ALPHAVILLE (1965)
d: Jean-Luc Godard

ALPHAVILLE fragments my thinking.

Carlos Clarens said ALPHAVILLE is not "SF" for "Science Fiction," but "SP" for "Science Poetry." That comes as close as possible to summing up a film which otherwise actively resists summarization.

As with all Godard films, ALPHAVILLE works best once one has ceased relating to it on the basis of "what it is about." ALPHAVILLE "is about" a number of things, but an exhaustive critique of those topics would leave most of the film's content undiscussed.

ALPHAVILLE used to play, dubbed, on KPIX 5 here in the Bay Area, back in the 60s and early 70s. I first saw it on TV when I was about 16. I recorded the soundtrack to cassette, and listened to it obsessively in those pre-video days. The cassette is long gone.