Fahrenheit / Alphaville

I am in a state of completely disturbed pleasance. That is to say I am ultimately confused by my feelings and comforted by the love story revealed at the end of Jean Luc Godard’s film Alphaville. For some reason, this piece of work forces me to see Godard as somewhat of a demented person whom I wish could be like mentally challenged person whom is capable of producing absolutely brilliant pieces of art. Yet, that description still fails to place my emotion as the awe I feel after finding out that an amazing piece of work has been created by a mentally challenged person—one who is ultimately in many senses an outcast of society. In that case, where I encounter a deft artist who is mentally challenged, it is my own prejudice that slaps me in the face. However, this, in the case of Godard, is something different it’s something so odd and twisted. It is an experiment as sick as the one the people of Alphaville are living in.
After experiencing the twisted and futuristic sci-fi like films of Fahrenheit 451 and Alphaville it is fare to say that each director tested their ability to strike and disturb the audience through story line, subject matter, imagery, dialogue, editing, and music in each of these films. Each of these directors seeks to disturb viewers using similar themes but implementing them in distinctly different ways. Each director focuses on conveying a future where life is dictated to masses and people ultimately behave as if they have little or no say of choice in the actions they take. Nevertheless, regardless if each director is conveying a future of ignorance or of fear each achieves their prime objective of disturbing the viewer.
Godard’s Alphaville is effective at agitating the viewer. Everything in Godard’s film is off-beat. From the very beginning the viewer perturbed. This film has no real introduction nor does he provide anything that sets the scene until thirty-six minutes into the movie—after a third of the film has already been shown—when we find out Lemmy is a spy. Godard continues what seems to be a science experiment on the audience with overly dramatic music juxtaposed to the most mundane acts. When Lemmy is fighting an unidentified man in the bathroom of his hotel the music is either melodic or silent. This method completely confuses the viewer and forces one to question if this movie was edited correctly. Moreover, the lack of linear edits, the quick cuts from one shot to another further confuses the viewer. The view of a car driving on a road back to Lemmy in the hotel room seems to pose no connection at all. In addition to what the viewer sees he hears a harsh fragmented voice that sounds as if it’s from a horror movie. With so many unexplained instances the viewer is in a constant state if unrest and tension.
Although Lemmy would pummel Montage in a fight yet, Montage proves to be a more disturbing protagonist than Lemmy. As Lemmy proves five in to Alphavillve he has no trouble acting shrewd, fighting, and killing people the moment he feels threatened. As a secret agent we expect him to be the action hero prevailing in the same manner as James Bond. To lie, cheat, steal, and kill are all justified acts of a trained spy. However, Montage, a mild mannered fireman on the brink of promotion, who has ascending the ranks through cooperating and promoting the norms, customs, and laws of a frightfully bizarre future is compelled to murder his boss—looking him in the eye as he burns him alive with the fire-hose. Montage murder of a character that he is shown to have a standing relationship with is far more chilling than the faceless numberless killings Lemmy commits. The context of this type of behavior proves that Montage is more brutal than Lemmy and that Fahrenheit 451 is more effective at leaving a disturbed audience.
However the dram that continues throughout the film grabs the viewer’s attention and causes one to continually regard what they see as a serious piece of cinema. Despite all of the Flashing e=mc2 writings, the stagnant shots of the number 6 throughout the film, and an abundance of unexplained character and behavior the drama prevails. I my opinion Alphaville is the better movie while Fahrenheit 451 is more disturbing.