The Cohen Film Collection, together with the Nuart Theatre, is hosting a very special theatrical engagement of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1964 film, A Married Woman (Une Femme Mariée). For those who have not seen this classic film, now is the perfect opportunity to dip your toe into one of French New Wave’s most memorable films. For those who have seen , it is definitely worth revisiting on the big screen. This retrospective runs from Friday, April 15th until Thursday, April 21st.
A Married Woman is an intimate portrait of one woman’s marital and extramarital relationships and her wavering emotions surrounding a complicated love triangle. Describing herself as the verb “To follow,” Charlotte (Macha Méril) is a naive, confused woman who finds herself torn between indulging in exciting morning affairs with her actor-lover Robert (Bernard Noël) and consistent mundane evenings with her son and pilot husband Pierre (Philippe Leroy). Her aimlessness doesn’t last long, however, when Charlotte discovers she is pregnant and without knowing who the father is, she is forced her to confront her illicit behavior once and for all.
Jean-Luc Godard was truly a master filmmaker as A Married Woman is the type of film that can tell the story purely by images, no words are even necessary to express the emotion and passion onscreen. Despite its racy subject, the characters come across as very modest. The seduction is in the camerawork, moments when a steady shot holds on Charlotte’s bare legs in bed or her collarbone are provocative without overindulging in sexual exploitation.
A Married Woman is a refreshing walk down memory lane, cinematically speaking, and while the techniques of fading to black between practically every shot may seem redundant and may push the average moviegoer out of their comfort zone of fast moving, high-intensity pacing, it is refreshing to see how far film, in general, has grown and pushed technical boundaries. The subject matter and story line are still very much relevant today, just ask any guest on Maury or daytime talk show.
