Saw this film on TCM this past Friday and found it to be a weak effort attempting to be a powerful anti-war statement. Two uniformed French militia break into the home of this small family living in the French boonies and press the men into service with promises of untold wealth and plunder. They decide it sounds like a good deal and join the King's army. From there, we see them engage in the various pointless exploits of war until the King makes peace and their dreams of fortune turn to nothing.
This film attempts to be a serious commentary on the nihilism of war but is executed without much depth. The two "list" scenes in the movie, (the riflemen detailing each item of plunder at the soldier's disposal and the French soldiers returning home with a suitcase full of snapshots of their travels), lasted, I would estimate, about a hundred years, and if you remove them from the film, the running time is about 9 minutes. Couple of good scenes (a titillating film being watched in small theatre and a pretty blonde revolutionary getting blown away by firing squad) but not enough to recommend this film. For better Godard, see Breathless or Le Petit Soldat. Leave this klunker in the discount rack. *1/2*
This film attempts to be a serious commentary on the nihilism of war but is executed without much depth. The two "list" scenes in the movie, (the riflemen detailing each item of plunder at the soldier's disposal and the French soldiers returning home with a suitcase full of snapshots of their travels), lasted, I would estimate, about a hundred years, and if you remove them from the film, the running time is about 9 minutes. Couple of good scenes (a titillating film being watched in small theatre and a pretty blonde revolutionary getting blown away by firing squad) but not enough to recommend this film. For better Godard, see Breathless or Le Petit Soldat. Leave this klunker in the discount rack. *1/2*