Word: donnadieus
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...George Burns-style "Oh God!" flick. Instead, it uses Simon's transformation into God as a springboard for an examination of the heavy topics of faith and love. The townspeople in the idyllic Swiss village where the film is set act as a Greek chorus, offering commentary on the Donnadieus' story and the issues that arise from it. The film is full of tableaux of talking heads filmed against lush backdrops, uttering French-film fortune-cookie phrases like "Love equals prayer. Wrapping one's arm around someone, and clasping hands, is like praying," or "Resign one's self...
...film also addresses the nature of story telling itself. The story opens when a publisher arrives in the village, wanting more information about the Donnadieus' story. The publisher provides a voice-over, recounting how his ancestors used to go into the woods to light a fire and pray. As generations passed, aspects of that ritual were lost--the ability to pray, to light a fire, even to know where the sacred place was. All that remains in our generation is the ability to tell the story...
Godard consciously complicates the narration of the Donnadieus' story. The director has a history of experimenting with traditional narrative conventions. In his classic New Wave film, "Breathless," for instance, he mixed elements from the detective, comedy, and suspense genres. But "Helas Pour Moi" is far less straightforward than "Breathless." Godard plays with chronology and with point of view, shifting from the Donnadieus to the townspeople to the publisher and back in forth in time. The already fragmented narrative is further broken by repeated chapter titles and words on the screen. While a straightforward plot is by no means a requirement...
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