lasttimeisaw Transmogrifying a nocturnal Paris into the dystopian titular state ruled under the technocratic totalitarianism of a sentient, omnipresent mega-computer called Alpha 60, Godard's Golden Berlin Bear winner, cunningly configures the time-honored one-man-against-the-machine trope with a novel spin, devises a Sci-Fi mise-en-scène without the usual tailor-made props, and in lieu seizing on futuristic Parisian architecture-scape to create the galaxy-away alienness while philosophizing his ideology of what differentiates men from logic-abiding super-machine.American crooner-turned-actor, the tough-looking Eddie Constantine plays Lemmy Caution, a role he had played numerous times before in French B movies, being appropriated by Godard here as a secret agent from "the Outlands", infiltrates Alphaville as a journalist with a hard-as-nail aggression, also a shutterbug pertinaciously snaps the menagerie of its societal pathology, after seeking out a missing agent Henri Dickson (a jaded Tamiroof adds a layer of gnomic improbability upon the carnal decadence), whose total capitulation prompts him to exact his ultimate mission: to emancipate the city from the thralls of Alpha 60 and its alleged maker Prof. von Braun (Vernon).Whisking Lemmy in and out sundry locations and peppering up the story-line with Godard-esque action fragments, jerky, spontaneous, whimsical and inconsequential, the hotel room scuffle in the opening is such a nonsensically "un-real" incident that one might question its occurrence when a broken window on the door appear intact in the next scene, ALPHAVILLE is Godard's knowing deconstruction-and-reconstruction of the venerated genre of its prescient-then, blasé-now central message, drawing on a faintly Borgesian inspiration to sound off in the traditional duality between the hero and the damsel-in-distress, here portrayed by Anna Karina's Natacha von Braun, supposedly, the daughter of Prof. von Braun, whose suppressed emotions are slowly awoken by Lemmy's ongoing interference, and "conscience" is the operative word here.Dubbed with a gruff, mechanical, halting male voice, Alpha 60 exchanges many a colloquy with Lemmy covering a wide scope of topics, a verbal spar between rationalism and denialism, larded with Godard's protean experimentation of his cinematic languages (jump-cuts, negative prints, repeated motifs have long become Godard's norms) and Paul Misraki's fittingly atmospheric incidental music, ALPHAVILLE alternatively, intrigues, bemuses and entrances an armchair spectator with its anti-utopia cognition and blithe distinction that is snugly in Godard's elements, and this agglomeration of nouvelle vague and futuristic noir may also archly suggest that audience should not ask "why", but only say "because" in the context of a Godard-ville.

gregory75 Godard was one of the most brilliant directors to ever make movies. His rebellious attitude and style simply puts some people off, which is unfortunate since Godard's movies are smart, well-crafted and, yes, entertaining.Alphaville is most often compared to movies that came after it, which goes to show how unique and groundbreaking it was (even if perhaps this has been obscured in hindsight). What Godard achieved is seen best at what HASN'T aged. Anytime you show computers and technology in a sci-fi movie it invariably will look dated years later. Yet Godard's stylized approach looks far beyond the superficiality of Alphaville. For example, the first scene with Lemmy Caution in Alpha 60 shows him monitored with microphones manipulated about his head. The jerky motion of the mics (equipment that isn't futuristic is the slightest) portray the mechanical control of Alpha 60 with cunning insight. The microphones are neither left static nor moved with fluid grace (just as another scene with discontinuous shots of a fight). The ominous, intermittent movements suggest the limitations of this computerized state.I like this movie in its correlation to William S. Burroughs' fictional world Interzone. Alphaville's Dr. Nosferatu (which translates into the undead, as in vampires) bears some resemblance to Burroughs' Dr. Benway. Alpha 60, the monstrous human/machine computer running Alphaville, functions much as Burroughs' Nova Mob. Concerns over science dehumanizing society are pervasive. The scene where Alphaville executes the poets using water ballet echoes the fictional dichotomy the state has drawn."Alphaville" is hypnotic. The continuous use of flashing lights impresses this. The ending is what cracks me up. Ending with Natasha VonBraun (Anna Karina) straining to utter "I...love...you." Is this all Lemmy Caution has fought for, some sentimental tripe? Maybe Godard subtly revised Hitchcock's ending to his second "The Man Who Knew Too Little"--Jimmy Stewart delivers the beyond-obvious line, "Sorry I'm late, I just had to go pick up Henry.""Alphaville" throws together a multitude of increasingly aggressive styles. After "Le Mepris" in 1963, this movie (if one ever could) shows a transition to Godard's scathing "Weekend" in 1967. Godard made so many wonderful movies each its own treasure. Not that everybody should make movies like Godard, I do wish everyone could make movies as good as his are.

antcol8 I am really afraid to say anything negative about this film, given the incredibly low level of critique demonstrated by the people here who didn't like it, but...I have never thought that this was anywhere near the best of his '60s films. But I jumped at the chance to see it on the big screen again yesterday. I hoped to revise my opinion. Which I did not.People who do not understand why the Paris of the moment when the film was made is used to represent a future dystopia should be condemned to never watching a film outside of the Mainstream ever again. The point is blindingly obvious: dystopia is all around us. Using music and lighting and camera movement to represent that, rather than relying on triumphantly gaudy and expensive production design, shows that Godard is a filmmaker down to the tips of his toes. He learned so much from the American directors who had no recourse to expensive sets and had to use shadows and fog...I'm thinking of Lang on Man Hunt, Mann on G - Men. Of course, Ulmer on Detour, etc.All this is amazing. And there are great set pieces (the swimming pool, for example). And the use of the same couple of bars of music, over and over, is great, too.Look, I don't need to believe in the relationships and the ideas in Godard films in order to enjoy them. Karina and Constantine was perhaps a very inspired mismatch. And I've read and studied lots of Brecht. But Alphaville just doesn't SWING for me the way most of the others from this time do. But, you know what? I'm going to watch it again.

Synthia Pop Is it trashy art or arty trash? Who cares? The cinematography is pure heaven. The soundtrack is a buzz (even the moments of total silence rock). And the swimming pool scene? Well...you gotta see it to believe it, man. Still an influence on modern film and music, including albums released in 2011 by Bryan Ferry and Hyperbubble, Alphaville rewards repeated viewings with clues that you can't believe you missed the first time. It's rough, but sweet...brainy, yet fun...totally clichéd, yet totally imaginative. I cherish every frame. In a world flooded with films created for the purely logical reason of making money, Alphaville's visit from a galaxy where movies are made for the love of film is always welcome.