Whenever I hear the word "culture," I bring out my checkbook

CONTEMPT (1963)

The stereotypical American prototype, the man-in-the-middle screenwriter, the disheartened wife, and Fritz Lang. Jean-Luc Godard frames these wildly dramatic characters against breathtaking Italian scenery and simultaneously exploits their blossoming scorn in taxing, prolonged fashion. Typical of Godard’s method, the film boasts several recurring motifs, incorporates the director’s choice themes of capitalism and consumerism, and of course, flaunts his indulgences of hyper-stylization and quirky camera tricks. The story, a film within a film, is unequally divided between two plights: the plight of the artist and the commercialist, and the plight of man and woman.

Oddly enough, the more intriguing, yet less explored form of contempt is anchored by artistic director Fritz Lang – in an endearing performance as himself – and shallow, capitalist producer Jeremy Prokosch (Jack Palance), who sets out to undermine Lang’s conceptual direction of The Odyssey – which blatantly parallels the characters' dilemmas – by calling in playwright Paul Javal (Michel Piccoli) to revamp the entire script for a more mainstream audience. The far less interesting plight of man and woman employs Javal and his wife, a hyper-sexualized Brigitte Bardot, as the deteriorating married couple who tediously debate over the solidity of their fidelity while also trying to cope with the realization of inevitable separation. Godard makes use of his famous tracking shots to propel the realism of these two jaded characters' relationship, all the while holding my investment in the film by a thread.

A man for acquired tastes, Godard paints a captivating, revelatory experience for film-goers, only to be hindered by incessant pondering of love and strife, loyalty and infidelity; great motifs ran into the dirt. However, the score – which swells beautifully in the most unusual places, then abruptly cuts off; common in Godard films – decorates Contempt nicely and the alluring cinematography transcends the story's often humdrum content to a point of immense appreciation. So, fortunately for Godard-lovers, despite my cold and perhaps off-putting assessment, Contempt is not to be missed. The film’s redeeming factors far outweigh its flaws, and Godard’s admirable approach to filmmaking is clearly evident here.

7.5/10