171 - Contempt

[captainofbeef]

DISC ONE:
- New high-definition digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Raoul Coutard and enhanced for widescreen televisions
- Audio commentary by film scholar Robert Stam
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Optional English-dubbed soundtrack Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

DISC TWO:
- The Dinosaur and the Baby (1967): a conversation between Jean-Luc Godard and Fritz Lang (61 minutes)
- Two documentaries featuring Godard on the set of Contempt: Bardot et Godard (8 minutes) and Paparazzi (22 minutes)
- Jean-Luc Godard interview excerpt (1964)
- A new video interview with legendary cinematographer Raoul Coutard
- Original theatrical trailer

[lordofdance]

I've noticed that a lot of reviews point out how the Bardot nudity scenes aren't erotic. Now I know Godard didn't want them to be erotic, but we're talking about Brigitte Bardot with no clothes on. She's beuatiful in every scene of this movie, though it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Contempt is all around visually attractive. This is one of those movies that I just want to look at.

Anyway, though, just because the director wants the viewer to react a certain way, it doesn't mean the viewer has to do it. Naked women are erotic, and naked Bardot is even more so. There certainly are ways to make female nudity unappealing, for example, by showing an extended rape scene where the woman is beaten and covered in dirt. That is not erotic. Or, it shouldn't be. But Godard doesn't make Bardot unappealing at all. Take the early scene where Bardot is lying in bed with her backside exposed. Godard attempts to make it arty, which is supposed to make it less erotic for some reason, but Bardot's naked Backside is still Bardot's naked backside. If anybody tried to convince me that Bardot wasn't supposed to sexy, I'd want to punch them.

Thoughts?