Godard vis a vis The Exiles
Written by Joe D on August 24th, 2008
I was just reading about Jean Luc Godard, I hadn’t know that he studied anthropology in college. His early films definitely show the influence or sensitivity to this interest. The life on the street that is in the background of his films, it captures a moment in time , a particular point in a society’s evolution, a view informed by a study of anthropology.
The same can be said of The Exiles. From the opening montage of Edward Curtis photographs of Native Americans we are made aware of this point of view. Godard set his genre/pulp plots in this particular setting whereas the setting and characters were the point for Mackenzie. But I knew there was a reason, outside of the B&W cinematography and downtown urban settings that The Exiles made me think of Godard. Another filmmaker that has this magical talent is Jess Franco, he can capture a revealing portrait of a city in a single shot. Check out The Obscene Mirror or Eugenie to see for yourself.
Jesus! Franco!