Alphaville (1965)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  I think I gotta watch this a few more times.

• Matthew R

  
  Combining my favorite concepts of dystopian civilizations, much on the same wave lengths as Orwell's '1984' and Huxley's 'Brave New World', and Film Noir, "Alphaville" is set in a technocratic dictatorship in which emotions are considered… More
  Combining my favorite concepts of dystopian civilizations, much on the same wave lengths as Orwell's '1984' and Huxley's 'Brave New World', and Film Noir, "Alphaville" is set in a technocratic dictatorship in which emotions are considered obsolete and public exhibition of them is against the law. The concept of the individual self is explored throughout the film with great razor-sharp wit and accuracy by New Wave master, Jean-Luc Godard. The dangers of technologic advancement and abuse are in constant play, and no one else could have played the lead like Eddie Constantine, and we are treated to brilliant performances by the whole cast. A futuristic film that was shot on the streets of Paris makes this film far closer to home than expected.

• Randy T

  
  Technically sloppy but effective science fiction from the directorial stewardship of Jean-Luc Godard. To me, Godard is like the Jackson Pollock of filmdom - I appreciate his contributions to the art-form but I wouldn't want his stuff in my house.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Time is the substance of which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along. But I am time. It's a tiger, tearing me apart; but I am the tiger."</i> Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another… More
  <i>"Time is the substance of which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along. But I am time. It's a tiger, tearing me apart; but I am the tiger."</i> Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet. His very American character is at odds with the city's ruler, an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has outlawed love and self-expression. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> This film, from director Jean-Luc Godard, one of the luminaries behind the French "Nouvelle Vague" (or "New Wave") film movement, is science-fiction like you've never seen before. The story tells of tough private-eye Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine), who arrives in the futuristic city of Alphaville to search for a missing scientist. Controlled by the powerful computer Alpha 60, the brainwashed citizens of Alphaville live lives devoted to logic and devoid of emotion. The film was made entirely on location in Paris, selectively shot to give the appearance of a futuristic city, and Lemmy Caution travels through intergalactic space in a Ford car. The film is interesting and quite entertaining if you know what to expect. Some viewers may find Godard's offbeat style irritating and the frequent, long academic discussions dull, but ti is worth making the attempt if only to experience something completely unexpected. Inevitably dated, the film has still aged quite well. Glamour is provided by the lovely Anna Karina, Godard's wife at the time, as the scientist's daughter.

• Antony S

  
  Ace, my introduction to Nouvelle Vague, and what an experience. Noir married perfectly to paranoid sci-fi, and a great influence on my beloved Blade Runner. The camerawork is resoundingly fresh and its concepts still pertinent. Follow Godard, he knows what he's doing...

• Drew S

  
  Alphaville is a textured, surreal grandfather to many science fiction films before it, which makes its unchallenging ending all the more disappointing. In light of the more cogent, hard-hitting themes that preceded it, "love conquers all" seems awfully sophomoric for Godard.… More
  Alphaville is a textured, surreal grandfather to many science fiction films before it, which makes its unchallenging ending all the more disappointing. In light of the more cogent, hard-hitting themes that preceded it, "love conquers all" seems awfully sophomoric for Godard. That said, this is a provocative, beautifully lensed, appropriately unusual mixture of Fahrenheit 451 and Chinatown...a city teeming with danger, and a sinister inhuman monarch sitting atop it all, monitoring its citizenry's every move and feeling and action. For his apparently very limited budget, and the apparent lack of any constructed sets to depict a futuristic world, Alphaville does an amazing job creating its setting - the city seems polished in a jarring way, shadowy and harshly bright in alternation. The plot isn't quite as lucid, a rather hazy tale of governments at war and double crossing, as if Godard needed a backdrop on which to hang his emotional parable. Anna Karina is stunning here. In her I see a bit of Marion Cotillard (though I guess I have that backward); beautiful, intelligent, perhaps a bit passive. She exudes a convincing naivete when confronted with concepts that have never been introduced to the people of Alphaville. Her character is deceptively important to the plot, even though she seems incidental; in some ways, she's the biggest culprit for the awkward double blind ending. Eddie Constantine does fine, but I don't think the movie is all that preoccupied with him so much as his mission and the theater of operations in which it takes place. Most sinister, however, is the voiceover of the scarcely-seen computerized head of Alphaville, Alpha 60. Apparently played by a man with a mechanical voice box, his guttural French non-sequiturs are immensely discomforting. An excellent, fresh little bit of New Wave. Perhaps not for everyone in light of its narrative obtuseness, but I found that it gave ample opportunity and subtext for a creative audience to make of it what they will.

• Jonathan H

  
  Alphaville, Jean-Luc Godard's first and only (that I'm aware of) foray into the world of science fiction, is about a dystopic city, set an undefined number of years in the future on another planet, where our main character Lemmy Caution has just arrived from the ambiguous… More
  Alphaville, Jean-Luc Godard's first and only (that I'm aware of) foray into the world of science fiction, is about a dystopic city, set an undefined number of years in the future on another planet, where our main character Lemmy Caution has just arrived from the ambiguous "Lands Without." Posing as a journalist, he checks into a hotel which offers complementary, unthinking prostitutes. He soon starts to ask questions and it becomes apparent he isn't quite who he says he is. Godard directs with his usual postmodernist chic cool that anyone who has seen any of his films before will be well versed in. However, amidst all the contemporary hipness, the film's main influence is clearly that of which the French New Wavers were often very fond of: film noir. Stylistically there are the dark tones, dramatic music, and gritty realism, and the narrative has the classic mystery elements recalled from detective thrillers; characterization, too, falls in line: the lead, Caution, is a thoroughly pessimistic, downbeat individual, with the fashion sense of the typical private eye of the 40s. This dystopia shows an explicit and continual transference from a knowledge culture to that of a mechanized technocratic society where logic and reason rule. It'd be fair to assume that this is a stark message of caution (the protagonist's name, after all, is "Lemmy Caution") from Godard about our already technologically advanced existence, and its dehumanizing effects -- and furthermore its role in governance (a snapshot of a totalitarian state). Of course, sci-fi with a political/societal message isn't anything new (even then), but Alphaville, with its general philosophizing on existence and other issues, and its absorbing story arch, is a magnificent film. I'd certainly recommended it for all those open-minded enough to look past the menacing presence of Hollywood. It's one of the absolute best examples of pure science fiction, a flick with true depth and uniqueness.

• danny d

  
  a bizarre and severely underrated sci-fi/noir/thriller. alpha 60 is probably one of the best movie villains ever, and the infrastructure of alphaville that is set up by this master computer is truly daunting. lemmy caution is the perfect hero, an anti-hero in many ways that still… More
  a bizarre and severely underrated sci-fi/noir/thriller. alpha 60 is probably one of the best movie villains ever, and the infrastructure of alphaville that is set up by this master computer is truly daunting. lemmy caution is the perfect hero, an anti-hero in many ways that still stands up for what we all believe in. the film sets the stage for intrigue perfectly in the opening sequences, as we dont even know what the film is about, but it all builds to clarity in the final act. its obvious the influence that this film has had on subsequent sci-fi films, as its equally obvious which of its predecessors it borrowed from. unlike any other godard film ive seen, its possibly his best film despite being more fun and less profound. the film just works on so many levels, not the least of which is the beautiful anna karina.

• Anthony L

  
  The king of new wave, Jean-Luc Godard has directed what I'd describe as probably the coolest sci-fi film ever. It's been hugely influential in sci-fi, Blade Runner being the first film that springs to mind, other films have failed miserably though in not realising that… More
  The king of new wave, Jean-Luc Godard has directed what I'd describe as probably the coolest sci-fi film ever. It's been hugely influential in sci-fi, Blade Runner being the first film that springs to mind, other films have failed miserably though in not realising that it's not all about the special effects, it's about the story, the idea and most importantly the humanity. Oh the humanity... Great film, one of my favourite from Godard.

• Bruce B

  
  This is a movie selected from the Criterion Collection, Spine NO #25, so its an early pick. Movie was filmed in 1965 a French entry. Most say this is a Sci-Fi Movie, didn't appear that way to me. Kind of a Orwell 1984 type movie, A man who appears to be a secret agent named Lemmy… More
  This is a movie selected from the Criterion Collection, Spine NO #25, so its an early pick. Movie was filmed in 1965 a French entry. Most say this is a Sci-Fi Movie, didn't appear that way to me. Kind of a Orwell 1984 type movie, A man who appears to be a secret agent named Lemmy Caution is sent from the outlands to destroy a computer (Alpha 60) that is controlling everyone and everything. To me it was slow and boring, most movie from Criterion Collection I can blend with and take an interest, this one just didn't work for me. Will have to give director Jean-Luc Godard another try further down the road. 3 stars on this one.

• El Hombre I

  
  In "Alphaville" Jean-Luc Godard has created his vision of a world where technology dominates society. Alpha 60 controls not only how people behave, but also how they think. Free will has been replaced by the cold efficiency of computerized logic, and people no longer ask… More
  In "Alphaville" Jean-Luc Godard has created his vision of a world where technology dominates society. Alpha 60 controls not only how people behave, but also how they think. Free will has been replaced by the cold efficiency of computerized logic, and people no longer ask questions that seek out knowledge (words like "Why" and "Love" have been removed from dictionaries). Borrowing from other sci-fi sources, this movie is still cool. You know the characters are acting, you know it's fiction, but you can't help but be drawn into their world. The more you realize the artificiality, the deeper you go into it. <a href="http://s111.photobucket.com/albums/n122/wickedwalrus/?action=view¤t=alphaville2wide90.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n122/wickedwalrus/alphaville2wide90.jpg" border="0" alt="alphaville 3.5"></a>

• Ken S

  
  My brain hurts...in a good way

• Stella D

  
  cool sci fi/noir from godard; kinda like a no-budget blade runner

• Christopher M

  
  There's certainly a lot going on in this film. It's a futuristic French post-modern sci-fi noir, among other things. It tells the story of an Americanized detective called Lemmy Caution (played brilliantly by Eddie Constantine) who is sent to a (very weird) space city called… More
  There's certainly a lot going on in this film. It's a futuristic French post-modern sci-fi noir, among other things. It tells the story of an Americanized detective called Lemmy Caution (played brilliantly by Eddie Constantine) who is sent to a (very weird) space city called Alphaville, where love and self expression are outlawed. Very early on, this film reminded me of a few works of literature, such as William S. Burroughs' "Nova Express" and Huxley's "Brave New World" - because it explores some similar ideas and themes. In how this film is made though, I can see no relative (except the other work of the director, Jean-Luc Godard) - it is distinctly fresh and original in the way it is filmed, and decidedly art house. At times during this film can be a drawback, but overall it worked. There's an element of absurdity and black comedy present, and I the parallel between Alphaville and the France of the 50s and 60s is very interesting. Godard must have been in his prime when making this, because the direction is definitely exceptional. His use of lighting is phenomenal. Overall, this will probably be one of the weirdest movies you will probably ever see, but I'd recommend you do.

• Ross C

  
  B/W 60's French sci-fi movie about a private detective "Lemmy Caution" in some kind of alternate universe France. Truly bizarre, and totally boring.

• Michael G

  
  I get freaked out when I watch this movie, but I like it.

• Anoop K

  
  Moody, enigmatic and surreal, Alphaville has the signature of it's visionary director all around. There aren't many films around which merges SciFi and philosophy like this one.

• Quinto W

  
  Boy, oh, boy. Here I go again: I love how the movie looks and feels, I like the cast very much and the whole "Brazil meets noir" thing Godard does. But, I'm sorry to say it, I just couldn't get into it. Yes, the same old excuse I use all the time that's… More
  Boy, oh, boy. Here I go again: I love how the movie looks and feels, I like the cast very much and the whole "Brazil meets noir" thing Godard does. But, I'm sorry to say it, I just couldn't get into it. Yes, the same old excuse I use all the time that's starting to feel like some cheap excuse I use so I don't have to write longer sentences applies for this movie in my case. I just couldn't get into it; and not for like of trying, tried 3 times to watch it.' Sorry.

• alan j

  
  way ahead of its time..this B&W movie is a mix of sci-fi with eerie weirdness...but will hold you interest..its not as opaque as a lynch film..but close!! Effective mood setting and camera work..overall strange but captivating...

• Jojo S

  
  Full French Title: Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution [Alphaville, a strange advanture of Lemmy Caution.] Everytime I think of Alpha 60, the master of Alphaville, it gives me the chilll. I thought this is perhaps the greatest Sci-Fi movie ever made. It deserves its spot… More
  Full French Title: Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution [Alphaville, a strange advanture of Lemmy Caution.] Everytime I think of Alpha 60, the master of Alphaville, it gives me the chilll. I thought this is perhaps the greatest Sci-Fi movie ever made. It deserves its spot along with many other Sci-Fi films and it has total influences on many films to come. This is one of my favorite Godard films.

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