Vol.9, No.2 | [Article] Jean-Luc Godard's Cinema and The Mediterranean

Among Godard's films, there are just a few cases in which the Mediterranean provides an immediate backdrop for the movie. The three works we will mention here, Le mépris, Pierrot le fou and Film socialisme, are good examples. However his other films, where the Mediterranean does not appear, cannot be said to be irrelevant to the 'Mediterranean cinema'. Perhaps the Mediterranean scenery itself is not such a crucial element. The three films show distinct images of the Mediterranean, which may attest to the changes in Godard's vision of cinema and modern civilization long with changing times. But beyond the appearance of various transitions, we find something permanent in his artistic propensity. It is the editerranean spirit of art which respects diversity, creativity and freedom of mind, so to speak, the adventurous spirit of Odysseus ever heading toward an unknown world. That is flowing through all Godard’s work.