Colorful Radicals: Jean-Luc Godard's Week-End
Violent car crashes, murder plots, infidelity, fashion and radicals: Jean-Luc Godard's Week-End.
Jean Yanne and Mireille Darc
Set largely on the French countryside, Jean-Luc Godard's Week-End is an experimental and challenging work that questions the seemingly senseless nature of modern life. The film follows a philandering middle-class couple as they head to the countryside to help an ailing family member meet his impending demise. Why? They wanted to expedite the inheritance process. Their adventure turns into more than they bargained for as they encounter a series of bloody car accidents, violent revolutionaries and historical reenactments that offer meditations on class struggle. A black comedy at its core, Week-End is one of Godard's noteworthy features.
Juliet Berto as the Radical
Fashion wise, the film features an impressive array of 1960's clothing. The exquisite styling offers a wealth of ideas as the sunglasses, dresses, skirts, shoes and haircuts are timeless.
Released in 1967, Week-End stars Mireille Darc, Jean Yanne, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Yves Afons and Juliet Berto.
Tinted Lens: Jean-Louis Trintignant in Z
Costa-Gavras's Z. An iconic political thriller with scene-stealing eyeglasses.
Costa-Gavras's riveting 1969 film, Z, is a fact-based account of the events surrounding the 1963 assassination of Greek politician, activist, athlete, and physician, Grigoris Lambrakis. A stunning achievement that features outstanding performances, fluid camera work, and excellent writing, this political nail-biter is a treat for anyone who loves great films.
Z also stars a fashionable pair of spectacles. Legendary actor, Jean-Louis Trintignant, portrays the Examining Magistrate, Christos Sartzetakis, and wears a stylish pair of bold eyeglasses that add a dapper touch to his expertly-tailored suits. The scene-stealing glasses are fitted with tinted lenses that are elegant and sophisticated. This style of eyewear has made a comeback in recent years, as they look great with dressy or casual wear.
Bibi Andersson in Persona
Bibi Andersson's style in Persona is as iconic as the feature itself.
Ingmar Bergman's Persona oozes with style. The legendary director would shudder at that description of his thought-provoking film. However, every still from the beautifully-shot feature is fit for a fashion magazine.
The film centers on the day-to-day interactions between a famous actress (Liv Ullmann) who has become mute and the nurse (Bibi Andersson) who's hired to take care of her. As they spend time together at a secluded seaside home, their identities merge.
Sunglasses in motion.
This psychological thriller has challenged audiences for decades. But Andersson's style in Persona is as iconic as the feature itself. Her pixie cut, bold sunglasses/eyeglasses frames, sun hats, and stylish dresses are mainstays of modern fashion.
Jean Seberg Leaves Us Breathless
What's old is new: Jean Seberg's sophisticated style in Breathless continues to influence fashion trends across the globe.
Jean Seberg gave the performance of a lifetime in Jean-Luc Godard's breakthrough film, Breathless (À bout de souffle). Seberg stars as Patricia, an American journalism student who gets mixed up with a petty thief and murderer, Michel, in 1960's Paris. Breathless blends the intrigue of film noir with the gangster genre and was a critical and commercial smash.
Seberg's style in Breathless continues to influence fashion trends across the globe. Her pixie cut, cat eyeliner, loafers, pleated skirt, stripped dresses and shirts, printed tee, cropped pants and shorts, fedora, and sleek shades have been fashion staples for decades. Breathless co-stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as Michel.
La Notte: Existentialism & Style
Existentialism, modern life, long-term relationships, custom-made Italian suits, and cocktail dresses.
Wrestling with a fledgling relationship? Pondering the meaning of post-modern life? Looking for new fashion ideas? Michelangelo Antonioni's La Notte will make you rethink modern life, style, and the nature of long-term relationships. The second installment in Antonioni's "trilogy of modernity," this captivating film features fine performances by Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau, and Monica Vitti.
Fashion wise, La Notte is classic and sophisticated. Male actors wear a bevy of custom-made Italian suits, while females don stunning cocktail dresses, and everything from pearl earrings to fur coats.
Cléo from 5 to 7
Paris, the polka dot dress and a cancer scare: Agnes Varda's Cléo from 5 to 7.
Agnes Varda's iconic Cléo from 5 to 7 is a daring slice of life film about a Parisian pop singer awaiting the results of a medical test. Corinne Marchand stars as the film's titular character and gives a breathtaking performance that ranges from childlike despair to self-actualization.
This thought provoking film is expertly written, directed, and acted. The streets of Paris radiate in black and white, and Cleo's effortless style and sophistication are a sight to behold. Keep your eyes peeled for cameos by legendary actress and fashion icon, Anna Karina, and world-renowned French New Wave director, Jean-Luc Godard.