Vivre sa vie

One of the examples of French New Wave cinema, Godard’s drama film about an aspiring actress who is forced to turn to prostitution features an outstanding performance by Anna Karina and an impromptu style relying on improvisation as opposed to learning lines from the script.

Episode One:
In a Parisian bistro we are witness to the conversation between Nana Kleinfrankenheim (Anna Karina) and her husband Paul (Andrè Labarthe). Curiously framed, we only ever see the back of their heads and the occasional glimpse of their faces in profile. During the course of the conversation it becomes evident that Nana, an attractive brunette in her early 20’s, is disillusioned with her marriage and wishes to leave Paul in order to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.

Episode Two:
Nana works in a record shop and, separated from Paul, lives her life… meeting with a friend over a glass of wine and enjoying her newfound freedom. Quickly though it becomes clear that the meagre wages she earns as a shop assistant won’t get her far – least of all to her much anticipated acting classes!

Episode Three:
We see Nana walking along the boulevards of a Paris by night. She goes to the movies to watch Dreyer’s 1927 silent classic ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc’ and is moved to tears by Falconetti’s performance. Later on she makes the acquaintance of a journalist (Paul Pavel).

Episode Four:
We see Nana in custody and questioned by the police. It emerges that Nana intended to take some money which a woman had accidently dropped from her handbag, but handed it back when the woman spotted what Nana was up to. The woman reported Nana nonetheless.

Episode Five:
Nana’s downward spiral begins in earnest when she loses her job and tries to better her catastrophic financial situation by becoming a prostitute. We see her hanging around the desolate boulevards at the outskirts of Paris where she invites her first client to a cheap hotel room.

Episode Six:
Nana meets her friend Yvette (Gulayne Schlumberger) in a café. Yvette introduces her to Raoul (Saddy Rebbot), a pimp. Suddenly, their chat is interrupted by machine gun fire outside – apparently a shooting between rival political factions.

Episode Seven:
Nana writes a letter to Raoul in which she highlights her good looks and skills, and asks to become one of his ‘girls’. Later, we see her meeting him around the area of the Champs Èlysées where he gives her advice on how to get as many clients as possible.

Episode Eight:
Nana’s financial situation is on the up but comes at a price – she is forced to serve clients at all times no matter what.

Episode Nine:
Disillusioned with her life, Nana meets a young man (Peter Kassovitz) who treats her as a person as opposed to an object and takes an interest in her aspirations as an actress and her intellect. Proudly, she reveals to him that she did appear in an Eddie Constantine film though we never find out whether this is true or merely wishful thinking.

Episode Ten:
Her life continues as it did before though she feels increasingly drawn to the young man.

Episode Eleven:
Nana takes a break from ‘street walking’ and enters an establishment at the Place de Chatelet. She asks an elderly man at the table next to her to buy her a drink, presumably in the hope to make him her next client. Instead, the man (Brice Parain) invites her over to his table and the two embark on a lengthy philosophical discussion about life and happiness.

Episode Twelve:
Nana is certain that she is in love with the young man she recently met and intends on bidding her life of prostitution adieu. She writes a letter to Raoul explaining her motives. Raoul feels betrayed and forces her into his car with the intention on selling her to a rival pimp. During the exchange the pimps argue over money and Nana is killed in the ensuing gunfight.

Director Godard uses stark and atmospheric b/w photography (courtesy of Raoul Coutard) which gives the film even more of a documentary feel. He also encouraged Anna Karina (his then wife) to heavily improvise her dialogue by deliberately withholding her script lines until the day of shooting – thus further enhancing the impression that we are actually watching a documentary rather than a movie.

SPECIAL FEATURES of this DVD and Blu-ray release:

• Newly remastered (High Definition presentation on Blu-ray format)
• UK theatrical release version: alternative presentation incorporating English-language intertitles (Blu-ray only)
• Feature length audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
• Leslie Hardcastle introduces Vivre sa vie at the National Film Theatre (3 mins, 1968, audio only)
• In conversation: Anna Karina and Alistair Whyte ( 1973, 37 mins): rare archival interview
• Charlotte et Véronique, ou Tous les garçons s'appellent Patrick
(Jean-Luc Godard, 1957, 21 mins)
• Une Histoire d'eau (Jean-Luc Godard, 1958, 12 mins) delightful, romantic short co-directed by Truffauf
• Charlotte et son Jules (Jean-Luc Godard, 1958, 13 mins)
• Illustrated booklet featuring new writing by David Thompson and Virginie Sélavy and full film credits