Histoire(s) du Cinéma: The Coin of the Absolute (EOTWS)

Histoire(s) du Cinéma x8 extract: The Coin of the Absolute (1998)

Part 5 opens strong with Godard's anti-war sentiments finding their way to the screen comfortably with clear Marxist overtones. Whilst the rare clarity in expression and articulation soon melts away as the political veil is pierced, The Coin of the Absolute feels somewhat unified. In such, the jump into what seems to be a conversation on post-WWII filmmaking resonates in some way with Godard's return to much-visited notions of humanism. Through his depiction of Italian cinema as, it seems, 'absolute' for the manner in which it confronted history through figures such as Rosselini and Fellini, we then see almost all other cinema denigrated (especially that of Britain; Godard really doesn't seem to have a thought for UK cinema for it produces nothing). 

For this dogmatism that hides behind obscurity and refuses debate, there doesn't seem to be any true intellectual worth behind this part. This is nonetheless somewhat articulate thanks to Godard's transparency of character.