Pierrot le Fou

Pierrot le Fou

14/10/2013 1h 50m 7.3/10

Overview

Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.

Director

Jean-Luc Godard

Top Billed Cast

Jean-Paul Belmondo

Jean-Paul Belmondo

Ferdinand Griffon, 'Pierrot'

Anna Karina

Anna Karina

Marianne Renoir

Henri Attal

Henri Attal

The First Pumpman (uncredited)

Pascal Aubier

Pascal Aubier

The Second Brother (uncredited)

Graziella Galvani

Graziella Galvani

Maria, Ferdinand's Wife

Aicha Abadir

Aicha Abadir (uncredited)

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

1/24/2023

6/10

Remember the old days of vinyl when you'd put the stylus on, and it would just slide across the disc? Well, despite the number of times I have watched this film, it does the same as that stylus. I just don't really get it. It centres around the slightly Bonnie and Clyde existence of the married and recently unemployed television executive "Ferdinand" (Jean Paul Belmondo) and his flighty ex-babysitter "Marianne" (Anna Karina) as they travel across France trying to make a Bohemian sort of living whilst she avoids some Algerian gangsters from whom she has worked smuggling guns. Now we know from the start that these two have a bit of history - she continuously calls him "Pierrot" - much to his chagrin, but different as they are, and rather despite themselves, together they must remain as their escapades become more perilous, quirky and their personalities emerge stronger and clearer. I get all of that, it's a road movie - a colourful, occasionally entertaining one - with a certain, though not overwhelming - degree of chemistry between the two handsome stars. The scenarios though, are all a bit repetitive and too much of the significance of the film seems attached to the former relationship (off screen) between Karina and Jean Luc Godard. Perhaps it is based on their own life, but what has that to do with what we are watching on the screen now? Sure, it's a well photographed and flee flowing story, but too much of the significance of the plot and the characterisation is reserved to those "in the know" and so I just found it, increasingly, a rather unremarkable semi-comical romp. It's highly rated, so I am probably just out of kilter - but for me this is really nothing much to write home about.

Similar Movies

The Taqwacores

5.0

The Taqwacores

2010

Life of the Party

6.1

Life of the Party

2005

Disappearances

4.7

Disappearances

2007

Looking Through Lillian

2.0

Looking Through Lillian

2002

Floating Weeds

7.5

Floating Weeds

1959

Tees Maar Khan

3.7

Tees Maar Khan

2010

Hello & Goodbye

5.7

Hello & Goodbye

2018

Sword of the Beast

7.4

Sword of the Beast

1965

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

7.8

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

1939

A Handful of Dust

6.0

A Handful of Dust

1988

Love Will Tear Us Apart

6.4

Love Will Tear Us Apart

1999

A Marine Story

6.0

A Marine Story

2010