The history behind Alphaville explains everything it's supposed to: aggressive and hostile once again, Godard is making a political and social statement about the rise of soul-less, technological authority and the eradication of the individual. But exactly how he pulls it off so well is quite another story.

Reminiscent of Aldous Huxley's 1923 novel Brave New World (where the "genius-behind-the-assembly-line" Henry Ford is worshiped like Professor Vonbraun), Godard has our hero Lemmy Caution drive in from the Outlands in none other than a Ford Galaxy. (You gotta love Godard's obsession with America's hegemony in the automobile industry!) But what is more noticeable is that he does not go as far as to falsify the mise-en-scène with lavish art direction and costumes. Save for the citizens having "control numbers" tattooed on their necks, this IS Paris in the 1960s. He forgoes the cliched futuristic elements as if to say "This really could be us if we're not careful."

The entrance into Alphaville promises that the city offers Silence, Logic, Security, and Prudence. As Caution opens the door to the hotel, the background noise abruptly halts, and, sure enough, the "inside" of Alphaville is silent. Even through sound Godard does bizarre but brilliant things to solidify his text. Another example is that moment in which Caution is following the camera down the hallway with Beatrice. They both admit to not understanding what love is or what the other is talking about. Immediately following, Godard cuts them off. The effect is like being suddenly submerged underwater. If neither understands what the other is talking about, it might as well be silent.

As far as casting goes, it is quite obvious that Godard is exploiting the human desire for eternal youth. Caution is by far the oldest looking man around, because science in Alphaville has eliminated the physical signs of old age. All of the white-coated doctors appear to be in their prime, and all of the females are "ready to go." The inhabitants of Alphaville are trained to live in the present--to enjoy the comforts of not having to think, and the luxuries of promiscuous sex at any given moment.

Finally, as Caution is following the doctors with a gun in the last few scenes, he allows his shoulder to burst open the second of a set of double doors. The door goes flying and the activity behind it is exposed. Some could have easily missed such an opportunity--but not Godard. Just as this opening door allows better viewing of the activity behind it, Caution is bursting through the doors of this society's obscured visibility. He is on his way to bursting their bubbles and exposing the horrors of their tyrannous state for what they really are.

While the citizens of Alphaville are forbidden to ask "why," the audience of this film is ironically absolutely forced to. But while you're sitting there, asking it over and over again...Godard has already taken control of you. And just when you thought you were free...

Godard’s Alphaville easily falls into the sci-fi genre, but trying to intelligently write an essay on it is bewildering. Simply thinking about the film induces laughter and head scratching--did I really see what I thought I did? Alphaville is both deeply and superficially subversive at the same time. Godard knows all the tricks of sci-fi: the bizarre ever-present frog voice of the person we never see, people turned into zombies because of malaise, an unlikely hero in the private eye who brings civilization crashing down and who gets the girl as well. Clearly 007 learned his skills from Godard.

The filmmaker also uses elements of expressionism when he includes extended shots of beautiful staircases. Here they are not merely devices to elevate; instead they are works of sculpture. Additionally, he makes a mockery of societal institutions: religion, government, technology, and emotions. He even nods? jabs? at Santa Claus with costume choices. At the zenith of silliness, Natacha Von Braun recites her oft-repeated party line in order to betray her man--the result being that the strong arm men will “get him when he doubles up.”

Indeed, ingenious absurdity reigns through the film. At so many points in it one thinks, why include this bit; how necessary is it to have a voice reporting the status of room occupancy or for Lemmy Caution to constantly shoot pictures--we know he is a spy, and the powers that be know it. Godard obviously delights in this rebelliousness. He definitely makes social statements, but agents to incite change? He knows that none of these juicy tidbits are crucial for an intriguing sci-fi picture, but Alphaville isn’t simply an otherworldly adventure; really, it could be a genre unto itself. I don’t think the director creates pictures to please anyone but himself. He seems more interested in thumbing his nose at the establishment and possibly us. And we love it.




dr. claw's burp talk: lemmy just going through the motions
response by RIGBY REARDON

Even though Godard spends a lot of time and energy subverting every aspect of film form in Alphaville, he doesn’t lay a finger on the idea of the film noir private eye. Through most of the movie the audience isn’t sure what exactly they’re seeing or hearing, and this can cover the fact that Lemmy Caution is a quintessential noir private investigator.

Lemmy, like so many private detectives before him, is caught in a world where he has no idea what’s going on. The exotic locations of The Third Man helped to alienate the audience along with the protagonist; although it can be assumed that the location wasn’t alien to those who lived in Vienna. Alphaville uses the same idea but instead of putting the audience in a location that they don’t know, the audience is forced to deal with a familiar location and completely unfamiliar content. For instance, citizens of Alphaville say “yes” while shaking their heads no. Godard ends up creating a film noir where international audiences will all be equally lost along with the detective. The content of the movie is so jarring and confusing that Lemmy is assumed to be just as bizarre as the rest of the film. When he walks through a hotel lobby melodramatic action music plays, but when he’s in a gun fight elevator music comes on the soundtrack. It must be realized that he is simply a stereotypical character in the midst of all this subversion.

Lemmy has a voice-over and wears a typical trench coat and hat that have become standard for the film noir detective. In their book A Panorama of American Film Noir, Borde and Chaumeton say, “A private detective accepts the vaguest of missions…and straightaway his path is littered with corpses.” It is never completely apparent as to what Lemmy’s mission is exactly. However, once on his mission the bodies immediately begin to pile up. He is captured, beaten, and does his own fair share of killing. He even has a hard face and is wholly secretive. He fits all the stereotypes of the film noir detective. Lemmy is also beyond distrustful. He takes the idea that everyone is lying to him to the next degree. When talking to Natacha over breakfast he asks her where she’s from and then he tells her that she’s lying but even she probably doesn’t realize it. He is so observant and wary as a PI that he knows when people are lying even when they don’t. If that’s not film noir logic, then it is.




godard's music probably makes sense, but I wouldn't buy the soundtrack
response by SOUND ALIBI

I would like to discuss Godard’s use of music in Alphaville. His music choices are almost comical. It drifts in and out of scenes in what sometimes seems a haphazard fashion. It is more likely, however, that Godard uses this awkward and irritating method of background music intentionally. Judging by the short clip from A Woman is a Woman, this strange style is characteristic of Godard films. Godard doesn’t feel the need to have background music all the time, he seems to need background music in very specific situations. It could be argued that his methods are effective. He does, after all, arrange his music in a calculated way. He aims to enhance the film on a scene-by-scene basis; he lives entirely in the moment. His music isn’t supposed to be a story on its own, it’s supposed to be there when the story itself needs it. It probably isn’t good for soundtrack sales.

There are precise times that Godard feels music will contribute to the screen, and it is during those times that he unabashedly inserts whatever he needs. No bridge, no soft fading, no subtle crescendo; he feels no need for those things. He simply says, “here it is,” sticks it in, and lets you deal with whatever unpleasantries your ears may experience as a result. At other times when he doesn’t feel a specific music sequence will add anything to the plot, he just leaves music out. I suppose you could call it a minimalist approach.

For example, whenever a picture of Von Braun is shown (which is many times), this cheesy, brassy music starts blaring. It doesn’t matter what came before or what will come after (musically speaking). As soon as Von Braun pops up, Godard stops whatever background is happening, be it silence or whatever, and sticks in the “Von Braum theme song.” There is little connectivity between the music sequences themselves; they cannot stand alone. It suggests to me that Godard actually knew very little of music itself, only of how to use music in connection with film sequences.




getting the nod
response by DUKE CAIN

Godard had quite a task in separating the world on the screen with the world of the audience. It certainly is not clear what kind of world is being portrayed in the beginning of the movie. Godard uses signals both big and small to draw a line between the two. Later in the movie, once that distinction has been established, Godard uses consecutively more subtle hints not only to define that world of Alphaville, but also to show how alienated Lemmy Caution is from that world.

Perhaps the most stunning set of hints take place during the scenes with Lemmy and his overweight suicidal friend. Lemmy asks the man a few questions that he answers with a shake or nod of the head. Already, Godard has established that a nod means no and a shake means yes, a wonderful technique used to separate the world of the film from the viewers’ world. However, as Lemmy continues with the questioning, the man changes his body language to match that of our (the viewer's) world. He seems to do so unwillingly, as if trying to overcome the weight of this other world. Lemmy, who is not of Alphaville, understands perfectly.

Soon after, the two move slowly into a dark room with a single light illuminating it. During their discourse, Lemmy reaches up and sets the light swinging. Because of their positioning in the frame, (Lemmy is facing the camera, his friend in profile) this swinging light makes Lemmy’s shadow nod and the other man’s shadow shake its head. This shot is the single most important shot for establishing not just the setting but also the personality of the main character. As the light sits there swinging, it becomes very apparent that Lemmy is not part of the world of the movie. It is also apparent that his friend has given into Alphaville because he now shakes his head like the rest of the population. The setting is demandingly oppressive, as shown by the fact that the once jovial friend of Lemmy’s has been crushed and brainwashed into moving as the city wants him to. His face seems to resist it but his shadow, his unconscious, has already given in.

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