I spent the entire first half of 'Alphaville' wondering what on Earth was actually going on. Perhaps this was Jean-Luc Godard's intention. In the world of spies and espionage, nothing is what is seems; alliances and loyalties are uncertain; the line between what is real and what is fake is blurred and indistinct. Lemmy Caution, a secret agent from the "Outlands," enters Alphaville under the guise of Ivan Johnson, claiming to be a journalist for the 'Figaro-Pravda' (this title comes from the name of two actual newspapers, from France and the Soviet Union, respectively). Caution's first mission is to track down a missing agent, Henry Dickson, and to acquire (or, otherwise, kill) the brilliant creator of Alphaville, Professor Von Braun formerly Leonard Nosferatu (a nod to F.W. Murnau's classic 1922 horror film). Lastly, it is Caution's objective to destroy the dictatorial computer who is in complete control of Alphaville, Alpha60, thus also destroying the city itself.
American-born actor Eddie Constantine had already portrayed the character of Lemmy Caution on a number of occasions, in a string of hard-boiled detective films based on the novels of Peter Cheyney. In 'Alphaville' (full translated title: 'Alphaville, a Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution'), Godard resurrected Constantine's character for this very strange venture in science-fiction. Not wishing to spend money on expensive futuristic sets, Godard shot the entire film at cleverly-selected real locations in Paris, with the night-time Parisian streets becoming the streets of Alphaville, and modernist glass and concrete buildings becoming the city's interiors.
Alpha60, the coldly-logical AI controller of the city, speaks with a grating, throaty voice becoming, at times, almost unbearably torturous to listen to. The computer, an omnipresent narrator of events throughout the city, has made emotion a capital offence, holding mass executions for "crimes" as innocent as crying over a deceased love one, or even for simply using the words "why" or "love." These executions occur ceremoniously alongside an eerie swimming pool, though there was a time when many people were required to be executed at once when Alpha60 used to simply electrocute them as they sat in a film theatre watching a picture.
A truly baffling film to watch for the most part, 'Alphaville' picks up substantially in the final half an hour or so, partly because you begin to gather an understanding of what is happening, and also because this is when Caution starts to make good use of his pistol. Beautifully shot in crisp black-and-white by Raoul Coutard, the film also uses long takes to good effect. Though it is not perhaps a film that everybody will enjoy, Jean-Luc Godard's 'Alphaville' is a fascinating foray into science-fiction.
American-born actor Eddie Constantine had already portrayed the character of Lemmy Caution on a number of occasions, in a string of hard-boiled detective films based on the novels of Peter Cheyney. In 'Alphaville' (full translated title: 'Alphaville, a Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution'), Godard resurrected Constantine's character for this very strange venture in science-fiction. Not wishing to spend money on expensive futuristic sets, Godard shot the entire film at cleverly-selected real locations in Paris, with the night-time Parisian streets becoming the streets of Alphaville, and modernist glass and concrete buildings becoming the city's interiors.
Alpha60, the coldly-logical AI controller of the city, speaks with a grating, throaty voice becoming, at times, almost unbearably torturous to listen to. The computer, an omnipresent narrator of events throughout the city, has made emotion a capital offence, holding mass executions for "crimes" as innocent as crying over a deceased love one, or even for simply using the words "why" or "love." These executions occur ceremoniously alongside an eerie swimming pool, though there was a time when many people were required to be executed at once when Alpha60 used to simply electrocute them as they sat in a film theatre watching a picture.
A truly baffling film to watch for the most part, 'Alphaville' picks up substantially in the final half an hour or so, partly because you begin to gather an understanding of what is happening, and also because this is when Caution starts to make good use of his pistol. Beautifully shot in crisp black-and-white by Raoul Coutard, the film also uses long takes to good effect. Though it is not perhaps a film that everybody will enjoy, Jean-Luc Godard's 'Alphaville' is a fascinating foray into science-fiction.