THE PLOT THUS FAR
Jean-Luc Godard’s densely packed rumination on the need to create order and beauty in a world ruled by chaos is divided into four distinct but tangentially related stories, including the attempts by a young group of idealists to stage a play in war-torn Sarajevo and an elderly director’s efforts to complete his film.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“For Ever Mozart” is so self-indulgent that it seems more like a Film School project. Godard is continuing to replay themes that he has been working on since the late 1960s. The difference is that he’s now an old man hiding behind pretension to pass off his artistic farts. On the commentary track, Hal Hartley tries to frame a lot of the choices. But, it still comes across as a director outlasting his prime. As the years go on, I’m starting to agree more and more with what Tarantino said about aging directors. There are several exceptions to the rule, however Godard is not one of them.
Godard in the last few decades has been more miss than hit. While I like how awkward his King Lear was, most of the choices seem to have arrived from interference via Cannon Films. The movies that were left unfiltered either benefited from controversy or the fact they were seldom seen. If you have a new Godard fan in your life, I wouldn’t bring this out first. Hell, I wouldn’t bring out anywhere in the Top 10. This is an arthouse flick that you have to build up to, it might be too much for most cinephiles.
The Blu-Ray comes with featurettes, commentary, booklet and a trailer. The LPCM 2.0 track holds up better than I expected. Still, it’s lossy. At least the 1080p transfer was strong. I say this having never seen the film prior to home video. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to Godard fans.
RELEASE DATE: 01/07/2014
