Despite continual claims that Godard shot the majority of his films without scripts or preparation, actress Anna Karina has subsequently claimed that they were in fact very carefully planned out to the smallest of details, with an almost obsessive level of perfectionism.
Godard said of Pierrot Le Fou that "it is not really a film, it's an attempt at cinema. Life is the subject, with [Cinema]Scope and color as its attributes...In short, life filling the screen as a tap fills bathtub that is simultaneously emptying at the same rate."
Ferdinand's comment to the service station attendant "Put a Tiger in my Engine", is a reference to the Esso/ Exxon advertising campaign of the 1960s which promised that their fuels would "put a tiger in your tank". It should be noted that he says this at a Total service station, a rival to Esso/ Exxon.
Ferdinand mentions the story of William Wilson who saw his double in the street. This is a reference to "William Wilson", a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, about a man who is haunted by his double.
Jean-Luc Godard set up to deliberately subvert audience expectations and complacency with lots of cinematic tricks, including cast members talking directly to camera and an off-screen chorus commenting on the action.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
