'Je vous salue, Marie' (1985)

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writer:

Jean-Luc Godard (writer)

Release Date:

11 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In this modern retelling of the Virgin birth, Mary is a student who plays basketball and works at her...

Plot Keywords:

Basketball | Pregnant | Virgin | Gas Station | Maria

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Myriem Roussel	...	Marie
Thierry Rode	...	Joseph
Philippe Lacoste	...	L'ange Gabriel
Manon Andersen	...	La petite fille
Malachi Jara Kohan	...	Jésus
Juliette Binoche	...	Juliette
Dick	...	Le chien
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anne Gautier	...	Eva (uncredited)
Johan Leysen	...	Le professeur (uncredited)
Serge Musy	...	Petit garçon salle d'attente (uncredited)

Directed by
Jean-Luc Godard

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jean-Luc Godard		writer

Cinematography by
Jacques Firmann
Jean-Bernard Menoud

Film Editing by
Anne-Marie Miéville

Production Management
Philippe Malignon	....	unit manager
François Pellissier	....	unit manager

Sound Department
François Musy	....	sound

Music Department
Johann Sebastian Bach	....	composer: stock music (as Bach)
Antonín Dvorák	....	composer: stock music (as Dvorak)

Production Companies

• Sara Films (presents)
• Pégase Films (presents)
• JLG Films (presents)
• Gaumont (co-production)
• Télévision Suisse-Romande (TSR) (co-production) (as TV Romande)
• Channel Four Films (co-production) (as Channel 4)

Distributors

• Gérick Films (1985) (France) (theatrical) (with short "Le livre de Marie") (as Luna Gerick)
• Gaumont (1985) (France) (theatrical) (with short "Le livre de Marie") (as Gaumont France)
• Kinokuniya (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• New Yorker Films (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• DNC Home Entertainment (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Flashstar Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Je Vous Salue, Marie")
• Rossi Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Eu Vos Saúdo, Maria")
• Umbrella Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Vestron Video (1986) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled) (with short "Le livre de Marie")

Also Known As:

Hail Mary (USA)

Runtime:

Australia:105 min | USA:107 min

Country:

France | Switzerland | UK

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | UK:18 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland

Company:

Sara Films

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Jeff Goldblum/Aerosmith (#19.3)" (1993)

typically iconoclastic Godard

Hail Mary is done in the exact same style as the only other late Godard film I've seen, First Name: Carmen, which, I believe, he did right before this one. The narrative is fractured, much more so than even his classical films such as Breathless and Pierrot le fou, and it is impossible to understand exactly what's going on. Like in many of his early films, he plays with sound effects and music. It may have been clever and interesting in Une femme est une femme, but it has grown old here.

Still, Hail Mary, like First Name: Carmen, musters enough mood to make it well worth seeing. With First Name: Carmen, I was interested at the beginning and bored by the end. Here, although the prologue is quite good, the first half of the real film bothered me, and the second half grew more interesting as it progressed. What I'm saying here is that you have to stick with it and be patient. It can be rewarding.

Also, Hail Mary seemed to me one of Godard's more visually accomplished films, probably second to Vivre sa vie. You'll see some of the most gorgeous photographs of clouds and the sun, the moon, fields, flowers, and nude women. Some of the nudes are absolutely stunning and it never felt to me pornographic (unlike First Name: Carmen). They reminded me of beautiful paintings that I have seen by the likes of Lucien Freud (I don't know if people know him, but I was particularly struck by some of his sleeping nudes; I think he is the son of Sigmund, and I know he was a companion of Francis Bacon). Other more abstract photos reminded me of Picasso. 7/10.