VIVRE SA VIE (Criterion/E1, 1962) D: Jean-Luc Godard, w/ Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot. Rating: NNNNN DVD package: NNNNN Rating: NNNNN
The title usually translates as My Life To Live, but 22-year-old Parisian shopgirl Nana (Anna Karina) has little control over hers. Behind on the rent, she’s tossed out of her apartment and drifts into prostitution. Things go from bad to worse.
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There’s not much story. Godard shows disconnected scenes from Nana’s life of hanging out and turning tricks to explore, on one level, Karina’s lovely face, and on others, questions of oppression, freedom, language, cinema and sociology. But he keeps the film lively through his use of unusual camera angles and music.
Along with the usual informative commentary and essays, the Criterion extras package offers some interesting social context with a 20-minute segment from a French TV doc on prostitution and an illustrated essay on the book that inspired the movie.
EXTRAS Commentary, scholar interview, 1962 Karina interview, prostitution doc, essay booklet, more. Full-frame, b&w. French audio. English subtitles.