One moment in the film, Godard films Paul
leaving a building and walking out into the street. In modern Hollywood film, I
would assume the shot would be filmed with Paul in the center of the camera the
whole time. The scene if shot in modern Hollywood would arise no particular interest
of the viewer. It would have no impact on the overall understanding of the
film. Godard does not shoot this scene in what we would assume as normal. He
shows Paul walking out of the building but staring directly at the camera. As
he passes, the camera moves ahead and slightly up, removing him from the shot
but then focusing back on him as he crosses the street. As the camera refocuses
on him, the viewer realizes that Paul is still staring directly at the camera.
The scene reveals a lot about what Godard believes
film should be. Paul staring at the camera allows the viewer to come back to
reality and realize that this is a film. The awkward staring of Paul is unusual
to the viewer and makes them rethink their surroundings. Godard does this
intentionally because he believes the viewers should understand that film is
just that, film; it is not theatre. Godard believes that the impact film and
its editing has on the viewers is a far different than that of theatre and he
wanted to make this clear throughout his film.
