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Contempt

Play trailer 1:54 Poster for Contempt 1963 1h 43m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 66 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Scenes from a marital breakdown between screenwriter (Michel Piccoli) and his wife (Brigitte Bardot), as both become enmeshed in the behind-the-camera struggles of a director (Fritz Lang) and producer (Jack Palance) as they film an adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey.
Contempt

What to Know

Critics Consensus

This powerful work of essential cinema joins "meta" with "physique," casting Brigite Bardot and director Godard's inspiration Fritz Lang.

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Critics Reviews

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Philip Strick Sight & Sound May 13
Godard's letter is self-accusatory, and with its naked longing it has surely only been excelled by Pierrot le Fou in the spelling out of utter tragedy. Go to Full Review Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 06/26/2023
5/5
Bardot and Piccoli are deeply sympathetic as a couple in free fall, the locations are invariably stunning and the score by Georges Delerue is so heartbreaking and epic that Scorsese borrowed it, re-using it with equal power in Casino. Go to Full Review Anton Bitel Little White Lies 06/19/2023
Godard, himself working with American co-producers and facing demands to insert nude shots of Bardot (whose fees constituted half the film’s budget), turns this conflict between culture and cash into an ironic, self-reflexive odyssey. Go to Full Review William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews 09/03/2024
5/5
60 years on from its initial release, Jean-Luc Godard’s elegant and layered Le Mépris (Contempt) remains a landmark achievement in his career and the French New Wave. Go to Full Review Diane Carson KDHX (St. Louis) 05/06/2024
Iconoclastic, Godard reinterprets formulaic cinema and creates his own idiosyncratic technical and thematic approach. Go to Full Review Mike Thorn Vague Visages 12/12/2023
Contempt is a daunting and formally labyrinthine work, calling its own fallibility to question even as it submits completely to the romance of cinema. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Bucky R @Bucky3085 Mar 9 Cute idea, but it's pretty slow. There are better JLG movies. See more Dušan A @RT86182278 Dec 9 The plot itself is not too interesting for me as I never really got the feeling for classical tragedy, but as always with Godard, the camera, photography and the movement make it great enough for a 9/10 See more Nicola B @Nikkyb Aug 31 Visually beautiful but the soundtrack was repetitive and Bardot was as utterly unsympathetic as a petulant child. See more elana k @RT79062488 05/05/2024 This is a hard no for me. I say this not with contempt but with frustration and boredom. That song felt transcendent and in the first few seconds I felt like I was in for something big: thinking that Godard may have some lofty views when it comes to the art of cinema. But that's not true- he's doing this for himself and material like this doesn't age well. Et mon Visage? See more Jim E @RT62503242 09/25/2023 This was very interesting to watch the 1963 thinking about male oppressive movies, and the two gorgeous females dealing with the situation of the times! Bardot is stunningly attractive in her role with a forceful attitude and gorgeous curves! See more Joo P @RT73423029 09/03/2023 Good film, but dated. See more Read all reviews
Contempt

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Cast & Crew

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Jean-Luc Godard

Director

Brigitte Bardot

Camille Javal

Jack Palance

Jeremy Prokosch

Michel Piccoli

Paul Javal

Giorgia Moll

Francesca Vanini

Fritz Lang

Fritz Lang

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Contempt

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Contempt

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Movie Info

Synopsis Scenes from a marital breakdown between screenwriter (Michel Piccoli) and his wife (Brigitte Bardot), as both become enmeshed in the behind-the-camera struggles of a director (Fritz Lang) and producer (Jack Palance) as they film an adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey.
Director
Jean-Luc Godard
Producer
Georges de Beauregard, Carlo Ponti, Joseph E. Levine
Screenwriter
Jean-Luc Godard, Alberto Moravia
Distributor
Strand Releasing, Criterion Collection, Embassy Pictures
Production Co
Rome Paris Films, Compagnia Cinematografica Champion
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 18, 1963, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jun 30, 2023
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 20, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$247.8K
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm, Scope (2.35:1)