Jean-Luc Godard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean-Luc Godard
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Godard in 1968
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| Born | 3 December 1930 Paris, France
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| Died | 13 September 2022 (aged 91) Rolle, Switzerland
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| Years active | 1950–2022 |
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Notable work
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| Movement | French New Wave |
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| Partner(s) | Anne-Marie Miéville (from 1978) |
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Jean-Luc Godard ( GOD-ar GOH-dar; 3 December 1930 – 13 September 2022) was a famous French-Swiss film director. He was also a screenwriter and film critic. He became well-known as a leader of the French New Wave film movement in the 1960s. Many people consider him the most important French filmmaker after World War II.
His movies changed how films were made. He experimented with storytelling, how scenes flowed together, and how sound and cameras were used. This made his work "revolutionize the motion picture form."
Early in his career, Godard wrote about films for a magazine called Cahiers du Cinéma. He didn't like how traditional French movies were made. He felt they followed old rules instead of trying new things. So, he and other critics started making their own films. They wanted to challenge the usual ways of Hollywood and French cinema.
Godard became famous around the world for his 1960 film Breathless. This movie helped start the New Wave movement. His films often included nods to other movies from history. They also showed his political ideas. He was interested in different ways of thinking about life and society. Later, his films focused more on human feelings and how art shows them.
In a 2002 poll, Godard was ranked as the third best director of all time by film critics. Many studies and discussions have been written about his work. He received an Academy Honorary Award in 2010, but he did not go to the ceremony.
Godard was married twice to actresses Anna Karina and Anne Wiazemsky. Both of them acted in many of his films. His movies with Anna Karina were very popular and important. Some of these films include Vivre sa vie (1962) and Pierrot le Fou (1965). These films are seen as some of the most important in cinema history.
Jean-Luc Godard passed away on September 13, 2022, at his home in Rolle, Switzerland. He was 91 years old.
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Godard's Impact on Filmmaking
Jean-Luc Godard is known as one of the most important filmmakers of the 20th century. He was a key figure in the French New Wave.
In 1969, film critic Roger Ebert wrote about how important Godard was:
Godard is a director of the very first rank; no other director in the 1960s has had more influence on the development of the feature-length film. Like Joyce in fiction or Beckett in theater, he is a pioneer whose present work is not acceptable to present audiences. But his influence on other directors is gradually creating and educating an audience that will, perhaps in the next generation, be able to look back at his films and see that this is where their cinema began.
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino even named his production company A Band Apart. This name is a direct reference to Godard's 1964 film Band of Outsiders.
Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci also included a tribute to Band of Outsiders in his movie The Dreamers.
Directors Who Admired Godard
Many famous directors praised Godard's films and new ideas. These include Michelangelo Antonioni, Satyajit Ray, and Orson Welles. Fritz Lang even agreed to be in Godard's film Le Mépris because he admired him so much. Akira Kurosawa listed Breathless as one of his 100 favorite films.
Godard's Influence on Other Filmmakers
Godard's movies have inspired many directors around the world. Some of these famous filmmakers include:
- Martin Scorsese
- Quentin Tarantino
- Francis Ford Coppola
- George Lucas
- David Lynch
- Steven Soderbergh
- Wong Kar-wai
- Wes Anderson
- Paul Thomas Anderson
His influence can be seen in how these directors tell stories and use film techniques.
Godard's Films on Top Lists
Four of Godard's films are on the British Film Institute's list of 100 Greatest Films. This list is from Sight & Sound magazine. The films are:
- Breathless (ranked 13th)
- Le Mépris (ranked 21st)
- Pierrot le Fou (ranked 42nd)
- Histoire(s) du cinéma (ranked 48th)
This shows how highly his work is regarded in the world of cinema.
Godard's Life and Collaborations
Godard was married twice to actresses who starred in his movies: Anna Karina (from 1961 to 1965) and Anne Wiazemsky (from 1967 to 1979). From 1970, he also worked closely with Anne-Marie Miéville. He lived with Miéville in Rolle, Switzerland, starting in 1978.
His relationship with Anna Karina led to some of his most praised films. Their partnership was very well-known. One magazine called their collaborations "arguably the most influential body of work in the history of cinema."
Through his father, Godard was related to Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Kuczynski later became the President of Peru.
In 2017, a film about Godard called Redoubtable was made. It was based on a book by his former wife, Anne Wiazemsky. The movie focused on his life in the late 1960s when he and Wiazemsky made films together.
Images for kids
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Anna Karina, who appeared in Godard's film Le Petit Soldat.
See also
In Spanish: Jean-Luc Godard para niños
