Personal Reflection on Jean-Luc Godard's Cinematic Influence and Life-Saving Impact

The author recounts discovering cinema as an art form during undergraduate studies, exploring movements like Soviet montage, New German Cinema, Italian neorealism, and the French New Wave. Directors including Sergei Eisenstein, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Jean-Luc Godard stood out for blending Communist politics with stylistic innovation. Godard's 2001 feature Éloge de l'amour was screened during a season at Manchester's Cornerhouse, an independent cinema that closed in 2015. His early work, such as Masculin féminin (1966) and Weekend (1967), engaged with 1960s radicalism, critiquing capitalism through vivid imagery like a car pile-up scene referencing an Hermès handbag. Le Mépris (1963), filmed in Capri with cinematographer Raoul Coutard, starred Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, and Jack Palance, exploring communication breakdowns through Georges Delerue's theme music. The film subtly alluded to Bertolt Brecht's Hollywood struggles. Years later, during personal crises including Mark Fisher's death, Donald Trump's election, and depression, the author called the Samaritans and referenced a scene from Godard's Pierrot le Fou, where a character questions a suicide attempt. This connection helped the author address mental illness and re-engage with creative and political work, crediting Godard's imagery with saving their life.