Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Pierrot le fou Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 18, 2020

Jean-Luc Godard's "Pierrot le fou" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; archival interview with Anna Karina; documentary programs; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The text below was initially used in our review of the first release of Pierrot le fou.

Do a quick search on Pierrot le fou to see what other critics think of Jean-Luc Godard’s film and you would discover something very interesting - the overwhelming majority of them talk about what the film isn’t. They insist - and I agree - that Pierrot le fou is neither a crime film nor a comedy. Then, many of them proceed to talk about what their initial reaction to the film was. I would like to break the status quo and attempt to describe what Pierrot le fou actually is. Hopefully, this wouldn't annoy those of you who already feel at ease with the Gallic director's body of work.

Pierrot le fou is an experimental film. It was apparently shot without a script, though director Godard was very particular about its dialog. The film does have a story, but as you would quickly notice once you start watching it, it is incredibly complex, to the point of being impossible to fully deconstruct.

The two main characters in Pierrot le fou are Ferdinand Griffon a.k.a. "Pierrot" (Jean-Paul Belmondo, Le professionnel) and Marianne Renoir (Anna Karina, Vivre sa vie). We first meet them at a chic party of some sort where they bump into each other. By the end of the night, they are already running away from everything and everyone that they have ever known. We don't immediately understand why.

As the film progresses, we learn that Marianne and Pierrot are former lovers. We also learn that Marianne has killed a man. Again, we don't immediately understand why, but from what we are shown through flashbacks, we begin to suspect that she might have been involved with a group of arms traffickers. We assume that somewhere something went terribly wrong, and this is why she is now on the run with Pierrot.

Like a Dostoevsky novel, Pierrot le fou demands utmost concentration - there is a lot in the film that you would miss if you do not pay close attention. Take for example the middle section of Pierrot le fou, where Marianne and her lover stage a small play for a group of American tourists. Now, focus on the lines the two lovers utter - there is a very blunt political statement behind them.

Here's something else that is very interesting (and typical for other Godard films) - Marianne and Pierrot are well aware that you, the audience, are watching them. Halfway through Pierrot le fou, Marianne would look in director Godard's camera and, literally, "talk" to you.

Seen from a slightly different angle, Pierrot le fou can also be described as an experimental lesson by a former film critic (director Godard was once a critic for Cahiers du Cinéma). Again, though, you have to pay close attention to what is being said, when and where, in order to grasp the lesson. A proper knowledge in classical cinema, for example, could also be helpful in decoding Marianne and Pierrot's actions (many scenes in Pierrot le fou are clever replicas of familiar scenes from big classic films).

Finally, Pierrot le fou isn't only a visual litmus test designed to measure your intellectual capabilities of thinking and reasoning, it is also a bold statement from a director announcing that he is abandoning the canons and principles of conventional cinema.

*Pierrot le fou premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 1965 where it was nominated for Golden Lion Award. During the same year, it was also awarded the Sutherland Trophy at the British Film Institute Awards.

Pierrot le fou Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pierrot le fou arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution from the 35mm original camera negative at Scanlab in Saint-Cloud, France. A previous digital master approved by cinematographer Raoul Coutard was used as a color reference. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from a 35mm optical soundtrack positive using Avid's Pro Tools and iZotope RX.

Colorist: Reginald Gallienne/Scanlab."

This classic film was first released on Blu-ray in 2009. (You can see our review of the first release here). At the time I thought that the presentation was very nice, and now, more than a decade later, I have not changed my mind at all.

The previous release was sourced from a master that was approved by cinematographer Raoul Coutard, so obviously efforts were made to ensure that the presentation is good and accurate. This upcoming release offers a different presentation of the film. First, I think that it is a healthier presentation, but this is an expected improvement because the current technology that is used to produce new masters is superior. I did some direct comparisons with the previous release and on my system the new master produces all-around sharper (nor sharpened) visuals with better definition. How big is the difference? In close-ups it is quite easy to appreciate (see screencapture #23). However, in wider panoramic shots there are a lot of variations and I am unsure if untrained eyes will immediately spot the difference. Second, the new master has a new color scheme. In one particular area -- the party sequence in the beginning of the film -- the entire font is altered (see screencapture #18). I don't know which color font is correct, so I am only highlighting the difference. The new color scheme is slightly warmer, but as the screencaptures demonstrate the primaries actually retain identical values. In other words, the difference is in the range of nuances that support the primaries. Saturation levels are more or less identical. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain is better exposed, but it is quite clear now that the previous release was sourced from an older master that reveals some limitations. Image stability is excellent. Finally, while I was watching the film I felt that there were quite a few areas where the density levels of the visuals could be better. This isn't a 'flaw', but my gut-feeling is that even in 1080p ideally this film should have an overall slightly tighter appearance. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order order to access its content).

Pierrot le fou Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The only minor difference that I could detect was in terms of sharpness. During some of the busier footage it seemed like the sound was a tad sharper, maybe even better defined. I don't know if the encoding might have produced the difference, but this is what I heard on my system. The dialog is clear and very easy to follow.

Pierrot le fou Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Anna Karina - in this archival interview, Anna Karina recalls what it was like to work with Jean-Luc Godard and discusses her character, Marianne Renoir. The interview was recorded for Criterion at the Brasserie Lipp in Paris in 2007. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080i).

• A Pierrot primer - this segment, with commentary by filmmaker and educator Jean-Pierre Gorin (Tout va bien, Letter to Jane), presents an introduction to Pierrot le fou. In English, not subtitled. (36 min, 1080i).

• "Belmondo in the Wind" - in the following excerpted program, Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina comment on Jean-Paul Belmondo's role in Pierrot le fou and his easy desposition as an actor and collaborator. The interviews were recorded during the film's production by journalist Mario Beunat, for the television series Panorama, and originally aired on June 18, 1965. In French, with optional English subtitles. (10 min, 1080i).

• Venice Film Festival, 1965 - Pierrot le fou premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion Award. During the event, Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina were interviewed by Maurice Seveno and Christian Durieux for a French TV news segment on the festival that originally aired on September 2, 1965. Excerpts from the segment are presented here. In French, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080i).

• Godard, L'amour, La poesie - a fifty-three minute documentary created by French filmmaker Luc Lagier in 2007, tracing Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina's marriage and films, from Le petit soldat through Pierrot le fou. The documentary also includes interviews with Karina and Godard collaborators Charles Bitsch, Raoul Coutard, Jean Douchet, and Jean-Paul Savignac. In French, with optional English subtitles. (53 min, 1080i).

• Trailer - vintage trailer. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - featuring essay by critic Richard Brody, along with a 1969 review by Andrew Sarris and a 1965 interview with Godard

Pierrot le fou Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This upcoming Blu-ray release of Pierrot le fou is sourced from a recent 2K restoration which gives the film a fresher and healthier appearance. However, I still think that the first release from 2009 offers a really nice presentation which also happens to be different. If you like the film, you will have to compare these releases to decide whether to upgrade. All of the bonus features from the previous release are retained. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.