It took me until halfway through this pointless, dull film to figure out why Godard shot so many scenes with the camera pointed at the back of his actors' heads -- his lead actress couldn't act worth a d**n, and many of the males weren't much more convincing. Was there a single establishing shot in the entire film? The whole film seems to be shot 6 inches to 3 feet from the actors. So boring. What's the lead character's motivation? Boredom? Lack of imagination? Stupidity? Greed? I can watch Breathless over and over again. Maybe Godard just ran out of steam the more movies he made.

I found this French film in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I wouldn't have known about it without being entered in the book, and I didn't know what to expect, but I hoped it would be worth it, directed by Jean-Luc Godard (Breathless, Alphaville, Pierrot Le Fou). Basically the story is told as twelve brief unconnected episodes, exploring the life of young beautiful Parisian woman Nana Kleinfrankenheim (Anna Karina). Nana is in her early twenties, she leaves her husband and infant son to try and achieve her ambition to become an actress, however without money she is forced to become a shop girl. Unable to enter acting, Nana slowly descends into the world of prostitution, in order to earn better money, she soon gets herself a pimp, Raoul (Sady Rebbot). He later, at an unspecified time, sells her to another pimp, during the exchange an argument breaks out between the pimps, Nana is caught between the crossfire and killed by gunshot. Also starring André S. Labarthe as Paul, Guylaine Schlumberger as Yvette, Gérard Hoffman as Cook, Monique Messine as Elisabeth, Paul Pavel as Journalist and Brice Parain as Philosopher, with voice narration from Jean-Luc Godard. Karina, also the director's wife at the time, gives a marvellous performance as the tragic unconventional heroine, the film is all unconventional, it is part of the New Wave, this was one of the first major films to have sex earning money, so it gained notoriety, there is the gangster element, it has good techniques of camera angles, and it is stylish in black and white, all together it is a most worthwhile drama. Very good!

Jean-Luc Godard is one of the hardest filmmakers to like, films like "Breathless" and "Pierrot le fou" may not please many especially fans of blockbusters and even fans of independent films and different kind of movies, but Vivre sa Vie (or My life to live) is perhaps his most accessible and realistic work to be its most distinctive film, this film, Godard virtually sacrifices the type of cinema that made him a world cinema icon, but the Godard cinema can still be found on this film. Divided into 12 chapters (or "tableaux"), A young Parisian woman who abandoned her husband and son to try to be an actress in Paris, but with no other option, she becomes a prostitute. The film, unlike the other from the director, has little background music and a few dialogue's typical that director usually put in his films, he uses a realistic atmosphere and little pleasant showing 12 unconnected but salient parts, some a little depressing,of the life of this woman (Nana, played by Anna Karina, Godard's muse)while she is in Paris. The film addresses issues such as prostitution, disappointment and the difficulty of trying to live a new life and end up going to an even worse, the cruelty of fate, and various other themes in a realistic and little conventional way. Even if the movie has some depressing scenes, there are some funny and somewhat relaxed scenes. Sometimes, words do not say everything we want and then they disappoint us, the same thing as fate made with Nana.

The crux of 60's Godard. His quirks are broken down into twelve segments manageable for the inexperienced viewer. If only one Godard film is to be watched, it might be this one. Though none of us would want to live in that world.The film opens with an entrancing first ten minutes. The credit sequence and ensuing scene introduce the crucial theme of acting versus reality. Nana, played by Anna Karina, seems to never truly escape the personality of the actress who portrays her. Instead of avoiding this, Godard embraces the ambiguity and creates an entire film that obsesses over Karina's image. From the credits to "Fin"? the audience, like Nana, is fixated on her outward appearance. She constantly references her desire to be in movies and have her picture taken. Ultimately, she becomes a prostitute, seemingly the only place to turn for a girl who allows herself to be mercilessly controlled by men. This tragedy is underscored by her clear desire to be "special"? and, most potently, in her tearful viewing of Jeanne d'arc, a woman who faces death at the hands of men. Nana's personality and development can be seen as a vehicle for Godard's philosophy on film. The "men photographing women" had become perverted to the point of solicitation and death. The obvious parallels between the ending of VIVRE and BREATHLESS suggest a pessimistic condemnation of contemporary law and society.Godard's deliberate camera motion, defiant attitude towards cinematic grammar, and clear pacing created a film that, though fictional, is one of the most honest human portraits available. Always experimenting with sound, the director never succumbs to standard over-the- shoulder dialogue sequences. Instead, he accesses another level of meaning by making deliberate choices over who is seen when saying specific words. Sometimes there are cuts and sometimes there are pans, but never is there a decision that seems arbitrary or purely for the sake of ease. While Godard's films do own a simple and unashamed quality that might lend itself to less expensive filmmaking, it is clear that his choices serve specific purposes and are always a slave to the greater objectives in the film. One of the most striking scenes in VIVRE SA VIE is where Nana is writing a letter. It is a simple act on which most directors would only spend a few seconds. Instead, Godard places a close-up on the letter and allows the audience to watch the entire process and become engulfed in Nana's (or Karina's) beautiful handwriting and the earnest quality of the letter.VIVRE SA VIE successfully provides a tidy summary of Godard's quirky brilliance. For those willing to explore his genius, this film is the ideal starting place (if not working chronologically). But be careful. Once his capabilities are discovered, they will never leave you.89.8