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Juliet Berto, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Anne Wiazemsky, Blandine Jeanson, Michel Semeniako ... see more see more... , Eliane Giovagnoli , Francis Jeanson , Lex De Bruijn , Omar Diop

Director Jean-Luc Godard, whose advocacy of Maoism bordered on intoxication, infuriated many traditionalist critics with his swiftly paced satire La Chinoise. Godard's then-wife Anne Wiazemsky plays a... read more read more... philosophy student who commiserates with the four members of her campus Maoist group. They are so taken by the external trappings of their cause--the posters, the Little Red Books, the by-rote chantings--that they seem not to grasp the true meaning of their political persuasion. Nor do they give any thought to the long-range ramifications of their terrorist activities. Godard is obviously on the students' side throughout, though he balances their fanaticism with the comparative gentility of old-style revolutionaries. Nonfans of Godard were given migraines by the director's perverse refusal to film even the simplest sequence in a linear, logical fashion. La Chinoise quickly gained the reputation of a "head film", best appreciated when the viewer is stoned. In these PC days, the audience for this sort of film is generally "straight"...which may be why it has seldom been shown in recent years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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78% liked it

548 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

14 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard

Release Date: March 4, 1968

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DVD Release Date: May 13, 2008

Stats: 57 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (57)

  • SirPant
    May 23, 2011
    SirPant
    Humour should be at the core of all good satire. Jean-Luc Godard has mastered a lot in his lengthy career but I'm afraid Satire isn't one of them. La Chinoise is very clever, beautifully shot and is an important piece of pop art. Inserting various slogans and political pictures o... read moref the time was fairly revolutionary editing at the time and La Chinoise is an important historical and political work, it's just dreadfully dull. It's like being told the same joke for 93 minutes that wasn't even funny the first time. Monty Python did it better in a 3 minute sketch. Watch it because you love Jean-Luc Godard, the 60's and bright colours.
  • hunterjt13
    March 15, 2011
    hunterjt13
    So it's a satire?
    I struggled to understand what this film is about throughout most of the ninety-five minutes, and I blame part of my struggles on my own ignorance: I don't know the time, the political climate, or Godard well enough to have any context. What I do know is that t... read morehis film is remarkably hard to watch. It's either too-deft satire or preaching with the fervor that would make a Baptist minister blush. It's either a disjointed film in the tradition of Brian De Palma's Hi, Mom or so post-structural that even Jacques Derrida is screaming, "What the fuck?" Either way, what I said about Masculin Feminin is not true here: though it is jumbled, it is not ultimately compelling. Rather, its effect is repelling.
  • fb1142797643
    February 21, 2012
    fb1142797643
    One of Jean-Luc Godard's most bluntly political works, "La Chinoise" is not easy to watch. The characters recite speeches and quotes more than they "act," and the film is so packed with harsh edits and two-layer dialogue that watching it may require a few rest breaks. Furthermore... read more, people not fluent in French (this includes me) will be handicapped because the subtitles do not adequately cover all the overlapping talk, radio announcements and handwritten text that flood the frames. (Suffice to say that walls and blackboards are never wasted if they present an opportunity to display slogans or lecture notes.)

    At first glance, "La Chinoise" comes off like a movie about ideology alone, where actors only serve to deliver Godard's agitprop rather than to exist as personalities. But eventually, a sense of narrative emerges. The story -- loosely based on Dostoyevsky's novel "The Possessed" -- centers on a small group of student radicals who share an apartment. They are financially comfortable and a bit sheltered from the real world, and this inexperience is crucial. Their passionate exchanges of Marxist/Maoist doctrine and complaints about society initially seem presented as weighty truths, but the students' naivete is more than evident by the film's end. Godard's own position remains ambiguous -- he seems to crave the oft-discussed socialist revolution, but just doesn't trust these kids to lead it.

    Jean-Pierre Leaud and Anne Wiazemsky (Godard's one-time wife) are engaging in difficult roles, while the shots are attractively overloaded with primary yellows, blues and (especially) reds. Notable elements include an extended train dialogue between Wiazemsky and philosopher Francis Jeanson, a botched assassination, a catchy Marxist pop song, novelty guns that transform into radios and movie cameras, Leaud's depiction of international policies via a table of country-themed sunglasses and Juliet Berto's comic portrayal of a Vietnamese peasant attacked with toy planes. Copies of Mao Tse-Tung's "Little Red Book" are absurdly piled everywhere, and of course Godard inserts plenty of clapboard shots and jarring photo stills to prevent anyone from becoming too comfortable.
  • alanjayh
    April 24, 2010
    alanjayh
    political diatribe from a trio of college kids bored during one summer in Paris. I thought the film was boring and only the two female actresses kept my interest (and that was for their appearance, not their acting). Only for Godard enthusiasts, otherwise pass.
  • jimbotender
    September 3, 2008
    jimbotender
    Anarchy/submission,terrorism/truce,post-structuralism in the making,masterpiece in other words.Godard is aware that '68 will be a turning point in France and worldwide....red to the bone?Can we really say that Chinoise represents a limited part of the audience?Lavishing cinematog... read moreraphy and jaw-dropping truths.No matter the side you have in politics,this is a MUST!

View All La Chinoise Reviews

Critic Reviews

Michael Phillips
February 15, 2008
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Maybe Andy Warhol didn't make the quintessential Pop Art masterwork. Maybe Jean-Luc Godard did. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
October 10, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

The spirited cast -- including Anne Wiazemsky, Jean-Pierre Léaud, and Juliet Berto -- make all this touching as well as troubling. Full Review

J. Hoberman
October 10, 2007
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Not just a period film, La Chinoise...is a chunk of the period. Full Review

Dave Kehr
October 10, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Maoism appears as the latest campus fad in Jean-Luc Godard's 1967 film. Full Review

Dan Jardine
August 7, 2011
Dan Jardine, Cinemania

Everything in this film seems to be constructed for its central purpose, which is to make you THINK. Sounds like a dare, doesn't it? One of Godard's lesser seen, but nonetheless essential films. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
May 30, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Relevant at its theater release and when viewed some sixty years later. Full Review

Phil Hall
May 16, 2008
Phil Hall, EDGE Boston

Best for Godard addicts. Full Review

Fran Hortop
October 10, 2007
Fran Hortop, Film4

Prophetic, powerful, disconcerting, infuriating, and surprisingly funny. Full Review

October 10, 2007
Time Out

Distinctly disquieting as well as gratingly funny. Full Review

October 10, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Godard's acute examination of the political climate of the period. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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