Hail Mary (film)

Last updated
Hail Mary
Je vous salue, Marie 1985 poster.jpg
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Written byJean-Luc Godard
Starring
Cinematography
  • Jacques Firmann
  • Jean-Bernard Menoud
Edited by Anne-Marie Miéville
Distributed by Gaumont Distribution
Release date
  • 23 January 1985 (1985-01-23)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

Hail Mary (French : Je vous salue, Marie) is a 1985 French avant-garde erotic drama film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. The film is a modern retelling of the story of the virgin birth of Jesus. It was entered into the 35th Berlin International Film Festival. [1]

Contents

Plot

Marie, a student, works at her father's Swiss gas station and plays basketball for a local team; she claims to be a virgin and maintains a chaste relationship with her boyfriend Joseph, a taxi cab driver and college dropout. Joseph remains loyal to Marie even though she will not sleep with him, and another girl, Juliette, entreats him to be with her. When a passing stranger named Uncle Gabriel (who arrives by jet plane and is accompanied by a small girl who acts as his secretary) informs Marie that she will become pregnant despite remaining chaste, she is at first shocked and confused. For his part, Joseph cannot believe that Marie can be pregnant and a virgin, so he accuses her of sleeping around. Gabriel aggressively schools Joseph to accept Marie's pregnancy, while Marie comes to terms with God's plan through meditations that are sometimes angry and usually punctuated by elemental images of the sun, moon, clouds, flowers, and water.

In a parallel narrative, Eva, a college student, gets involved with her professor, who theorizes that life on earth arose from a guided extraterrestrial intelligence. Unlike Marie, who does not allow Joseph to touch her sexually, Eva has an affair with her professor, who ultimately leaves her to go back east to his family, leaving her distraught.

With Gabriel's help, Marie teaches Joseph to "touch" her without touching her. Joseph pledges to act as Marie's shadow, to which she responds, "But isn't that what all men are, the shadow of God?" Alone, Marie wrestles with and then gives herself over to the divine process of her pregnancy. Joseph and Marie are wed and she gives birth to a son. Together they raise the boy, who eventually leaves his family to pursue "his father's business." In the end, Marie explores her sexuality, seeking to link her body and spirit.

Cast

Background

The point of departure for the film was a book by Françoise Dolto, the popular French pediatrician and psychoanalyst, called L'Évangile au risque de la psychanalyse.

Release

The film was first released in France on 23 January 1985. [2] It was entered into the 35th Berlin International Film Festival. [1] All screenings in its initial theatrical distribution were accompanied by the short film The Book of Mary (French : Le livre de Marie) by Godard's longtime companion and collaborator Anne-Marie Miéville.

The film receives home media release from the Cohen Media. The blu-ray package follows this tradition and places The Book of Mary right before Hail Mary.

Reception

Hail Mary's religious themes and scenes of full frontal nudity offended some Christians. [3] Pope John Paul II criticized the film saying that it "deeply wounds the religious sentiments of believers." [4] Protesters showed up at some theaters on opening night, and its premiere screening at the Sydney Film Festival was disrupted by protestors and a bomb threat that caused the theatre to be evacuated. [5] The film had only 353,877 admissions in French movie theaters. [6] It was banned in Argentina [7] and Brazil (where the movie was banned until 1988). [8]

Hail Mary received mixed reviews, including one in the New York Times that characterized the film as "not especially provocative or entertaining", but also called it "an utterly serious attempt to examine the nature of relations between women and men and the possibility of profound friendships not based on sex. It's also about the demands of faith, which, in this time of cynicism, may be the most truly controversial aspect of the movie." [9] Many other serious critics were more favourable: Time Out said "Composed like a brilliant mosaic, Godard's film gives fresh meaning to everyday images; makes us listen to Dvořák with renewed appreciation; and shows the female nude as though never filmed before." [10] Channel 4 Film's critic wrote "The Virgin Birth is presented as a reality - the mystery for Godard being womanhood and birth in general. This he explores through stunning images of nature and the nude figure of his heroine - the latter photographed chastely without voyeurism or sexism, after certain classic paintings." [11] Filmmaker John Waters wrote a highly favorable review that was included in his book Crackpot. [12] In contrast, writer and director James Gunn claims it is his least favorite film. [13] [14]

At the Cannes Film Festival, Noël Godin, disappointed that Godard, in his opinion, made a religious film, threw a shaving cream pie into Godard's face, making international news. [15] Under heavy criticism, Godard attempted to withdraw the film from Italy, but his distributor was unable to do so. [15] He also claimed that the film is not about the Virgin Mary, but about "a young woman named Mary who, at a certain moment in her life, finds herself part of an exceptional event that she would never have wished for herself." [16] Despite the initial heavy criticism, the film has also been praised for its beautiful cinematography. [3]

Hail Mary currently holds a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliette Binoche</span> French actress (born 1964)

Juliette Binoche is a French actress. She has appeared in more than 60 films, particularly in French and English languages, and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award and a César Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Luc Godard</span> French and Swiss film director (1930–2022)

Jean-Luc Godard was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as François Truffaut, Agnès Varda, Éric Rohmer and Jacques Demy. He was arguably the most influential French filmmaker of the post-war era. According to AllMovie, his work "revolutionized the motion picture form" through its experimentation with narrative, continuity, sound, and camerawork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Karina</span> Danish-French actress (1940–2019)

Anna Karina was a Danish-French film actress, director, writer, model, and singer. She was an early collaborator of French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard, her first husband, performing in several of his films, including The Little Soldier (1960), A Woman Is a Woman (1961), My Life to Live (1962), Bande à part, Pierrot le Fou (1965), and Alphaville (1965). For her performance in A Woman Is a Woman, Karina won the Silver Bear Award for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival.

<i>Notre musique</i> 2004 film

Notre musique is a 2004 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. The film reflects on violence, morality, and the representation of violence in film, and touches especially on past colonialism and the current Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It was screened out of competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Ionesco</span> French actress and director

Eva Ionesco is a French actress and filmmaker. She is the daughter of photographer Irina Ionesco and came to international prominence as a child model after being featured in her mother's works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Wiazemsky</span> French actress and novelist (1947–2017)

Anne Wiazemsky was a French actress and novelist. She made her cinema debut at the age of 18, playing Marie, the lead character in Robert Bresson's Au hasard Balthazar (1966). A year later she married the director Jean-Luc Godard and appeared in several of his films, including La Chinoise (1967), Week End (1967), and One Plus One (1968).

<i>Two or Three Things I Know About Her</i> 1967 film by Jean-Luc Godard

Two or Three Things I Know About Her is a 1967 French New Wave film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, one of three features he completed that year. As with the other two, it is considered both socially and stylistically radical. Village Voice critic Amy Taubin considers the film to be among the greatest achievements in filmmaking.

<i>A Woman Is a Woman</i> 1961 French New Wave experimental romantic comedy film by Jean-Luc Godard

A Woman Is a Woman is a 1961 French experimental 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 American musical comedy and associated with the French New Wave. It is Godard's third feature film, and his first in color and Cinemascope.

<i>La Chinoise</i> 1967 film by Jean-Luc Godard

La Chinoise, ou plutôt à la Chinoise: un film en train de se faire, commonly referred to simply as La Chinoise, is a 1967 French political docufiction film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard about a group of young Maoist activists in Paris.

<i>First Name: Carmen</i> 1983 film by Jean-Luc Godard

First Name: Carmen is a 1983 French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Loosely based on Bizet's opera Carmen, the film was written by Anne-Marie Miéville and produced by Alain Sarde, and stars Maruschka Detmers and Jacques Bonnaffé. The film won the Golden Lion at the 40th Venice International Film Festival and had 395,462 admissions in France.

<i>In Praise of Love</i> (film) 2001 film by Jean-Luc Godard

In Praise of Love is a 2001 French film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. The black-and-white and color drama was shot by Julien Hirsch and Christophe Pollock. Godard has famously stated that "a film should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order." This aphorism is illustrated by In Praise of Love, which reverses the order of past and present. It was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Joanna Marie Shimkus is a Canadian film actress. She is the widow of actor Sidney Poitier and mother of actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier.

Anne-Marie Miéville is a Swiss video and filmmaker whom Sight & Sound has called a "hugely important multimedia artist."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliet Berto</span> French actress, director and screenwriter

Juliet Berto, born Annie Jamet, was a French actress, director and screenwriter.

<i>Rendez-vous</i> (1985 film) 1985 French film

Rendez-vous is a 1985 French erotic drama film directed by André Téchiné. The film stars Juliette Binoche, Lambert Wilson, Wadeck Stanczak and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Rendez-vous premiered at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best Director. The film had a total of 766,811 admissions in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Hail Marys</span> Roman Catholic Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Three Hail Marys are a traditional Roman Catholic devotional practice of reciting Hail Marys as a petition for purity and other virtues. Believers recommend that it be prayed after waking in the morning, and before going to bed. This devotion has been recommended by SS. Anthony of Padua, Alphonsus Liguori, John Bosco and Leonard of Port Maurice. Two saints, Mechtilde and Gertrude the Great, are said to have received revelations from the Blessed Virgin Mary regarding this practice.

Nouvelle Vague is a 1990 French film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It follows the story of hitchhiker Lennox credited as Lui (He), taken in by a wealthy industrialist, Elena Torlato-Favrini or Elle (She), played by Domiziana Giordano. The film was entered into the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. It has never been released on any home video format in North America, but the audio was issued as a 2CD set by ECM.

<i>Détective</i> 1985 film

Détective is a 1985 French crime film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It was entered into the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. The film won the Georges Delerue Award for Best Soundtrack/Sound Design at Film Fest Gent in 1985.

<i>Goodbye to Language</i> 2014 film by Jean-Luc Godard

Goodbye to Language is a 2014 French-Swiss narrative essay film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It stars Héloïse Godet, Kamel Abdeli, Richard Chevallier, Zoé Bruneau, Jessica Erickson and Christian Grégori and was shot by cinematographer Fabrice Aragno. It is Godard's 42nd feature film and 121st film or video project. In the French-speaking parts of Switzerland where it was shot, the word "adieu" can mean both goodbye and hello. The film depicts a couple having an affair. The woman's husband discovers the affair and the lover is killed. Two pairs of actors portray the couple and their actions repeat and mirror one another. Godard's own dog Roxy Miéville has a prominent role in the film and won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Like many of Godard's films, it includes numerous quotes and references to previous artistic, philosophical and scientific works, most prominently those of Jacques Ellul, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Mary Shelley.

Myriem Roussel is a French actress and model. She is best-known for her role as Marie in Jean-Luc Godard's 1985 film Hail Mary, which was controversial upon its release.

References

  1. 1 2 "Berlinale: 1985 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  2. ↑ Hail Mary (1985) - IMDb , retrieved 2022-09-22
  3. 1 2 Je vous salue, Marie Spiral (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  4. ↑ The Last Great Godard Film Slate (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  5. ↑ HAIL MARY Archived 2007-10-24 at the Wayback Machine Moria (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  6. ↑ "Je vous salue Marie (1985) - JPBox-Office".
  7. ↑ Sterritt, David (2003). The Films Of Jean-Luc Godard (Cambridge Film Classics). Cambridge University Press. p. 166. ISBN   0-521-58971-1.
  8. ↑ Silva, Eumano (10 January 2020). "Sarney tentou impedir brasileiros de ver um filme do Godard". Metrópoles (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  9. ↑ FILM FESTIVAL; GODARD'S 'HAIL MARY' New York Times (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  10. ↑ "Hail, Mary | review, synopsis, book tickets, showtimes, movie release date | Time Out London". Archived from the original on 2014-11-24. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
  11. ↑ "Programmes - Error - Channel 4". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
  12. ↑ Waters, John (1987). Crackpot: The Obsessions of. Vintage Books. pp. 134–139. ISBN   0-394-75534-0.
  13. ↑ "James Gunn says 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' will feature full frontal Groot nudity | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly .
  14. ↑ James Gunn [@JamesGunn] (4 July 2016). "Hail Mary by Jean-Luc Godard" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 21 April 2021 – via Twitter.
  15. 1 2 GODARD HAS A BAD DAY IN CANNES...AND TRIES TO WITHDRAW 'HAIL MARY' IN ITALY New York Times (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  16. ↑ The New York Times: Film Festival; Godar's "Hail Mary" Published October 7, 1985. Retrieved 1 April 2013
  17. ↑ "Hail Mary". Rotten Tomatoes .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.