Kyle’s Criterion Corner: Every Man For Himself & Watership Down

by | Mar 3, 2015 | FILM & TV

Every Man For Himself
1980 (France)
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Spine #744
Criterion Collection Blu-Ray, DVD, and Hulu-Plus

Godard called Every Man For Himself his “second first film,” in that he was beginning a new chapter in his filmmaking career, setting up and experimenting with his own rules again. He was done making left-wing experimental videos and trying to return to more “mainstream” films, reminiscent of his 60’s output.

Every Man For Himself
1980 (France)
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Spine #744
Criterion Collection Blu-Ray, DVD, and Hulu-Plus

Godard called Every Man For Himself his “second first film,” in that he was beginning a new chapter in his filmmaking career, setting up and experimenting with his own rules again. He was done making left-wing experimental videos and trying to return to more “mainstream” films, reminiscent of his 60’s output. The title for the film is its mission statement and its characters are the vessels for it. Every Man follows handsome but despondent TV director Paul Godard (assume this is self-referential, but the role is played wonderfully by singer-songwriter Jacques Dutronc); his girlfriend Denise Rimbaud (Nathalie Baye), who is growing displaced; and the prostitute he frequents, Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert), who seems to be handling her existence and self-proclaimed “humiliating workload” seemingly well. Each character divides up various sections of the film, entitled “The Imaginary,” “Fear,” “Commerce,” and finally, “Music”–which includes all three protagonists to varying degrees.

The spirit of the 60’s was still alive and well for Godard, as this film isn’t too far thematically from his French New Wave successes. Every Man For Himself‘s lack of strong narrative is somehow about what isn’t present. A lot of what you’re seeing and experiencing feels like just the tip of the iceberg. The film’s power of suggestion is perhaps its strongest attribute, but it’s also an empty one. Seeing the choices the characters either do or don’t make creates the overall conflict. Every Man is not Godard’s strongest film by any means, but it is a nice avenue for fans to get more of the same without retreading familiar waters. It’s a beautiful film, and the sound is well put together and plays with the characters in an creative way. The Criterion transfer is quite nice and captures the overshadowing feel of this moody film. Taking out its rough edges gives the film a more clean impression, which might be an adjustment for those already familiar with it. The pleasant but dated music of Grabriel Yared is delightfully 80s and European. It feels like an unintentional juxtaposition in a film that itself doesn’t actually feel dated.

While this is probably not essential Godard, Criterion wonderfully complemented it with a strong amount of bonus material. The supplements included feature Godard on two very entertaining episodes of The Dick Cavett Show, discussing his then-newly released film. It’s interesting to watch Godard comment on the critiques of his film, and speak about what he was going for with the more experimental explorations of his characters. With the somewhat gimmicky video exploration and use of slow motion, which thankfully does not distract too much from the actual film, it is pretty simple to understand his aim. Whether it is a worthwhile endeavor is up to the viewer. The bonus material also includes a film essay, interviews with cast and crew, and Godard’s own short video used to secure the financing of the film.

Every Man For Himself suffers from Godard’s decline to offer any actual satisfaction from the story. Its complexity never feels fully formed or thoroughly articulated to a satisfying degree. We get three contrasting characters who have ties to each other that feel, well, overly convenient, and at this point perhaps retroactively cliché, in that they have this over-reaching connection but do not actually realize it. The use of slow motion allows the viewer to examine characters in better depth, but says nothing too new, despite Godard’s careful execution. It works, but doesn’t work well enough. The film feels personal and maybe is even somewhat of a French satire (Godard jokingly stated a more appropriate English title would have been “Save Your Ass”). The acting is there, but the film suffers from a tone that follows its own flippant beat and never executes its own fragmented potential fully. It’s beautiful, seemingly passive, and perhaps even true, but never designed to be sustaining. Every Man is not essential Godard, but highly recommended for fans and those willing to watch the filmmaker grow.

Watership Down
1978 (United States)
Director: Martin Rosen
Spine #748
Criterion Collection Blu-Ray, DVD, and Hulu-Plus

Nature is cruel. Maybe that was the only intentional truth presented by Richard Adams’ breakout 1972 novel, Watership Down. Adams always claimed the novel was not an allegory for anything in particular–maybe an environmental one, but it essentially existed to entertain children on long car rides. The story is about of group of brave rabbits who decide to migrate to a presumably safer area after one of their own has premonitions of impending death. Despite the risk involved, they buck the system and go out on their own, experiencing adventure and danger along the way. This is easier said than done, as their departure is considered treason within their ranks, and mutiny is not something defenseless rabbits should indulge in lightly. Fraught with paranoia, death, violence, tension, perseverance, and a general overtone of sadness, Watership Down is quite unlike any other movie you’d expect to find kids watching. Essentially, it’s an animated war movie featuring rabbits and their struggle with hierarchy and the world around them that seemingly wants to destroy them. Predators are everywhere and time is catching up to them.

Outside of Disney’s own monolithic output, it’s hard to think of a more deserving animated film to be inducted in Criterion’s admittedly sparse cannon of animated features than Watership Down. Its status is barely above cult-level among movie fans. The source material is essential for this film, which provides a concise yet detailed presentation of the world depicted in Richard Adams’ classic novel. In fact, some of the actual locations do exist in the real world. The voice talents really sell the characters, and the cast features veterans such as John Hurt, Ralph Richardson, Richard Briers, and Denholm Elliot. A big highlight is Zero Mostel as the black-headed gull, Kehaar, who speaks in broken English with a Norwegian accent. It’s a strange but memorable portrayal. The film is a must see for anybody interested in animation, or epics featuring anamorphic rabbits. It’s a complex tale with very few easy answers or meanings. The film’s take on religion, god, creation, and the afterlife is truly fascinating and really makes it a unique exploration of its world.

The lush watercolor look for the artwork is really appealing and wonderful to look at. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, gives the film a crisp look and clean but layered backdrop. Visually, it never gets dull. The bonus material features a short history of the film from director Martin Rosen, which provides great insight into how films like this come to fruition, along with an awesome anecdote about Art Garfunkel, whose song “Bright Eyes” is featured in the film. The song actually went to number one and was the biggest selling UK single in 1979. The gem of the special features is Guillermo del Toro’s interview about the film’s importance in animation history. There is also a 2005 mini-documentary about the animation team that made the film, plus storyboards and a trailer.

It’s hard to say whether Watership Down is actually intended for children, though the novel was certainly created with them in mind. This tale of nature, mortality, socio-politics, and adventure never feels pandering and is unique even today. Upon its release, it passed with a “U” for Universal by the British Board of Film Classification, though it still receives complaints from presumably scarred children’s parents. The film has routinely been described as “dark,” and it’s not hard to recognize why. It’s not typical to see heroes of animated films mauled or caught in deadly traps at a moment’s notice. While many films intended for children have been on the “dark” side since Watership’s release, none seem to hold a candle to this film where this quality is concerned. It feels like a relief when the film finally comes to a close, as the tension and the terror for these creatures finally comes to an end. Even if your heart hangs heavy after watching something like this, though, very few films can you movie quite like Watership Down.

Kyle Shearin

Kyle Shearin

Powered by coffee, Kyle Shearin is a regular contributor for RVAmag for better part of the decade. Mr. Shearin studied journalism/film at VCU while eventually graduating from the University of Mary Washington with a B.A. in English Lit. Started KCC (Kyle's Criterion Corner) in 2015. Probably likes a lot of the same stuff you do.




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