Alphaville (DVD)

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Despite a brisk running time (99 minutes), "Alphaville" felt very draggy to me. During the first 45 minutes, Lemmy Caution meets a variety of characters for ill-explained reasons. Aside from a few photographs that Lemmy studies, the film hardly provides any background information concerning Lemmy´s mission. Godard´s script also says little about his fictional universe, adding to the alienation felt by the viewer (probably intentional). I appreciate movies that make my mind work in order to draw conclusions. However, "Alphaville" seems intent on preventing people from knowing what´s happening in the story. In fact, when Lemmy declares his love for Natasha Vonbraun (Anna Karina), it will come as a shock to viewers since nothing in the movie preceding that moment has indicated that a romance would develop between the two. It´s not an anti-narrative film, but "Alphaville" certainly tries hard to be one.

Ultimately, "Alphaville" works better as a collection of political and philosophical ideas rather than as a "movie" movie. If you watch the film with little knowledge about the 1960s or pre-1960s cinema, then your enjoyment of the film will be severely hampered. Still, even if you´re familiar with the movie´s place in history, you might be hard-pressed to like it. I admire "Alphaville" for its ideas, for its ability to turn reality on its head, and for its sly visuals, but it´s far from my favorite when it comes to this type of movie. Steven Spielberg´s "A.I." and "Minority Report" are better bets, not just because they´re more contemporary works but because they are much more accessible and involving than "Alphaville".

Video:
The video transfer is a mixed bag. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (full-frame on 4:3 monitors), the film print looks stable, smooth, and relatively well-preserved. Film grain has been kept under control. However, some portions of the film look slightly faded, and there are numerous scratches, hairs, and other instances of physical damage to the print that mar the overall look of the transfer.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 1.0 mono French audio track shows its age with its slight hissing. There´s a subtle layer of hiss that is almost always present, making the viewer rather aware of the era´s limited technology. Also, as usual with older mono tracks, the audio sounds thin, a quality that renders lower frequencies a bit harsh on the ears. Still, the dialogue sounds clear, and that is the most important thing in this dialogue-driven film.

English subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
An early effort from Criterion, the "Alphaville" DVD offers nothing more than color bars (to help viewers calibrate monitors to proper viewing levels) in terms of extras.

A booklet provides a mini-essay about the film, film credits, DVD credits, and chapter listings.

Entertainment Value:
I´m not a fan of Jean-Luc Godard, and I was not impressed with "Alphaville". The problem with filmmakers who are as leftist as Godard was is that everything on the other end of the political spectrum is presented in a highly-caricaturized fashion. (Of course, the same goes for right-leaning films, too.) However, Godard and "Alphaville" are highly-regarded in many circles, so maybe the movie will be your cup of tea.

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