Jean-Luc Godard has passed away at age 91.
The pioneering French-Swiss filmmaker, whose French New Wave films include “Contempt,” “My Life to Live,” and “Breathless,” has left behind an extraordinary legacy.
On Tuesday, the French publication “Liberation” reported that Godard’s death was reported by those close to him.
The cause of death remains unknown.
Throughout his career, he joined many of his peers in criticizing the so-called “tradition of excellence” of mainstream French cinema.
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According to him, it “emphasized skill over creativity, favored established directors over new ones, and favored the great works of the past over experimentation.”
In the 1960s and 1970s, he was considered France’s most radical filmmaker, and his work influenced Quentin Tarantino.
In 2010, he was awarded an Academy Honorary Award, although he did not attend the ceremony to accept the award.
In 2001, his film “In Praise of Love” depicted an elderly Jewish couple whose life rights are purportedly being purchased by Steven Spielberg as a way of criticizing “Schindler’s List.”
Once, he stated, “Spielberg believes that black and white is more serious than color.”
“This is phony reasoning. To him, it is not fake; I believe he is honest with himself; but, he lacks intelligence, therefore the outcome is fake. “He exploited (Oskar Schindler) and this story, along with the entire Jewish tragedy, as if they were a large orchestra, in order to create stereophonic music from a simple story.”
Following the sad news of the director’s passing, film enthusiasts have filled social media with tributes.
During the closing ceremony of the 71st international film festival in Cannes, southern France, on Saturday, May 19, 2018, jury president Cate Blanchett presented the special Palme d’Or award to cinematographer Fabrice Aragno, on behalf of director Jean-Luc Godard, for his film “The Image Book.” Picture: Vianney Le Caer
Sad to learn about Jean-Luc Goddard; my first viewing of ‘Breathless’ remains one of the most influential times in my love of French New Wave and movies in general.
Another person remarked, “I am saddened to hear of the demise of film industry veteran Jean-Luc Goddard.”
A third wrote: “Jean-Luc Goddard passed away, and while I would never claim to be an authority on the man’s filmography, if you have any interest in cinema as an art form at all, you should see ‘Week-End.’”