Contempt

1964
7.5| 1h43m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 18 December 1964 Released
Producted By: Rome-Paris Films
Country: Italy
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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A philistine in the art film business, Jeremy Prokosch is a producer unhappy with the work of his director. Prokosch has hired Fritz Lang to direct an adaptation of "The Odyssey," but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb at the box office, he brings in a screenwriter to energize the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.

Genre

Drama, Romance

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Director

Jean-Luc Godard

Production Companies

Rome-Paris Films

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Contempt Audience Reviews

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
Pluskylang Great Film overall
Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .
Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic
SnoopyStyle Director Fritz Lang (himself) is filming the Odyssey. Sleazy American producer Jeremy Prokosch (Jack Palance) is angry at Lang's overly artistic vision and hires writer Paul Javal (Michel Piccoli) to rework the script. The playboy Prokosch takes Paul's wife Camille (Brigitte Bardot) on a ride. Paul and Camille struggle with their troubled relationship.Jack Palance plays the most interesting character. I like the first act as he gets in between the couple and even the constant translation. I'm less interested in the fighting couple. It's a stylized breakdown of a marriage and not really my taste. It might be all kinds of hidden artistic fun being had but all I got is Bardot's bare bottom. The style keeps the couple at a distance. I never really got involved in their troubles.
gavin6942 Screenwriter Paul Javal's marriage to his wife Camille disintegrates during movie production as she spends time with the producer. Layered conflicts between art and business ensue.The first thing that really grabbed me about this was Fritz Lang. Not only acting (which is unusual) but appearing as himself, or at least a fictional version of himself. Lang was greatly in decline by the 1960s, having arguably done his best work in the 20s and 30s. Who knew he was even still around? But beyond that, there is an interesting story here of jealousy and show business. Even "contempt", though that must be at the absolute extreme. It would be hard to live in a world where your spouse is constantly paired romantically with beautiful people.
valadas Definitively I go on affirming that I don't understand why Godard is reckoned by critics in general one of the greatest movie directors ever and particularly this movie as one of the best ever made. This film is the usual old story with supposedly deep and almost meaningless dialogues and hollow meaningless scenes almost totally unprovided with the dramatic vibration which should be suited to the story that is (or seems to be) behind. Everything is around a film that is being made based on Homer's Odyssey without a clear explanation about what it has to do with the rest I mean the real life of the characters, their tendencies and conflicts. The dialogue scenes between husband and wife (Piccoli and Bardot) are particularly long, dull and psychologically confusing. And as usual in Godard's movies it ends abruptly without any significative outcome despite the tragic happening at the end. In this movie things happen one after another, characters go on talking here and there and that's all. But as I have said many times before concerning Godard's movies,the fault must be mine.
Sindre Kaspersen Jean-Luc Godard's 6th feature film tells the story of American film producer Jeremy Prokosch, highly regarded Austrian-American filmmaker Fritz Lang and novelist and screenwriter Paval Javal who are collaborating on a film adaption of Homer's "Oddysey", which causes critical disagreements. The process estranges the screenwriter from his wife Giorgia Moll, and the rising conflict between the three men results in her becoming the fourth member of the production.French-Swiss film critic and director Jean-Luc Godard's adaption of an Italian novel written by Albert Moravia in 1954 called "II disprezzo", is an Italian-French co-production shot exclusively in Italy, which centres on the marital challenges a young couple faces during a pretentious film production. This vigorous drama from La Nouvelle Vague's most prominent and outspoken representative is an intriguing illustration of the filmmaking process constructed through a linear narrative which is accompanied by French composer Georges Delerue's melodic and instrumental theme song.Jean-Luc Godard's directing in this film within a film is striking. The way he uses repetitions of previous scenes to create subtle transitions, the long takes where the pace is progressed by the dialog, the fast tracking shots, his attenuate camera movements, his structured perspectives and the tension he manages to maintain while depicting rich character portrayals of the two protagonists embodied by Michel Piccoli and Brigitte Bardot, is impressive. The ravishing cinematography by Raoul Coutard, especially of the alluring landscapes on the Capri Island and the luminous milieu depictions creates evident contrasts to the main characters' contradictory relationship. "Le Mépris" has a throughout uncanny atmosphere and the memorable scenes with Michel Piccoli and Brigitte Bardot are finely acted in a film that possesses the distinctions of a masterpiece.