Masculin Féminin (1966)

Masculin Féminin (French: Masculin féminin: 15 faits précis, [maskylɛ̃ feminɛ̃ kɛ̃z fe pʁesi], "Masculine Feminine: 15 Specific Events") is a 1966 French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It stars Jean-Pierre Léaud, Chantal Goya, Marlène Jobert, Catherine-Isabelle Duport and Michel Debord.

Masculin Féminin is a notable film within Godard's 1960s period of filmmaking, and is considered by critics as representative of '60s France and Paris. The film contains references to various pop culture icons and political figures around that time, such as Charles de Gaulle and André Malraux to James Bond and Bob Dylan, and follows Godard's non-linear filmmaking techniques and narratives. The main story is at times interrupted by various sequences and sub-plots, including a scene paraphrased from LeRoi Jones’ Dutchman. Arguably the most famous quotation from the film is "This film could be called The Children of Marx and Coca-Cola", which is actually an intertitle between chapters.

Synopsis

The film stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as Paul, a romantic young idealist and literary lion-wannabe who chases budding pop star, Madeleine (Chantal Goya, a real life Yé-yé girl). Despite markedly different musical tastes and political leanings, the two soon become romantically involved and begin a ménage à quatre with Madeleine's two roommates, Catherine (Catherine-Isabelle Duport) and Elisabeth (Marlène Jobert). The camera probes the young actors in a series of vérité-style interviews about love, love-making, and politics.

Actors