"Jean-Luc Godard: Rebellious Filmmaker (Cineaste)" Director Cyril Luthi Deconstruction of the Godard myth [Director's Interview Vol.353]

Deconstructing the Godard myth

Q: Director Luthi said at the beginning that ``Godard is deified,'' and that tendency is still strong in Japan. That's why, after watching this film, I started to think that it would be okay to talk about Godard again, or even more casually. Are such new movements emerging in France as well?

Ruti: I definitely felt that atmosphere during filming. In the end, it wasn't mentioned in the movie, but we actually gathered eight film critics of different genders and ages and asked them to talk about Godard. The youngest person was a person who writes film reviews on a website, and said, ``I want to talk about Godard in a new way.'' Another young female critic said, ``Now, as a critic, I might be able to question Godard again.'' I hope this work will serve as an opportunity to break down the Godard myth and have an open discussion.

There are so many things that could not be said in the movie. For example, Godard was a very difficult person, behaving in a very unpleasant manner towards both the actors and the staff, and getting into fights and breaking up with his friends. If we had explored those aspects of his personality, I think we would have come up with even more interesting stories.

“Jean-Luc Godard: Rebellious Filmmaker (Cineaste)” ©10.7 productions/ARTE France/INA – 2022

The same goes for his complicated relationship with Palestine. In recent years, there has been debate in France about whether Godard was an anti-Semite. Of course, he is a very provocative person, so we cannot judge him so easily, and above all, the issue of Palestine is a very sensitive topic and cannot be handled easily. So I gave up on dealing with that problem this time. This film depicts only one side of Godard. Now that he has passed away, I think a variety of new perspectives on Godard will emerge both in France and abroad.

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Director/Screenplay/Editor: Cyril Luthi

Studied video editing at La Fémis (National School of Visual and Sound Arts), a French higher education institution specializing in video and audio, and after The Graduate, worked on editing numerous documentaries and feature films. Major works he has edited include ``Mods'' (02/directed by Serge Bozon), ``La Traviata'' (12/directed by Philippe Bezier), and ``1992'' (short story/16/directed by Anthony Donk). . In 2015, La nuit s'achève won the Regard Neuf special award at the 46th Vision du Rail (Nyon International Documentary Film Festival) and was selected as a member of the jury at the 21st Chéries-Chéris Paris International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. It was highly praised at film festivals around the world, winning awards. Since then, he has released documentaries on actors and artists, including French chanson singer Barbara, director Jean-Pierre Melville, and actor/singer Maurice Chevalier. The film ``Jean-Luc Godard: Rebellious Filmmaker'' was screened in the Venice Classic Documentary section of the 79th Venice International Film Festival in 2022.

Interview and text: Rie Tsukinaga

Film writer and editor. Editor of the magazine "Eiga Yokocho". He writes film reviews, columns, and interviews for Asahi Shimbun, Metropolitana, Weekly Bunshun, iD JAPAN, etc. He also edits books and movie pamphlets under the name Eiga Bar Editorial Office. Currently in charge of MC for the web program "Katsuben Cinema Club". eigasakaba.net

“Jean-Luc Godard: Rebellious Filmmaker (Cineaste)”

Released nationwide from September 22nd (Friday) at Shinjuku Cinema Karite, Cine Switch Ginza, Eurospace, Uplink Kichijoji, and other locations.

Distribution: Mimosa Films

©10.7 productions/ARTE France/INA – 2022