10 Outstanding French Films You've Probably Never Heard Of
4. Alphaville: A Strange Adventure Of Lemmy Caution (1965) - Jean-Luc Godard
Most people have at least heard of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless. However, my favourite of his films is this lesser-known science-fiction/noir pastiche. Although it is set in a dystopian futuristic city, there are no effects or sets to suggest anything other than contemporary Paris. The protagonist is Lemmy Caution, the hero of real-life pulp novels transposed here to a supposedly futuristic setting, yet dressed in a stereotypical hat and trench-coat. Alphaville is a technocracy run by a computer named Alpha 60, represented by a flashing eye three years before HAL-9000 and voiced by an anonymous man with through a mechanical larynx. Under his rule, logic and technology reign supreme, and any display of emotion is punished by death. Caution has been assigned to infiltrate the country, destroy Alpha 60 and apprehend his creator, Professor Von Braun. This all seems straightforward but, as always, Godard's film works both as a critique of itself and its genres. While the thematic insistence on the value of the individual soul is played seriously, the events surrounding them are directed and scripted with dry humour that exposes their absurdity. Alphaville laughs at science-fiction and film noir settings and conventions all while keeping their artistic hearts intact.
I have been a film student for over 4 years, and an insatiable cinephile for even longer. I try to keep my mind as open as possible, so my tastes can range from mainstream masters such as Alfred Hitchcock or Steven Spielberg to independent artists such as Abbas Kiarostami and John Cassavetes. I am also a big fan of video games with customizable characters and/or dialogue choices and the ability to influence the plot by the character's decisions. As such, my favourite video games are "Saints Row 2", "Dragon Age: Origins", "Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic", "Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords" and the "Mass Effect" trilogy. Aside from that, I also enjoy "Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne" and have fond memories of "Rayman 2: The Great Escape" and the original "Tomb Raider" games.
