Jean-Luc Godard’s malevolent road movie Week End opened at Film Forum last Friday, which inaugurated a touring re-release of the ’60s title. The auteur’s torrid tale of auto-geddon — concerning a married couple who secretly plot to kill each other — is being presented in a new 35mm print from Janus Films. Journeying to the countryside — where they plan on reaping the inheritance of Madame’s dying father — the homicidal duo’s marital malaise spirals out of control. Of course, this is a very simplistic way to summarize Godard’s scathing satire, which elevates his characteristic cynicism and critique of bourgeois excess to delirious new heights. His intertitles even suggest the film was “found in a dump.”
Spitefully compelling, we have Week End’s original trailer to share with you — which will hopefully inspire you to get your body in a theater seat for this careering New Wave ride. Even if you’re not a Godard fan, its incredible 10-minute tracking shot should make this worthwhile — that is, if you care about filmmaking in the slightest. One footnote of forewarning for viewers of a sensitive disposition: please don’t hold us responsible if you never want to step foot in a vehicle, ever again, after watching this. Click on and hit the official website for release details.
[via @Criterion]