Alphaville [DVD]

Forty years old it may be , but I was mightily impressed by "Alphaville" ,a monochromatic science-fiction/detective/love story directed by Jean-Luc Godard.The plot is not unlike that of "1984" , with Eddie Constantine playing Lemmy Caution, a spy sent to eliminate the creator of a "Big Brother" computer called "Alpha 60" which controls the lives,thoughts and actions of the Alphaville metropolis. Lemmy assumes the identity of a reporter ,meets up and falls in love with Anna Karina's Natasha Von Braun (the daughter of the dictator of Alphaville who Lemmy is there to assassinate) and as he discovers more about the city and "Alpha 60", he comes into conflict with the authorities. The cinematography ,direction and editing of "Alphaville" is mesmerising; every image is full of movement ,inventive camera angles and surreal imagery all combined together into one mellifluous visual totality. This cinematic quality complements the profundity of the philosophical questions raised in the film ,which are many years ahead of their time and are equally relevant today because the symbolic city of Alphaville bears marked similarities to modern Western society;a corporate civilisation which strives for cultural,social and political homogeneity, holds emotions such as love,tenderness,generosity and sacrifice in contempt, and prefers to build a hierarchical society based on logic,science ,censorship and regimentation. However the main symbol of resistance to Alpha 60 , Lemmy Caution ,is a bit of an anti-hero and this adds further depth to the film. While abhorring the totalitarian technocracy of Alphaville , Lemmy is not averse to displaying some of the negative emotions and actions that Alpha 60 was created to eliminate, such as machismo,murder, impulsiveness and self-centredness. Perhaps in a wider,symbolic sense this is Godard acknowledging that it is preferable that these negative traits and actions ,which are the downside of a liberal, decentralised society, are tolerated rather than succumb to the sort of society envisaged in "Alphaville" ? That there is no black and white only shades of grey ? "Alphaville" certainly provides the viewer with plenty of food for thought.

Godard belongs to that first generation of filmmakers who could reference the history of cinema - he grew up in a culture which was largely shaped by cinematic reference. The nature of Godard's cinema is the wonder of the cinema - his films are as much about filmmaking as about character or narrative, are told in the language of cinema.

Godard developed a style of remaining distanced, of observing his characters, often leaving them to improvise while he tried to capture the immediacy of their action and reaction. In "Alphaville" - originally entitled "Tarzan vs. IBM" - Godard combines a futuristic, science fiction tale with American gangster noir and the comic book tradition to explore the dehumanising effects of computers and the corporate identities they create. Made in 1965, its vision is extraordinary. While the 'new' technology demonstrated in the film now appears clunky and quaint, "Alphaville" parallels Orwell's "1984" in creating a dystopic vision of the future.

Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) is agent 003, a Dick Tracy character, complete with trenchcoat, felt hat, Zippo, and a .45 calibre automatic. He has come to Alphaville to assassinate its dictator, Professor Von Braun. This is a city ruled by the computer, the Alpha-60, and its scientist creators and neophytes. Politics no longer exists, only the dehumanising logic of the binary system.

Shot in Paris on a very tight budget, Godard makes graphic use of his surroundings, playing with the black and white images and emphasising the ruggedness of Constantine and the striking beauty of Anna Karina. In doing so, he revisits a science fiction theme - computers and new technology will transform the physical world, this is true, but their most immediate, global, and lasting impact will be in the reconfiguration of the human mind and consciousness.

The film opens with the legend, "Sometimes reality is too complex for oral communication." While Godard will employ his typical blend of visual imagery, flashing words and still pictures on the screen, making philosophical and literary references beyond the story, etc., "Alphaville" follows a more obviously linear narrative path than his earlier films.

In this futuristic world, people are no longer capable of free thought. They must adhere to the control of the computer. Each hotel room is equipped with a bible - in the form of a dictionary which lists what words are acceptable and what their meaning must be. Those who express the forbidden emotions of love or betray contrary thinking are to be executed. The computer interrogates those suspected of crime, denouncing them as liars if they do not adhere to established truths.

Lemmy Caution poses as a journalist for 'Figaro-Pravda' - a blend of French and Soviet newspapers. The role of the journalist is to enforce the truth, to disseminate what the State wants its citizens to believe. Before the word, nothing existed. Language is responsible for bringing reality into existence. But Caution appreciates that the seeds of destruction lie not in the future, but in the meanings we inherit from the past. Ironically, for 'the word', we can now read 'cinema'. Film, Goddard is suggesting, can no more be trusted than a dictionary.

Alpha-60 has analysed the past and realised that man cannot create his own future with any certainty. It is vital that the computer take control and change people into logical travellers into the future. The present is terrifying because it is irreversible. Once people become mere ants, automatically obeying instructions to create structures beyond their ken, they will be free of the stress of uncertainty. The computer is a very moral beast.

Godard's vision of this computerised world is bleak and terrifying. While the narrative sweeps along, it is not a story which can simply be enjoyed. As a viewer, you have to concentrate and try to absorb the themes and images. The acting is consciously stylised, the direction and editing curt and sometimes oblique. The portrayal is that of comic book good versus evil, yet values and morality are fluid to say the least.

Perhaps "Alphaville's" message is symbolised by the habitual greeting exchanged by its characters - "I'm fine thank you, you're welcome", voiced as a simple statement on meeting or leaving. Communication is symbolic, devoid of feeling or individuality. The story reduces its characters to caricatures who act out their instructions against a soundtrack of ironic, B-movie music which seems to instruct the viewer that this is meant to be a moment of cinematographic tension.

The film, therefore, defines meaning as clearly as does a dictionary or computer. This is how you are supposed to think, these are the emotions you are required to feel at this point. Godard, as ever, challenges this message. As a viewer, you are forced to deconstruct his images and narrative and assess meaning for yourself.

A demanding film, a highly entertaining film, an extraordinarily rewarding film, and one which should be watched again and again by all lovers of cinema and students of filmmaking.

This film is wonderful. The use of shots is fantastic and i often marvelled at Godard's ingenuity as i was watching. He is both a practical and original filmmaker.

Alphaville has a sci-fi feel cleverly mixed in with the noir style. The acting is well done and the direction can be seen throughout. The ideas presented are still relevant today and the film itself still holds up well. Godard used what is available to him and managed to create tension throughout the film using very simple methods. This is one to be enjoyed if you are a bit of a sci fi or film noir fan.