4 out of 6 people found the following review helpful:

Pretentious navel-gazing

A Customer from London, 11th June, 2006

This is what I don't like about French cinema. I tried hard to stick with it, and gave up after the 'bank robbery' which I thought was a joke, with some people not affected at all, so I had no idea what was real and what wasn't. What with the string quartet rehearsing in the background of the whole film and it became a bit of intellectual masturbation. Needless to say the acting was appalling, at least in this context. I think this is the kind of things that gives 'modern' and 'art' a bad name.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Three films in one; all good

Savage from from London, England, 25th May, 2006

Jean-Luc's most impish film in a while, a largely successful commentary on the impossibility of making films any more, by a director who sees himself as the one sane person in the madhouse, but who has chosen to try to get ill himself (and make some improper suggestions to his nurse while doing so). These sequences are very funny - who'd have thought Godard was such a natural comedian. Meanwhile, his niece is part of a group of sort of Situationist terrorists, whose latest bank robbery has led her to fall in love with a security guard who decides to run off with her. They play out a postmodern version of 'Carmen' in increasingly desperate fashion, while a string quartet practice Beethoven and have trouble because one of the violinists keeps making mistakes. Just like Godard himself, seems to be the suggestion. If there's no such thing, then, as a perfect film, we'd better make do with this, a deeply imperfect one - messy and fragmented and forever guying the audience - but it's entertaining and fun in a way that Godard's films haven't been for almost fifteen years.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Innocents don't rule the world

Zamy from , 13th September, 2005

May or may not be one of the truisms on parade in this strange film from Godard. Another is that 'economies produce waste' and things that people don't need. There is a linear story of sorts: Carmen wants to make a film with her friends, but has no money. The gang tries to stage an armed bank robbery, but runs into fierce opposition from Joseph, a guard. Meanwhile a burnt out film director (Carmen's Uncle Jean), played with clear insider knowledge by Godard himself, is holed up in a hospital/asylum unable to get his projects off the ground. Carmen and Joseph are instantly attracted and flee together to the coast, where they stay in her Uncle Jean's apartment and make love. Later, Uncle Jean gets involved in making a film set in a luxury hotel, but this is just a pretext for a kidnapping attempt on a businessman. The film draws to a close with the plot of the Bizet opera and Carmen and Joseph are doomed. Much of this is very funny (if you can click with Godard's style of humour) and can be recommended to all fans of this great director. Those of you who have remained cold to his earlier films are advised to steer well clear.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:

prenom carmen

david campbell from troon,scotland, 26th August, 2005

brilliant film about a terrorist gang who plan to rob a bank,but one of the female gang members falls for one of the police officers guarding the bank.good direction and acting from all the cast.recommended.

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