Checked out Jean-Luc Godard's Bande à part / Band of Outsiders (1964) one more time for the cheap seats!
This time out same as last time, I found it fast-paced and exhilarating.
The movie is more or less based on a short novel by a writer of multiple pen names -- Dolores Hitchens (1907-1973), a Texan known also as Dolan Birkley. The original English language book was Fool's Gold (Crime Club, 1958); the French version, Pigeon vole: "Fools' gold" by Dolores Birk Hitchens, was translated by Gilberte Sollacaro (Gallimard, 1959). Official tag line for the American edition: "Two delinquents and a girl encounter real trouble when professionals take over their planned robbery." It might just as easily have been titled Band of Idiots. Quick easy fun, with some gun violence.
Godard takes us on a swirling ride around Paris, with a lot of attention to the little things -- making this interesting both as a document of its times and as an entertaining noir tale. Proves once again that a lot can be done on a small budget, given sufficient verve and style.
Today's Rune: Harvest.
5 comments:
Erik-I enjoy anything that lets me dream of a future Parisian visit. And I'm not talking about the big department store by the same name! I've also discovered that I love french music. Au Revoir!
I know more about fools than I do gold but I also know like small budget film more than mega million dollar whiz bangs.
I have only seen the one scene dancing in a bar. If I ever have access to movies like this one again, I will rent it.
I didn't know the Dolores Hitchens connection. Interesting.
For a moment I read that as Jean-Luc Picard and got really excited until I remembered he is not an actual person.
Still looks interesting though.
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