Summaries

Synopsis

Godard & Others is a cool, unconventional comedy taking a satirical swipe at cinemas loss of radicalism whilst acknowledging the harsh realities of guerrilla filmmaking. It is shot in an experimental style with a mixture of live action, animation and screen titles.

We follow the adventures of two young guerrilla filmmakers (Beatie and Daly) in contemporary London. Believing that radical cinema is in critical if not terminal decline, they strive to produce no-budget films with style but also with meaning. In doing so they inevitably come into conflict with anti-terror laws under which the police can stop and search anyone filming in a public place. But this perceived assault on their liberty and creativity only adds to the sense of doomed romanticism which Beatie and Daly cultivate through their filmmaking - and in their relationship.

In their search for cinematic meaning they find inspiration in films of an earlier, more radical age. The French Nouvelle Vague has a special fascination for them, particularly Godards La Chinoise: they seem to see something of themselves in its doomed protagonists. This leads them to seek out other like-minded people and they link up with the Hammer and Plough Film Collective, a radicalised group of young film-makers lead by an older, self-assured American (Kaufman).

But Daly becomes unsure about the groups work - recording the minutiae of every day life as a catalogue of struggle. He wants to make a great film, a memorable film. Their cinema verité wont do, and he begins to drift away from the group. But while Beatie has her own reservations about their tactics, she perseveres - possibly because she is becoming attracted to Kaufman.

Beatie and Daly begin to lead more separate lives. He struggles in increasing isolation to make his perfect film whilst she and Kaufman become ever closer. This tortures Daly: as socialists, monogamy is supposed to be anathema to them. Yet he cant hide his jealousy. After a showdown, Beatie kicks Daly out of their home. Distraught, he takes refuge in a bedsit, and in his cinematic mission

Beatie and Kaufman continue to work together and their comradeship grows. Then one night after yet another exciting brush with the authorities Beatie finally asks him to stay completely unaware until that point that he is gay. Beatie is mortified with embarrassment. Like Daly, she is left alone with her tarnished ideology and her regrets.

Throughout the film, interwoven with the story of Beatie and Daly, is a lecture given by a cynical yet charismatic teacher (Torrence) to a new generation of film school students. The lecture covers many aspects of the challenges facing cinema, but at its core is a masterclass on how to survive as a guerrilla filmmaker in todays surveillance society.