11/06/2002 Entry:
"Histoire(s) du cinéma: Toutes les histoires - Jean Luc Godard (1989)"

I caught the first four parts of Jean-Luc Godard's 4.5 hour multimedia presentation Histoire(s) Du Cinema this weekend at Block (the link above goes only to part one.) Their copy of parts 5-8 was not subtitled so I didn't stick around for the rest, although I have to say I feel like I get the gist of it, unless there is something radically different going on in the latter portions.

Going in, I had no idea what to expect. Histoire(s) is like a collage. It combines film clips, still photos, on screen titles, and sound bites from a variety of sources. The format is non-linear montage from beginning to end, only part 1 felt like it had even the vaguest level of continuity, although certain elements reappeared throughout all four parts (the clattering of a typewriter, various titles reappear.) I feel like even with subtitles, the language barrier was a huge problem in this. You often have multiple sound sources happening at once. For instance, Godard may be speaking over a clip from a film, and then to add to the problem onscreen titles are constantly flashing on and off. The translator, Orna Kustow, handles it as well as possible, but it's really an impossible task. I have heard that Godard despises the English subtitles, and its not hard to see why. The work cannot possibly be well served by them. I have also seen a quote from Godard saying that he wishes people would go into it knowing nothing of the films which are referenced, but I constantly felt like I was missing points of context by being unable to identify the vast majority of clips and soundbites used.

This is not what you would term easy viewing, and while I found it interesting I'm not sure I "enjoyed" it. At various points, a couple things seemed to come together for me, but largely this just washed over me. I'm sure that multiple viewings would probably help to open up some of its meanings, but seeing as how this is rare enough to see as it is, such a thing seems unlikely.