Le Petit Soldat (1963)

 Jean-Luc Godard's "Le Petit Soldat"

After the wild success of his debut "Breathless," Jean-Luc Godard's second feature film "Le Petit Soldat" ended up being his fourth. Filmed in 1960, "Le Petit Soldat" was banned from distribution by the French government for its depiction of the ongoing Algerian War. By the time the film was released in 1963, the Algerians had been liberated from French occupation and the French New Wave movement's original enthusiasm had now calmed. So, the film was swept under the rug. However, had it been released when it was originally supposed to, it probably would have made a huge impact and would have been very timely. That being said, there's no way to know that for sure. Instead, the film will simply be regarded as a classic film in the filmography of Godard.

The film takes place in 1958 during the Algerian War. A French army deserted, Bruno Forestier, is living in Geneva. Despite not having very strong political affiliations, he finds himself working for a French terrorist organization. To prove he is not a double agent, he is tasked with assassinating a pro-FLN (National Liberation Front) radio host. Bruno continues to skirt his responsibility, all the while falling in love with Veronica, who, unbeknownst to him, is working with the FLN. After Bruno fails to assassinate his target, he is believed to be a double agent by the French. He plans to escape to Brazil with Veronika, but is captured and tortured by the Algerians. After jumping out of a window to escape, he makes a deal with the French to provide the location he was held in exchange for passports. However, the Algerians move out and Bruno is left to continue the assassination as planned in exchange for the passports. After he finishes his task, he learns that the French killed Veronica.

"Le Petit Soldat" still adheres to Godard's visual 'new wave' style, but it differentiates itself from his debut. While "Breathless" was lively, jazzy, and sexy, "Le Petit Soldat" is more angular and severe. It is drenched in melancholic exasperation and Godard's vision takes us inside the mind of Bruno, who is at his rope's end. He achieves this through his post-synchronization. While many of Godard's contemporaries were dubbing their films with ambient sound to ground it in realism, Godard let audible dialogue stand on its own with no extra ambient noises. For example, we do not hear the clap of a slap on the face or the sounds of street cars and pedestrians. All we hear is the dialogue between the characters and the ever-present voiceover of Bruno. We are completely immersed in Bruno's head. 

The main issue with the film, however, was the political overtones. Obviously, it is one thing to depict the complications of the Algerian War. It is entirely another to show corruption by the French government, its use of torture, and the individualized sentiment that France will lose the war due to its lack of idealism. "Le Petit Soldat" was incredible political and was viewed with hostility by the French government, due to its timely depiction of current events and the notion of French corruption. Although the voiceover is that of a weary Bruno, it is more akin to Godard and his musings about the frustration over his own country and government. Not only that, the film's political commentary drips with cynicism about the state of the individual and an inherent global malaise. This makes the film wildly different from "Breathless," as it feels more like a back-against-the-wall honest take on the state of the politics and the compromised position of the individual caught right in the middle.