Thursday, September 16, 2010

Godard's Ad for Vivre Sa Vie

UN
FILM
SUR
LA
PROSTITUTION
QUI
RACONTE
COMMENT
UNE
JEUNE
ET
JOLIE
VENDEUSE
PARISIENNE
DONNE
SON
CORPS
MAIS
GARDE
SON
AME
ALORS
QU'ELLE
TRAVERSE
COMME
DES
APPEARANCES
UNE
SERIE
D'AVENTURES
QUI
LUI
FONT
CONNAITRE
TOUS
LES
SENTIMENTS
HUMAINS
PROFONDS
POSSIBLES
ET
QUI
ONT
ETE
FILMES
PAR
JEAN-LUC
GODARD
ET
JOUES
PAR
ANNA KARINA

VIVRE SA
VIE


Translation, as found in the Criterion Collection booklet: "A film on prostitution about a pretty Paris shopgirl who sells her body but keeps her soul while going though a series of adventures that allow her to experience all possible deep human emotion, and that were filmed by Jean-Luc Godard and portrayed by Anna Karina. My life to live." Of course, the translation is inaccurate or misleading to the extent that it doesn't include the line breaks found in the advertisement (e.g. A / film / about / prostitution / about / a / pretty / Paris / shopgirl…), because it should be clear that what Godard is providing here is not simply a description of his film but also an attempt at modern poetry. (But let's be clear. It's not that Godard wishes to transform poetry into modern-day advertisements. No; he wishes to transform modern-day advertisements into poems. To make them more-than simple tools for commercial profit.) Godard believes in the necessity of poetry. Now and forever.
S I-G

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