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List Price: $29.97 | | Label: Criterion
Salesrank: 36096
Released: September 20, 2005 |
| Our Price: $18.37 |
| Used Price: $13.95 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
With Masculin Féminin, ruthless stylist and iconoclast Jean-Luc Godard introduces the world to "the children of Marx and Coca-Cola," through a gang of restless youths engaged in hopeless love affairs with music, revolution, and each other. French new wave icon Jean-Pierre Léaud stars as Paul, an idealistic would-be intellectual struggling to forge a relationship with adorable pop star Madeleine (real-life yé-yé girl Chantal Goya). Through their tempestuous affair, Godard fashions a candid and wildly funny free-form examination of youth culture in throbbing 1960s Paris, mixing satire and tragedy as only JLG can.
Description of Masculin Feminin - Criterion Collection:
Juxtaposing images of pristine, romantic innocence with ones of mute, meaningless violence, Godard's Masculin-Féminin first lulls with a hypnotic, disjointed story line and then stuns with scenes of tremendous depth and meaning. This outrageous film follows the somewhat ineffectual courtship of Madeline, an aspiring pop singer, by Paul, an erstwhile journalist and interviewer but mostly groundless searcher. As in most Godard films, plot mechanics are secondary to elements such as dialog (generally marvelous, but sometimes a bit too pointed), lighting (bizarre and oversaturated, but never less than fascinating), shot framing (extraordinarily thoughtful), and performance. Godard allows his camera to linger on single faces, without cutting, for what seems by modern standards to be extremely long segments--perhaps even excruciatingly long--but the remarkably subtle cast members never disappoint, particularly the fantastically adept and frequently hilarious lead actors, Jean-Pierre Léaud and Chantal Goya. The filmmaker has little to add to our collective understanding of the relationship between masculine et feminine writ large; in fact, most of the female characters are uncomfortably stereotypical, framed as either willfully oblivious to the world or subtly (or overtly) deadly. But as an examination of a young generation faced with the prospect of war in Vietnam and the vagaries of French socialism, Masculin-Féminin proves remorselessly and chillingly trenchant. A towering influence, it would seem, on Whit Stillman's similarly themed Barcelona--but while Stillman lacks the conviction to follow his instincts to their logical, violent conclusions, Godard faces his uncompromising story with elegance and courage. In French, with subtitles that are occasionally difficult to read. --Miles Bethany
Masculin Feminin - Criterion Collection Reviews:
Wonderful and natural performances by the main talents and just a youth film that is crafted like no other. Highly recommended! 
2009-11-29 - It was in 1966 that Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave) director Jean-Luc Godard ("Contempt", "Breathless", "Pierrot le fou") would release his film about youth in the mid-60's titled "Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis".
Released after the successful "Pierrot le fou" (1965), "Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis" would become a different film by Godard standards as it would focus on Parisian youth in 1965 but also start to show signs of a different Godard (who separated from Anna Karina, who was a major actress in his films) and also a precursor to his films incorporating his political views. But as for the characters featured in "Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis", call the young adults that were a sign of the times or as Godard would call them, "the children of Marx and Coca-Cola".
"Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis" was scrutinized and lambasted by critics during its release in 1966, many of those critics who have revisited the film have taken back what they originally have said and now realize how it is one of Godard's best films and some have considered it a masterpiece that was ahead of its time.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"Masculin féminin" is featured in black and white and presented in 1:33:1. Cinematographer Willy Kurant supervised the new high-definition digital transfer which was created on a Spirit Datacine from the 35mm grain master. Also, thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed from the MTI Digital Restoration Ssytem.
As for the audio, the French monoraul soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the optical soundtrack master and audio restoration tools were used the Criterion to remove clicks, pops, hiss and crackle. The film is Dolby Digital 1.0 and center channel driven but for those who own modern home theater surround sound receivers, one can easily switch the audio via audio on all channels or stereo, to their own preference. Also, included is a selection for the the optional isolated music track.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Masculin féminin" comes with the following special features:
* Chantal Goya (1966) - (4:50) An excerpt of an interview filmed for the TV show "Au-Dela De L'Ecran", Goya talks about being a pop star and working on "Masculin féminin".
* Chantal Goya (2005) - (15:07) Interview with Chantal Goya in 2005 as she talks about her experience working with Jean-Luc Godard and on "Masculin féminin".
* Willy Kurant - (11:59) 2005 Interview (in English) with "Masculin féminin"cinematographer about his career and working with Godard.
* Jean-Pierre Gorin - (15:36) A 2005 interview (in English) in which Godard's Dziga-Vertov Group business partner talks about the historical and experimentation of "Masculin féminin".
* Freddy Buache and Dominique Paini - (24:56) In 2004, Freddy Buache (film critic and founder of Cinematheque Suisse) and Dominque Paini (Director of Cultural Development for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris) talk about the importance of "Masculin féminin" and how Buache criticized it when it was first released but now considers it an important Godard film.
* Godard on Swedish Television - (4:07) With "Masculin féminin" being a co-production between Godard's Anouchka Films and the Swedish Production Firm Sandrews Films, a Swedish television crew were there to interview the director who was filming the "movie" scene.
* Original Theatrical Trailer - (2:01) The original theatrical trailer.
* Rialto Pictures Rerelease Trailer - (1:53) Remastered Rialto Pictures trailer.
* Essay Booklet - 14-page booklet featuring an essay "The Young Man for All Times" by Adrian Martin (film critic for the Melbourne Age) and "On the Set of Masculin Feminin" (an excerpt from the article "One Evening, In a Small Cafe" by Phillipe Labro.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis" is quite a unique film, so unique that it was a film which I absolutely enjoyed. It's not a film that one can come and watch and say, I enjoy "Breathless" or "Pierrot le fou", I will love "Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis". Nor is it a film in today's modern world where you can think that if you enjoyed young adult films such as "Dazed and Confused" or "Metropolis" that you will enjoy "Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis" because the structure of the film is so different. There are way too many disruptions for the film's pacing and odd situations that either one can appreciate them or simply dislike them. Especially when you reach the ending.
I absolutely loved the improvisation and also the long use of dialogue between characters. I have said that I enjoyed Eric Rohmer's "My Night at Maud's" for effectively making long dialogue scenes so enjoyable but yet intelligent. If one can capitalize on moments in a film where communication is done effectively. And since the film was created with a low budget,Godard made great use of dialogue. In fact, because Godard didn't use a script, he had earpieces in which the talent were filmed answering questions that the director would ask them. He would effectively use the talent, tell them what to say on the earpiece and try to get an improvised but yet natural answer in which topics would bring out that awkwardness.
For example, a scene where Paul interviews "Miss 19, an actual beauty cover girl for a magazine that is being asked questions, even personal questions about sexuality, her past loves and political views. Her answers were not of an actress but her genuine answers. You can sense that uncomfort in her answers but that's what Godard wanted for this film. True feelings by people who represent that young generation in Paris.
As for the DVD, The Criterion Collection has done a magnificent job in restoring this film, supervised by cinematographer Willy Kurant. A good number of special features that are interesting, informative and enjoyable. It was great to hear from Chantal Goya sharing some of the Godard behind-the-scenes direction with the viewer. How the discussion about Madeleine's music career was actually a dialogue about her own music career but Godard using it on the film. And of course, Jean-Pierre Léaud is just a talented actor that both Francois Truffaut and Godard knew how to utilize in their films (despite Truffaut being a bit critical on how Godard handled him for this film). We sense a young man who is trying to make sense of his life. Has a set perspective yet being with a woman who is nothing like him nor does she want to be like him.
Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis" is a film that is definitely not a perfect film. In fact, because there are quite a few disruptions and the pacing is quite frantic at times, some people may see it as a film that is too artsy for its own good. As mentioned earlier, critics really blasted Godard for this film when it was first released. But the fact was, it was a film ahead of its time and what we have is a time capsule of youth, Paris during the mid-60's that now, many people who lived during that time, can watch this film and say, "this film was a masterpiece".
Overall, "Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis" is a film that is not only worth of being included in the Criterion Collection but also a Godard film worth owning. Highly recommended!
Great glimpse into the 60's 
2008-12-22 - An interesting coming-of-age commentry of the 60s. Great cameos.. you need to look out for them though because they are brief. This was a productive period for French Chantreuses. Goya was one of the ye-ye period girls. Great music, not quite on a par with Francoise Hardy, Sylvie Vartan and France Gall, but not bad.
Children of Marx and Coca Cola !
2008-10-28 - If there has been any other devastating and revealing film, capable to portrait with such magisterial realism, nostalgic uncertainness poetry and extraordinary vitality reflecting the contradictions between Marxist dialectic with such background as Paris of the 1960's , fears before Vietnam, and multiple concerns of a whole generation and starred by a sleepless young man (magisterially performed by Jean Pierre Leaud who deservedly won the Silver Bear as Best Actor in 1966), please be my guest.
Jean Luc Godard - one of the most irreverent filmmakers of the French New Wave - tells us a story through a perfectly achieved set of fourteen vignettes, in his accustomed journalistic and documental style, which conforms a work that in spirit still stands as the most powerful film of febrile anguish and active questioning of the emerging generation of the Post war.
A collector item, in few words.
REGARDER!
2008-05-21 - There are many interesting aspects to the "story" told in "Masculin Feminin", but there seem many more interesting things about Godard's approach to form, seemingly perfected here. The exquisitely timed intrusions and jokes that are once cruel then again simply clever; the seemingly omnipresent quotations which recast the context of the scenes we are viewing; the acknowledgments of the medium which make this so appealingly post modern; the glimpses of a play within a film and of course the hysterically funny and troubling foreign film within the film. Not to mention the use of sound and of music, so completely distinct to Godard -- just consider the on/off shuffling of location sound, music and silence played out in the first few minutes of the film, making their own cinematic confession in a way as different as his single-minded and seemingly arbitrary use of a single, extended piece throughout the course of "Contempt".
All these refinements make "Masculin Feminin" a model of cinema and its potential. The ideas are so thick and rich that it's both difficult and incredibly pleasurable to track the free interplay of ideas and gestures; and the sheer enjoyment of watching such a work offers just the sort of "entertainment" capable of fully engaging rather than simply mollifying the viewer. And in retrospect it's easy to see Godard's profound influence on the work of other directors of the time, especially that belonging to Lindsay Anderson. The difference here being that Godard's technique feels very natural while some others feel self-conscious and quite strained. Compare this work to today's mainstream film culture and it's easy to make that case that cinema has lost its sense of play as well as its way.
Mashed Potatoes and the Revolution of the Earth around the Sun
2007-05-23 - Maybe I am just a sucker for punishment. Over the last few months I have watched quite a handful of Jean-Luc Godard's films, but, besides a couple such as Breathless and Band of Outsiders, I have really not enjoyed my time delving into his films. I am by no means stating that Godard is a bad filmmaker for I respect the body of work that he has created overall and the changes that he made in film and his desire to use film as a tool to change society and maybe even spark revolution amongst his film viewers, but for the most part I find many of his films to be too "arty," in my opinion Pierrot le fou is a prime example of this, and this sense of art for art's sake detracts from the films often leaving them as little more than pedantic schlock.
Well then. After my introductory paragraph it might come as bit of a shock that I enjoyed the film Masculin, Féminin quite a bit not only the first time that I watched it but the second time as well. Masculin, féminin stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as Paul, a young man with literary aspirations and a very strong communist bent and the ye-ye girl Chantal Goya as Madeleine, a photographer who is embarking on her career as a pop singer. Like many of Godard's films there is no one underlying plot within this film, unless you consider Paul's desire to sleep with the lovely Madeleine as an underlying plot, so it comes off as being very episodic. We are treated to the typical anti-America propaganda that is common within Godard's body of work during this time period, but we are also introduced to Godard's disillusionment with socialist movements as well. These disillusions come out brilliantly within interviews conducted by Paul in which the "oppressed" are more concerned with the small bits of happiness than can be found in life and not in some vague socialist plot that offers fewer concrete awards than the America based capitalist system. Outside of political agenda, one of the most enjoyable aspects of this film is the music. Throughout the film we are treated to French ye-ye girl songs, Chantal Goya, of course, and they definitely give the film a bit of energy where it is lacking in several other Godard films.
Another aspect of the film that should be mentioned is the sexuality within the film itself. There, of course is no hardcore or even soft-core action, but the topic of sexuality is quite prominent and the characters continuously talk about their love making episodes in relation to love and it even the subject of birth control is prevalent. This, of course, seems tame by today's standards, but at the time this content was racy enough to give the film an eighteen and over ranking.
Masculin féminin was created the same year that Godard also created Alphaville and Pierrot le fou. The former two often garner more praise, but in my opinion this film shines in comparison to the other two.
