La chinoise (1967)

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writer:

Jean-Luc Godard (writer)

Release Date:

4 March 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A small group of French students are studying Mao, trying to find out their position in the world and...

Plot Keywords:

Terrorism | Experimental Film | Cult Director | Leninism | Politics

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Anne Wiazemsky	...	Veronique
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Guillaume
Juliet Berto	...	Yvonne
Michel Semeniako	...	Henri
Lex De Bruijn	...	Kirilov
Omar Diop	...	Omar
Francis Jeanson	...	Himself
Blandine Jeanson	...	Blandine
Eliane Giovagnoli	...	Son ami

Directed by
Jean-Luc Godard

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jean-Luc Godard		writer

Cinematography by
Raoul Coutard

Film Editing by
Delphine Desfons
Agnès Guillemot

Production Management
Philippe Dussart	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles L. Bitsch	....	assistant director

Art Department
Ferracci	....	poster designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
René Levert	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Georges Liron	....	camera operator

Production Companies

• Anouchka Films
• Athos Films
• Les Productions de la Guéville
• Parc Film
• Simar Films

Distributors

• CMV Laservision (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Athos Films (France)
• Dolmen Home Video (2005) (Italy) (DVD) (subtitled)
• Guéville Video, La (1982) (France) (VHS)
• Koch Lorber Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Pennebaker Films (1968) (USA) (subtitled)
• Silver Screen Collection (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

La chinoise, ou plutôt à la chinoise: Un film en train de se faire
La chinoise (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
A Chinesa (Brazil) [pt]
Die Chinesin (West Germany) [de]
I kineza (Greece) (TV title) [el]
Kiinatar (Finland) [fi]
Kinesiskan (Sweden) [sv]
La cinese (Italy) [it]
O Maoísta (Portugal) [pt]

Runtime:

96 min | Argentina:99 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:13 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (2005) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company:

Anouchka Films

Trivia:

Louis Aragon (1897 - 1982), was a French poet and novelist, and a noted political supporter of the Communist Party.

Movie Connections:

Featured in L'etreinte (1969)

Soundtrack:

Mao Mao

Is this a movie? Or something much better?

There are many great things about 'La Chinoise', including its political and historical importance, which have been elaborately discussed by film enthusiasts all over the world, so I'd like to add only my very personal thoughts about this film. Personally, 'La Chinoise' stands very much apart from, if not above, all of the films I've seen. While other films of Godard make me feel they are great movies, 'La Chinoise' doesn't make me feel like that. It makes me feel as if I hadn't seen a film, as if I'd just had a very nice and exciting conversation with friends, as if I'd just had a very lively discussion with them, as if I'd just participated in a hot debate, as if I'd just quarreled with some people. No film ever made me feel like this.

Scenes and dialogues worthy of remembering in 'La Chinoise' are as innumerable as in other films of Godard. Forever imprinted on my memory are the scenes when Leaud can't understand what his girlfriend says without the help of music, the droll assassination scene, and most important of all, the discussion on the train. This train scene looks so simple, yet it is very subtle and powerful. I saw 'La Chinoise' the first time four years ago, and I felt very detached from the movie. Seeing it again, I think it is one of my most favorite now.