Part of the goal of this column is to expose little-known films. Vivre sa vie, Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 release, fits that bill. While some loyal Godard fans might call it among his best films, it isn't as universally known as Breathless, Contempt or Band of Outsiders. Vivre sa vie: film en douze tableaux (My Life To Live) is unlike any of those films. It is a short (just 83 minutes long), documentary-style look at what makes a simple, wannabe actress become a prostitute.
Nana (Anna Karina) is your average, young French girl. She works at a record store, has a boyfriend and hopes to become an actress. There is one problem in her life – she can't pay her rent. Unfortunately, her boss at the record store won't give her another advance. Nana decides that the only way to pay is to become a prostitute. After working alone, she works for Raoul (Sady Rebbot), a pimp. She soon learns that the cost of the life of a prostitute outweighs the benefits. It's too late, though and she winds up paying the ultimate price.
Like other French New Wave films, Vivre sa vie's story is told in a most unique way. Godard splits the film into twelve 'tableaux.' It gives the film a choppy feel, but it actually works to the story's advantage. Vivre sa vie feels like a collection of snippets from Nana's life, coming together to provide an overall portrait of a tragic, tortured life. Sometimes, the film even gets a little uncomfortable, thanks to the incredibly realistic and touching performance by Anna Karina. It is so real that the audience can feel like the intruder on a person's life, as if we really are not supposed to be seeing this. After all, the film starts with the camera at Nana and her boyfriend's backs, before Godard finally moves the camera to reveal her face and even then we only see her reflection.
Like Band of Outsider's “Madison dance” scene, Vivre sa vie has a defining moment that has gone down in cinema history. Here, it is the scene of Nana watching Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc. Nana sheds her tears and it seems clear that she has envisioned herself as a kind of Joan of Arc. She is a woman abandoned by everyone, with only herself left to believe in.
There are few moments in this film where the audience can look away from the harshness of reality. Probably the only moment where Nana can relax comes in the pool hall, where, like in Outsiders, Godard lets his lead character dance and have fun. This is another snapshot of her life, but it is still similar to the other scenes. It feels as if we are intruding, as if Nana cannot even escape the reality of her situation for a second.
There is just one moment in the film where the story leaves Nana's point of view. Part of the documentary-feel of the film comes from a detailed sequence where Godard, through Raoul, explains how prostitution works. This eloquent scene does not put the pause button on the film, but keeps it moving forward. We, like Nana, have to understand the full cost of the profession she is about to get into otherwise the impact of the final moment will not be as powerful.
What a final moment it is. Without spoiling it, it ends much like the classic Hollywood movies that Godard worshiped, the movie ends right where it should. There is no wrap-up or epilogue, no scene where the criminal gets what's coming to him. Like Breathless, Alphaville and others, Godard ends the film with a dramatic period to get the audience thinking as it leaves the theater.
For those curious to see this film, the Criterion Collection released it on Blu-ray and DVD in 2010, with a fantastic collection of bonus material, including a documentary on prostitution in France. It only adds to one's appreciation of the film when you realize just how close to the reality Godard got.
Vivre sa vie is the tragic portrait of a promising life gone wrong. Few directors could tackle prostitution like Godard did in this film, combining a horror that has affected millions of women for centuries with the personal tortures of a single young girl. Despite its dreary subject, it is surprising that this is one Godard film that I actually enjoy watching more than others. It's a film so honest, touching and overwhelming in ways few could ever hope to be.
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