My Life to Live (It's My Life) (Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux) (1962)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  Jean-Luc Godard made some astounding films in the 60's, his impact on the New Wave in France at the time was crucial to its success and he remains to this day, a very influential and important film maker. He didn't always get it right though and for me, Vivre sa vie… More
  Jean-Luc Godard made some astounding films in the 60's, his impact on the New Wave in France at the time was crucial to its success and he remains to this day, a very influential and important film maker. He didn't always get it right though and for me, Vivre sa vie isn't one of his greats. However, he did do two very important things right. Firstly, he hired Raoul Coutard to shoot the film in beautiful black and white, Paris never looked so good. Secondly, he gave his then wife, Anna Karina, the freedom (if you can call it that) of improvisation. A move that cemented her newly acquired status as the up and coming actress to look out for and also it gave her the confidence she didn't have in her earlier films. It's certainly a turning point in her career which is obvious when comparing her before and afters. Jean-Luc Godard, the epitome of love/hate.

• Ken S

  
  Good...it's a little out there...but then again what do you expect from a Godard movie?<br/><br/>Kudos to the machine gun jump cuts and the rockin song they play on the juke box...anyone know what it is?

• Michael S

  
  Out of all the films by Jean-Luc Godard I've seen so far, "VIVRE SA VIE" is one of the best, and undoubtedly the most accessible. Anna Karina just radiates on screen (as per usual) and Godard gives his characters room to breathe and tones down his signature stylistic… More
  Out of all the films by Jean-Luc Godard I've seen so far, "VIVRE SA VIE" is one of the best, and undoubtedly the most accessible. Anna Karina just radiates on screen (as per usual) and Godard gives his characters room to breathe and tones down his signature stylistic flair to refreshing effect. Some of the most interesting and witty dialogue I've heard from Godard is present here, and feels pulled from a movie made tomorrow (so ahead of it's time). I didn't care for the film's abrupt ending at all, but it was pivotal for the point Godard was trying to make about the subject of prostitution.

• danny d

  
  the list of actresses that are so polarizing on screen that you cant take your eyes off of them is short, but anna karina belongs on the short list with stars like monroe, jolie, and johannson. she is mesmerizing to watch, and in this film the camera never really leaves her. the… More
  the list of actresses that are so polarizing on screen that you cant take your eyes off of them is short, but anna karina belongs on the short list with stars like monroe, jolie, and johannson. she is mesmerizing to watch, and in this film the camera never really leaves her. the final scene is completely nonsensical, but the rest of the film leading up to it was interesting enough and the camera angles godard chooses for many of his shots adds an entire element on interest to the film. the plot and dialogue are reductively simple, but overall the film is very watchable, especially for godard or karina fans.

• Michael G

  
  I watched about 6 Godard movies in a week's time a few years ago, so they kind of blur. However I remember liking this one...

• Eric B

  
  This tale of a reluctant prostitute is surprisingly emotional and affecting, given the rest of Godard's catalog. Anna Karina's melancholy beauty in this role will be hard to forget. The film is also less stylistically radical than might be expected -- the main jarring… More
  This tale of a reluctant prostitute is surprisingly emotional and affecting, given the rest of Godard's catalog. Anna Karina's melancholy beauty in this role will be hard to forget. The film is also less stylistically radical than might be expected -- the main jarring elements are the 12 scene divisions (announced with cards, silent-movie style), an oddly extended clip of "The Passion of Joan of Arc" and a rather cold, abrupt ending. Elsewhere, a prolonged conversation about the connection between thought and words is surprisingly heady, even if it somewhat shuts down the story's momentum. I was smitten with a certain snatch of melodic score that nagged throughout the film, yet was somehow compelling.

• Mike T

  
  This heartbreaking, intimately expressive piece of art graced me with one of the best theatrical experiences I'm likely to have. Instead of studying a broad political or social idea, Godard centers his story on the struggle of a single woman instead. That woman is played to… More
  This heartbreaking, intimately expressive piece of art graced me with one of the best theatrical experiences I'm likely to have. Instead of studying a broad political or social idea, Godard centers his story on the struggle of a single woman instead. That woman is played to perfection by the beautiful Anna Karina, whose gestures and line deliveries feel more natural than almost anything I've seen on screen. Everything that I want to see in a film is here in Godard's vision, aesthetically and thematically. A film scholar covered its importance and history in my cinematheque's pre-screening discussion, but it's the feeling driving this picture that matters to me. A masterpiece.

• Tom S

  
  A whole nother side of Godard.

Read all 8 featured audience ratings