Contempt

"More bold! More brazen! And much, much more Bardot!"

1963 1h 43m FR

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1,002

DramaRomance

Synopsis

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Art film producer Jeremy Prokosch, unhappy with the work of his director, hires Fritz Lang (as himself) to direct an adaptation of The Odyssey, but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb, he brings in a screenwriter to energise the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.

“More bold! More brazen! And much, much more Bardot!”

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Cast

Brigitte Bardot
Camille Javal
Michel Piccoli
Paul Javal
Jack Palance
Jeremy Prokosch
Giorgia Moll
Francesca Vanini
Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Raoul Coutard
Cameraman
Jean-Luc Godard
Lang's Assistant Director
Linda Veras
Sirene

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Writers: Jean-Luc Godard
Languages: English, French, German, Italian
Countries: France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 59% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, French, German, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, shot by Raoul Coutard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Georges Delerue. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Agnès Guillemot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean-Luc Godard directs. Raoul Coutard behind the camera. Georges Delerue scores. Agnès Guillemot cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in English, French, German, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 59% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
363 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, French, German, Italian.
5International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
6Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, shot by Raoul Coutard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Georges Delerue. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Agnès Guillemot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Brigitte Bardot and Michel Piccoli and Jack Palance carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "More bold! More brazen! And much, much more Bardot!".
11IMDB entry: tt0057345 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 15 themes, including "jealousy", "based on novel or book", "villa", "love triangle".
13Released under 34 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Raoul Coutard
Original score: Georges Delerue
Editing: Agnès Guillemot
Costume design: Tanine Autré
Makeup / hair: Odette Berroyer
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $900,000
Box office: $528,428
Return: 59% of budget
Original language: FR
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Contempt (1963)

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Jean-Luc Godard

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-10
★ 6/10
Jack Palance is ideally cast here as the Hollywood producer ("Prokosch") who has commissioned the legendary director Fritz Lang to breathe a last breath of life into the once thriving peplum genre with an adaptation of Homer's "Odyssey". He sees the rushes, and aside from a little nymph swimming in the nude, is unimpressed. Solution? Draft in accomplished playwright turned screenwriter "Paul" (Michel Piccoli) to liven things up. $10k is his fee and that will be enough to complete the renovations on the flat he shares with wife "Camille" (Brigitte Bardot). Thing is, though, as he starts to become more engaged with the film, his previously loving marriage starts to hit the skids. "Camille" is now distinctly off with him and even flirting with their new boss. Things all come to an head when they travel to Capri for the filming before a Parisian tragedy strikes. Now this is, indeed, a beautiful film to look at. The frequently naked Bardot, the glorious scenery and quite an interesting look behind the scenes at the now collapsed CineCittà studios that well illustrated the former greatness of this industry as effectively as the Coliseum does for the now faded greatness of Rome. The story - well that's quite another matter. I found it to be contrived and bitty. Their arguments come from nowhere and make little sense. Like petulant teenage spats. Perhaps "Paul" is playing a game to leverage his wife for a greater payment? Perhaps he just doesn't understand what makes her tick? She certainly appears to have little idea what makes him, and I found there to be very little on screen chemistry between them - even when the scenes were a bit more intimate. What's also a bit unhelpful is the Georges Delerue score. It's lovely and rich, of course, but Godard turns it on and off like a tap. It's like a musical interlude between the increasingly frustrating scenes that repeats the refrains then stops for the dialogue. Almost like an orchestrated jingle! Fritz Lang steals his scenes - basically because he comes across easily as the most natural of these characters, and Palance is - as usual - as wooden as a plank. There are a few funny moments, but sadly just not enough to keep this entertaining for me. I am glad I have seen it, but I doubt I would bother again.

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