón, con uso exuberante de color y toques de humor, a pesar de las frecuentes alusiones a la muerte.Total, es una caja que vale la pena comprar si te interesa el desarollo del cine en general y de Jean-Luc Godard en especial.The quality of these five films on Blu-ray discs is excellent - they have been very well restored. Also excellent are the explanatory booklet and the extras on the discs. I found the documentary about Godard on the ‘Pierrot le Fou’ disc particularly valuable because it gives some important background. It’s very helpful to understand that the films are metaphors for Godard’s own real-life romance, marriage and breakup with Anna Karina, who plays a leading role in three of them.Without this understanding the three earlier films may seem rather aimless. They were groundbreaking in their day - the long, continuous takes, the roaming camera, the occasional quick-fire editing - but now these are routine techniques. What I like least is that the dialogue sometimes appears improvised by actors who don’t know what to say. In fact it isn’t, but Godard often scribbled the actors’ lines on scraps of paper just a couple of minutes before filming.For me, the most interesting films are the last two, ‘Alphaville’ and ‘Pierrot le Fou’. This last one is the most assured and playful, with exuberant use of colour and touches of humour despite constant references to death.Overall, this is a set well worth buying if you’re interested in the development of cinema in general and of Jean-Luc Godard in particular.

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