Towards a Imago-Linguistic Exodus
In the final paper for this class I’m trying to remain particularly attentive to Jean Luc-Godard’s emphasis on language and the linguistic exodus. As I noted in previous posts, I’m interested in reading Godard’s use of certain stylistic conventions as being indicative of his movement away from traditional Hollywood cinema and conventional narrative language. Although this observation is validated with consideration for 2 ou 3 choses, I want to devote some attention to Weekend (1967). With Weekend, Godard’s interest in what Paolo Virno refers to as a linguistic exodus really becomes most intelligible. Here, the audience witnesses a more intense and radical departure from the conventions of mainstream or narrative based cinema. In a sense, one can see that Godard even goes as far as to purposefully disturb the viewer, including scenes that document the slaying of livestock and lengthy tracking shots of devastating car accidents.
Before I get to the stylistic conventions that Godard employs, it seems necessary to comment on the ways that Godard alludes to this move in both films. As will soon become apparent to any viewer, Godard is an incredibly self-conscious director. With these two films, this comes out in the exchanges that occur between different characters. Whereas the female protagonist in 2 ou 3 choses argues that we are in need of a new language, considering that the old one really fails to represent anything accurately, in Weekend the dialogue serves to further emphasize Godard’s departure from more traditional forms of representation; what he refers to as the “grammatical.” What Godard argues for instead, is the “flamboyance” of cinema. Although what this actually means remains a little confusing, one can see that he is departing from traditional narrative form and structure with more intensity than in any of his previous films.
As I remarked in a previous post, Godard seems to be interested in the same type of departure that Paolo Virno discusses with regard for language. Whereas Virno argues that in order to escape the political institution the human-animal must find a new or different language, Godard seems interested in different forms or styles of expression. In Multitude: between Innovation and Negation, Virno argues that if the current system of language (the grammatical plane) is too oppressive, we need to move somewhere else. Unfortunately, just as Virno remains a little ambiguous as to where we might go or what effects this might have on people and language, Godard is ultimately a little vague himself.
I guess the one redeeming factor of Godard’s work in Weekend is that he seems to be working towards a new type of language or grammar; a new formula for rendering the horrors that we encounter on a daily basis. This is to say that whereas Virno simply alludes to the linguistic exodus, Godard at least tries to figure out what the new language – the endpoint – might look like. Of course, for a more traditional audience, this language might not be the most appealing. Weekend includes a nine minute long tracking shot of a traffic jam and car accident, a slow circling view of a barnyard and pianist playing Mozart, and includes, as a cast, a highway rapist and a band of gypsy cannibals that marinate their victims with egg yolk.
In my reading, Godard’s film is less of an attempt to confront than an effort to confound. This is to say that Godard seems less interested in perversity than in the rather blank confusion that he renders brilliantly in various scenes. As our discussion at the end of class indicated, the viewer is left in a strange state of stasis, neither wholly sure nor unsure what to make of each scene or situation. Should we be horrified that the images of youth rebellion are tied to cannibalism and general savagery or amused with Godard’s portrayal? This evidences Godard’s interest in moving into a system of language that is still completely confusing to the audience; an audience that has largely been instructed as to how film should be read.
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