Films francais
 
 

Hélas pour moi
1993  Drama 

Credits
Director: Jean-Luc Godard

Script: Jean-Luc Godard
Photo: Blaise Bauquis, Philippe Benoît, Caroline Champetier, Laurent Hincelin, Julien Hirsch and Charly Huser 
Music: Heinz Holliger
Cast: Gérard Depardieu (Simon Donnadieu), Laurence Masliah (Rachel Donnadieu), Bernard Verley (Abraham Klimt), Roland Blanche (The Teacher), Marc Betton (The Doctor), François Germond (The Pastor), Jean-Louis Loca (Max Mercure)
Runtime: 95 min
Aka: Alas for Me; Oh, Woe Is Me

Summary
At a Swiss lakeside resort, a book publisher investigates a mysterious tale.  The story goes that a god-like being entered the body of a man, Simon, to experience physical love with his wife, Rachel.  Did this actually happen or is Rachel just covering up her infidelity to Simon? 

Review
This film is a modern retelling of the famous Greek legend where the god Zeus assumes human form to seduce a mortal woman by impersonating her husband.   As the film's gentle introduction suggests, through a simple parable, this is a film which explores the disturbing and profound issue of what human existence is for in a godless universe. 

This is probably Godard’s least accessible film and it would be easy to dismiss it as confused, incoherent nonsense.  Certainly, it is not an easy or comfortable film to watch.  There is no strong underlying narrative, all of the principal characters are strangely detached and underdeveloped, and some of the quirky Godardisms (such as the voice of the mysterious god-like being, reminiscent of the computer in Alphaville) are a little off-putting.  Despite that, this remains a fascinating and profound work of cinema which further confounds the enigma that is Jean-Luc Godard. 

This is probably one of those films which you have to watch at least five times to appreciate fully.  But, for the patient, it is a film worth seeing.  It broaches themes which are major concerns for society, indeed for humanity, themes which have growing importance as our world becomes more mechanised and atheistic.  Human existence has some meaning – must have some meaning – but in a universe where there is no God, where mankind has the power to explain so much, what can that meaning be?  It is a question which this film scarcely begins to answer, but it is all the more remarkable for what it does manage to say, because so few other film directors are prepared to venture down this avenue.



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