A Woman Is a Woman (French: Une femme est une femme) is a 1961 experimental[3] musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina and Jean-Claude Brialy. It is a tribute to the American musical comedy and associated with the French New Wave. It is Godard's third feature film (the release of his second, Le petit soldat, was delayed by censorship), and his first in color and Cinemascope.
| A Woman Is a Woman | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Une femme est une femme |
| Directed by | Jean-Luc Godard |
| Written by | Jean-Luc Godard |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Raoul Coutard |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Michel Legrand |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | French |
| Budget | $160,000 (est.) |
| Box office | 549,931 admissions (France)[1] $198,395 (US)[2] |
Plot
editThe film centers on the relationship of exotic dancer Angéla and her lover Émile. Angéla wants to have a child, but Émile is not ready. Émile's best friend Alfred also says he loves Angéla, and keeps up a gentle pursuit. Angéla and Émile bitterly argue about having a child; at one point they decide not to speak to each other, so continue their argument by pulling books from the shelf and pointing to the titles. Since Émile stubbornly refuses her request for a child, Angéla finally decides to accept Alfred's plea and sleeps with him. This proves that she will do what she must to have a child. She and Émile finally reconcile, so he has a chance to become the father. The two have sex, then engage in a bit of wordplay that gives the film its title: an exasperated Émile says "Angéla, tu es infâme" ("Angela, you are horrid"), and she retorts, "Non, je suis une femme" ("No, I am a woman").[4]
Cast
edit- Anna Karina as Angela
- Jean-Claude Brialy as Émile Récamier
- Jean-Paul Belmondo as Alfred Lubitsch
- Henri Attal as false blind man #2 (uncredited)
- Karyn Balm (uncredited)
- Dorothée Blank as prostitute 3 (uncredited)
- Marie Dubois as Angela's friend (uncredited)
- Ernest Menzer as bar owner (uncredited)
- Jeanne Moreau as woman in bar (herself)
- Nicole Paquin as Suzanne (uncredited)
- Gisèle Sandré as prostitute 2 (uncredited)
- Marion Sarraut as prostitute 1 (uncredited)
- Dominique Zardi as false blind man #1 (uncredited)
Awards
edit- 11th Berlin International Film Festival[5]
- Silver Bear for Best Actress (Karina - won)
- Silver Bear Extraordinary Jury Prize (won)
- Golden Bear (nominated)
References
edit- ^ Box office information for Jean Paul Belmondo films at Box Office Story
- ^ "A Woman Is a Woman". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Crítica | Uma Mulher é Uma Mulher". Outra Hora (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ Brody, Richard (2008). Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard. Macmillan. ISBN 9780805068863.
- ^ "Berlinale 1961: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
External links
edit- A Woman Is a Woman at IMDb
- A Woman Is a Woman at AllMovie
- A Woman Is a Woman at the TCM Movie Database
- A Woman Is a Woman – an essay by J. Hoberman at The Criterion Collection
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