Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Every Man for Himself Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 26, 2015

Nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or Award, Jean-Luc Godard's "Every Man for Himself" a.k.a. "Sauve qui peut (la vie)" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new video interview with producer Marin Karmitz and actress Isabelle Huppert; archival interviews with composer Gabriel Yared, actress Nathalie Baye, and cinematographers Renato Berta and William Lubtchansky; new video essay by film historian Colin MacCabe; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic Amy Taubin. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Risky business

Life is a series of choices, some good, some bad. They define us and shape up the reality in which we exist. A few of us occasionally try to change it, but the majority of us simply learn to fit in; then we get old and eventually die. The process is repeated anew with every generation.

For years the three protagonists in Jean-Luc Godard’s Every Man for Himself have been comfortable with their choices. Now they have started reevaluating them and the realities they have created. Two have decided to reclaim their freedom by ending a frustrating relationship, while the third has chosen to turn her life around by becoming a better person.

Television director Paul Godard (Jacques Dutronc) still wants to be a father and husband, but he can’t tolerate the restrictions that come with his duties and most of the time feels like a bad actor trying to impress the wrong judges. His affair with Denise (Nathalie Baye), a talented film editor, has also become an unbearable distraction because he has come to realize that he has invested in it more of his time and emotions than he had initially expected. It is why now he prefers to be alone. Denise has decided to move to the countryside for similar reasons -- here she can be alone with her thoughts and free to make decisions without the approval of her moody lover. After years of working as a call girl, Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert) has learned to please even her most discriminating clients. She does not mind that her body is occasionally abused, but wants to be completely independent. While looking for a new apartment, she meets Denise.

Described by Godard as his “second first film” -- because it abolishes the radical style and tone of his ‘60s films -- Every Man for Himself is quite possibly the legendary director’s most conventional work. It is about the important choices people make in their lives and how time apparently moves differently in the realities they have created for them.

As the film’s protagonists struggle to make different adjustments in their lives, Godard uses slow motion to disrupt the rhythm of the narrative much like real events can impact our sense of reality. In the film these alterations seem completely unnatural, but they reflect the randomness and unpredictability that actually define what is perceived as reality. (The sudden death of a family member, for instance, can easily distort what we perceive as reality, but time will continue to have the same rhythm for everyone else). Sound gets a similar treatment from Godard. Sometimes random noises overlap the dialog, sometimes they are gradually filtered out, and sometimes sound is completely cut off. The idea again is to imitate how sound exists and is experienced by the film’s protagonists as well as in our own reality.

While Every Man for Himself isn’t infused with the uncompromising angst of Godard’s ‘60s films, there are still plenty of political statements in it. For example, when early in the film Isabelle is taught a painful lesson by the two pimps, Godard quickly declares that only the banks can be independent.

Godard shot the film with a script from Anne-Marie Miéville (First Name: Carmen, Here and Elsewhere) and Jean-Claude Carrière (Luis Bunuel’s Belle de jour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie). Portions of it were also inspired by the work of the great Beat poet Charles Bukowski.

Godard was also assisted by two different cinematographers: Renato Berta (Alain Tanner’s The Salamander) and William Lubtchansky (Francois Truffaut’s The Woman Next Door). The wonderful soundtrack was created by the great Lebanese-born composer Gabriel Yared (Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue).

Every Man for Himself Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean-Luc Godard's Every Man for Himself arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm sound negative. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX 4.

Transfer supervisor: Andre Labbouz/Gaumont, Paris.
Colorist: Giovanni Zimolo/Eclair Laboratories, Epinay-sur-Seine, France."

The technical presentation is good but slightly uneven. (I assume that the high-definition transfer has been sourced from Gaumont's restoration of Every Man for Himself as its basic characteristics are very similar to those of various presentations from the first wave of classic titles that entered the French label's Blu-ray catalog). Generally speaking, depth and clarity are very pleasing. Well-lit close-ups, in particular, look wonderful (see screencapture #3). Most wider panoramic shots also impress with good fluidity (see the sequence with the cyclists in the beginning of the film). Colors are stable and natural. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but grain appears to have been carefully toned down during the mastering process. As a result, select parts of the film could look slightly softer (see screencapture #12). Elsewhere it is also clear that grain could be better resolved (see screencapture #15). There are a few sequences where traces of extremely light sharpening can be spotted, but they never become even remotely distracting (see screencapture #13). Overall image stability is outstanding. There are no large cuts, debris, stains, scratches, or warps. Lastly, there are no encoding or compression anomalies to report in this review. All in all, there is some room for small improvements, but the film does have a pleasing organic appearance. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Every Man for Himself Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles.

The film is complimented by a wonderful soundtrack courtesy of Gabriel Yared, but the manner in which the music is used is rather unusual. For example, at times it is evenly balanced with random sounds and noises, while elsewhere themes are abruptly cut off. Obviously, however, all of these contrasts are part of the film's original sound design. The dialog is exceptionally crisp, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, background hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.

Every Man for Himself Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - restored original French trailer for Every Man for Himself. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080p).

• Godard 1980 - in this short film, Jean-Luc Godard discusses the commercial qualities of Every Man for Himself, the difficult task of being creative and successful at the same time, movement in cinema (and its similarities with movement in music), some of the political overtones in his work, etc. The film was made by Jon Jost, Don Ranvaud, and Peter Wollen, in association with the magazine Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• Scenario de "Sauve qui peut (la vie)" - in 1979, Jean-Luc Godard submitted this video piece to the Centre National du Cinema (CNC) to secure financing for his upcoming film, Every Man for Himself. In it the French director describes the different dilemmas the three protagonists -- Denise Rimbaud, Paul Godard, and Isabelle Rivière -- face and some of the decisions they make. There are random images as well, but their purpose is only to reveal the intended visual structure of the upcoming film (they are not extracted from it). In French, with optional English subtitles (21 min, 1080i).

• Sound, Image, and Every Man for Himself - in this video essay, film historian Colin MacCabe discusses the evolution of sound and movement in Jean-Luc Godard's films, the director's hostility to scripts, the identities of the main protagonists in Every Men for Himself, and some of the important references in the film. In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 1080p).

• Jean-Luc Godard on The Dick Cavett Show - presented here are two archival episodes of The Dick Cavett Show in which Jean-Luc Godard discusses the critical reception of Every Man for Himself in the U.S., the different motivations behind the actions of the three protagonists in the film, the use of sound and slow motion in the film, how his management of time and distance has evolved in his work, Jerry Lewis' popularity in Europe, etc. Also included is a very short promo piece. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Promo (1 min, 1080i).
  2. Episode 1 (29 min, 1080i).
  3. Episode 2 (29 min, 1080i).

• Interviews -
  
  1. Marin Karmitz - in this new video interview, Marin Karmitz, the founder of the French film production and distribution company MK2, discusses his professional relationship with Jean-Luc Godard and the production history of Every Man for Himself. Marin Karmitz, who directed three feature films between 1969 and 1972, also explains how Jean-Luc Godard helped him unlearn what he was taught in film school as well as precisely how his films after the May '68 events influenced an entire generation of European filmmakers. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In French, with optional English subtitles. (13 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Isabelle Huppert - in this new video interview, actress Isabelle Huppert recalls her initial encounter with Jean-Luc Godard (during the shooting of Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate) and discusses the unique qualities of her character in Every Man for Himself. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).
  
  3. Nathalie Baye - in this archival interview, actress Nathalie Baye discusses Jean-Luc Godard's directing methods, the shooting of Every Man for Himself in Switzerland, and the polarizing reactions after the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The interview was conducted by Dominique Maillet in 2010. In French, with optional English subtitles. (17 min, 1080i).
  
  4. Renato Berta and William Lubtchansky - presented here is archival footage from the German television program Godards Kameramanner, part of the series Kino 81, in which Swiss cinematographer Renato Berta and French cinematographer William Lubtchansky discuss their contribution to Every Man for Himself. The program was directed by Michael Kiler. In German and French, with optional English subtitles. (20 min, 1080i).
  
  5. Gabriel Yared - in this archival video interview, composer Gabriel Yared (Betty Blue, The Lover), recalls his initial encounter with Jean-Luc Godard and Marin Karmitz and explains how the soundtrack of Every Man for Himself came to exist. The interview was conducted by Dominique Maillet in 2010. In French, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, 1080i).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by Amy Taubin.

Every Man for Himself Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even if you only have a passing interest in the work of French director Jean-Luc Godard, I urge you consider adding Criterion's release of his Every Man for Himself to your collection. It has one of the very best selections of supplemental features that I have seen assembled for a catalog release. The film is hypnotically perverse but at times also irresistibly funny, surprisingly lyrical but still thought-provoking. As far as I am concerned, it remains one of the most enjoyable in Godard's post-Nouvelle Vague oeuvre. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.