La chinoise (1967)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writer:

Jean-Luc Godard (writer)

Release Date:

4 March 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A small group of French students are studying Mao, trying to find out their position in the world and...

Plot Keywords:

Terrorism | Experimental Film | Cult Director | Leninism | Politics

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Anne Wiazemsky	...	Veronique
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Guillaume
Juliet Berto	...	Yvonne
Michel Semeniako	...	Henri
Lex De Bruijn	...	Kirilov
Omar Diop	...	Omar
Francis Jeanson	...	Himself
Blandine Jeanson	...	Blandine
Eliane Giovagnoli	...	Son ami

Directed by
Jean-Luc Godard

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jean-Luc Godard		writer

Cinematography by
Raoul Coutard

Film Editing by
Delphine Desfons
Agnès Guillemot

Production Management
Philippe Dussart	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles L. Bitsch	....	assistant director

Art Department
Ferracci	....	poster designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
René Levert	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Georges Liron	....	camera operator

Production Companies

• Anouchka Films
• Athos Films
• Les Productions de la Guéville
• Parc Film
• Simar Films

Distributors

• CMV Laservision (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Athos Films (France)
• Dolmen Home Video (2005) (Italy) (DVD) (subtitled)
• Guéville Video, La (1982) (France) (VHS)
• Koch Lorber Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Pennebaker Films (1968) (USA) (subtitled)
• Silver Screen Collection (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

La chinoise, ou plutôt à la chinoise: Un film en train de se faire

Runtime:

96 min | Argentina:99 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:13 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (2005) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company:

Anouchka Films

Trivia:

Andrei Sinyavsky was one of the most important figures in the Soviet literary dissident movement. He was a literary scholar working at the Gorky Literary Institute in Moscow, and a prominent specialist in the literature of the revolutionary and post-revolutionary period. His first writings, under a pseudonym, reached the West in the late 1950s.

Movie Connections:

References Louis Lumière (1968) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Mao Mao

A mindful of images and ideas.

This is more of a history and social lesson than a film and perhaps that is what Godard intended. There is no real plot or narrative to speak of, but rather various scenes showing a group of French students in their lair of socialism and Communism as they discuss and digest the many teachings and ideas from Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Marx. One thing I still don't understand about Godard is if he is advocating these beliefs or against them. Still, the film is very well-made with the primary actors giving very believable performances and Godard still messing with the basic fundamentals of film making. There is one great scene that is an unbroken shot of what must be at least 7 or 8 minutes in length. It takes place on a train passing through Paris and shows Anne Wiazmesky talking to a French politician about the cons and pros of revolution and violence. It is interesting to listen to as well as watch. This film is the same way and so is this director, though certainly not for everyone.