All of this information is passed on in a matter of seconds, and shows Godard’s adeptness at conveying vast amounts of information through the image on the screen. By just the way a character is dressed and which props he is given, where he is stood, and the angling of the camera Godard influences the way the viewer thinks and feels about the subject.
I decided to also look at the section which follows on from the first scene of the film, where Michel is in the stolen car, travelling to Paris. The camera angle is from the view point of Michel, and you can see down the road on which he is travelling. Michel is singing at this point, and the mix of this strange singing and being unable to see the character who is making the sound instantly reminds the viewers that this is a film. This is a deliberate attempt by Godard to distance the viewer from the film, and reminds you that it is not real, thereby making you unable to really lose yourself in the film. In this scene I found that I was really made to think about what was going on, and realised that this was exactly as Godard had intended. By distancing me from the film and the character within it I was forced to pay a great deal more attention rather than, as with a lot of modern day films, just sitting back and enjoying a break from reality. Another factor adding to the reminder of the film’s fictional nature is the bumpiness of the filming. The camera is not kept still as it is a handheld one, and as the picture is moving around a lot, yet again, you have to focus quite a lot in order to understand what you are looking at. With regards to editing, this section is interesting as whilst Michel’s singing is uncut, and is heard in real time, the views of the road are cut to show the progress of his journey, and this effect reinforces the slightly confused position the viewer is in, and again, makes the viewer feel a need to pay quite close attention. To add yet more force to this concept Michel is shot looking straight at the camera and talking, as though to the audience.
Godard also uses this scene to add to the initial observations made about Michel’s character. At one point in the scene Michel opens the glove compartment of the car and takes out a gun, which he proceeds to point at various cars in passing, takes aim, and then makes a noise as though he has fired upon them. This insinuates that Michel has a penchant for playing games, which adds to the impression given by the nature of the newspaper in the first scene. It also hints at the fact that there may be a theme in the film of playing games, and perhaps even dangerous games. This is later revealed in the relationship between Michel and Patricia, in which there is a great deal of light hearted game playing, but there is also a very serious under current, for example when Michel says that he will strangle Patricia if she does not do something he asks her to do.
When Michel gets caught up in a small traffic jam he starts bemoaning female drivers and uses a quote he knows by a man named Bugatti - “les voitures sont pour faite rouler, pas pour s’arreter”. Though this could be taken to be a normal aggravation for a seemingly selfish and uncouth character, it also intimates there may be an event in the film where he runs rather than stopping. This event soon unfolds when Michel overtakes some of the slower traffic and is hailed by the police to stop. Rather than doing as he asked, obviously aware of the fact he is driving a stolen car, Michel speeds away. Rather than cutting from a view of Michel, to a view of the police to show that Michel was escaping, the camera pans from Michel to the police and then back again to Michel. This increases the sense of speed within the scene, as the pan round shows the speed at which the surrounding country-side is racing by. To add to this background music is used, and Godard’s choice of music was such as to cause an uneasy, anxious sense of danger to be felt by the audience.
A section of this scene I found to be particularly interesting was the point at which Michel fires on one of the policemen. I felt like Godard was purposefully focussing on the gun, and the way in which Michel calculatingly takes aim and prepares the gun to be shot. This seemed to me to be a way of showing that Michel had already thought out this possibility and decided that the policeman’s life was something he was willing to take. What struck me as odd was that whilst there was this sense of taking time to show the thought Michel had put into this possibility, the actual event itself took place in very little time. In editing they had cut out Michel pulling the gun out of the car and standing up straight to take aim with the gun. It seemed odd to me that such a contrast would be made between the editing and the focus of the camera. I did realise however that it heightens the attention paid to the importance of the gun and everything that it signifies; Michel’s disregard for the law, which emphasises his shady character yet again, the lack of concern Michel has for the fact he is taking the life of an officer of the law, and the calculating manner in which he goes about this task. It could also be said that it is a reminder of Michel’s penchant for games of a dangerous nature, which heightens the viewers sense of distrust in him.
The final part of this scene which I felt was indicative of Godard’s use of ‘mise en scene’ was when the policeman, having been shot and presumably killed, falls into the bushes. This symbolises the fact that Michel has no intention of owning up to the murder, that he will quite happily proceed on his way without the least problem of a stricken conscience.
Although this section was quite large, I felt that quite a few parts of it were very relevant to the subject of this essay. The consistent use of ‘mise en scene’ in such an inexhaustible manner shows Godard’s talent at film making in a way that sticks true to the method he intended to use. Godard makes full use of the opportunity to develop Michel’s character even further by introducing the cold-blooded killer side of his temperament, and yet again reinforcing Michel’s shady character and predilection for games. Godad also introduced, and repeated, the reminder that the film is a fictional work, and tried to maintain a distance between the audience and the film. Finally, Godard’s use of editing to confuse the viewers perception of time and the purpose behind this confusion, in addition to consistently making the viewer think and ‘keep on their toes’ with regards to the unravelling events of the film.
In conclusion, I have shown that Godard does not simply try and slide in a few possible hints to the audience. He lays out his characters in a brutally open manner, and uses every tool at his disposal to provide the viewer with an almost cruelly honest opinion of their character. Whilst forcing any audience to concentrate and be constantly open to new ideas within the plot, Godard provides every scrap of information that could possibly have been thought of. It is almost as if Godard was trying to dupe his audience into thinking they had developed their own ideas completely separate to any that Godard had intended, when in reality he had already decided exactly how each character and scene would be impressed upon the audience.
By using ‘mise en scene’ to such an extent Godard influences every decision which takes place in an audience member’s mind. Such a thorough and consistent use of this method of filming shows a highly capable and intelligent mind, which quite possibly enjoys the use of that intelligence to cheat his audience of the right to make their own decisions.
Godard’s use of editing is what really keeps the audience on their toes. He manages to influence the viewer by confusing them, first of all as seen in the section of Michel’s drive to Paris where the editing contrasted with the real time of the strange singing, and then also when Michel shoots the policeman. At that point editing was used to speed up the section, contrasting which the focus of attention on the gun and Michel’s calculating mind which seemed to slow down the scene. Such an effect is cleverly thought out, and again, shows a mind which delights in making the viewers work through the film rather than simply watching it.
I find therefore that Godard planned out every section of this film, into minute detail and knew exactly how and to what effect he would use ‘mise en scene’ and editing.
Word Count: 2032 words
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Film: Jean Luc Godard – A Bout de Souffle 1960
Internet Sources : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Godard#Films Accessed 7th January 2007.
