French title – “Pierrot Le Fou” / English title – none
There is no actual English title of this French film to rate. I would go for the direct translation (of course!) and title it “Pierrot The Fool”. And a non-direct translation could be – “Ferdinand’s Folly”.
Here is my major French film confession – “Pierrot Le Fou” is only the second film by Jean-Luc Godard that I have seen. The other being “À Bout De Souffle” which translate as “At The End Of Breath”, but its actual English title is “Breathless”. Though they both deal with being on the run, the structures of the two films are different – “A Bout De Souffle” is a straight forward narrative that stays in chronological sequence, whereas “Pierrot Le Fou” is disjointed and without a linear chronology. The film is very much like the poem Marianne wrote about Ferdinand (or Pierrot as she calls him) – ‘tender and cruel, real and surreal, terrifying and funny…’ – a film that requires paying close attention due to everything that is thrown at the viewer. My assessment would be “artistic and ballistic”. Even though the setting is beautiful, being on the run is unsettling.
Film Facts: Director/Writer: Jean-Luc Godard, Novelist: Lionel White, Cinematographer: Raoul Coutard, Editor: Françoise Collin, Musician: Antoine Duhamel, Producers: Georges de Beauregard, Dino de Laurentiis, Production Companies: Films Georges de Beauregard, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Rome Paris Films, SNC
Film Type: Crime/Drama/Romance, Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo (Ferdinand Griffon), Anna Karina (Marianne Renoir), Graziella Galvani (Ferdinand’s wife), Samuel Fuller (Himself), Raymond Devos (The man on the pier), Dirk Sanders (Fred, Marianne’s brother), Jean-Pierre Léaud (The young man in the movie theatre), László Szabó (the political exile), Length: 110’, Language: French, Country: France, Year: 1965
Film trailer
United States release date Wednesday 8 January 1969
Shown before the film - the short “Allons-y! Alonzo!”
Director/Writer: Camille Moulin-Dupré, Producer: Vivement lundi!, Film Type: Animation, Length: 7’52, Language: French, Year: 2009
“A tribute to French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo.”
Images:
Left: Front side of the ticket for “Pierrot Le Fou”
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Pierot Le Fou” created by Adrean Darce Brent
There is no actual English title of this French film to rate. I would go for the direct translation (of course!) and title it “Pierrot The Fool”. And a non-direct translation could be – “Ferdinand’s Folly”.
Here is my major French film confession – “Pierrot Le Fou” is only the second film by Jean-Luc Godard that I have seen. The other being “À Bout De Souffle” which translate as “At The End Of Breath”, but its actual English title is “Breathless”. Though they both deal with being on the run, the structures of the two films are different – “A Bout De Souffle” is a straight forward narrative that stays in chronological sequence, whereas “Pierrot Le Fou” is disjointed and without a linear chronology. The film is very much like the poem Marianne wrote about Ferdinand (or Pierrot as she calls him) – ‘tender and cruel, real and surreal, terrifying and funny…’ – a film that requires paying close attention due to everything that is thrown at the viewer. My assessment would be “artistic and ballistic”. Even though the setting is beautiful, being on the run is unsettling.
Film Facts: Director/Writer: Jean-Luc Godard, Novelist: Lionel White, Cinematographer: Raoul Coutard, Editor: Françoise Collin, Musician: Antoine Duhamel, Producers: Georges de Beauregard, Dino de Laurentiis, Production Companies: Films Georges de Beauregard, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Rome Paris Films, SNC
Film Type: Crime/Drama/Romance, Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo (Ferdinand Griffon), Anna Karina (Marianne Renoir), Graziella Galvani (Ferdinand’s wife), Samuel Fuller (Himself), Raymond Devos (The man on the pier), Dirk Sanders (Fred, Marianne’s brother), Jean-Pierre Léaud (The young man in the movie theatre), László Szabó (the political exile), Length: 110’, Language: French, Country: France, Year: 1965
Film trailer
United States release date Wednesday 8 January 1969
Shown before the film - the short “Allons-y! Alonzo!”
Director/Writer: Camille Moulin-Dupré, Producer: Vivement lundi!, Film Type: Animation, Length: 7’52, Language: French, Year: 2009
“A tribute to French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo.”
Images:
Left: Front side of the ticket for “Pierrot Le Fou”
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Pierot Le Fou” created by Adrean Darce Brent
Right: Jean-Paul Belmondo as Ferdinand Griffon and Anna Karina as Marianne Renoir from the website colcoa.org
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"artistic and ballistic" is interesting!
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