Print_header

Film
Contempt 

When

May 9–15

Daily

Where
The Castro Theatre (429 Castro St, 415.621.6120)
Price
$9.50
Details
http://www.castrotheatre.com/p-list.html
Contempt_bardot_large
Jean-Luc Godard's 45-year-old masterpiece Contempt is still a conundrum. Coming off a run of shoestring gems, the French New Wave icon suddenly had a big budget, Italian scenery, and Brigitte Bardot at his disposal for this film. Instead of indulging the audience with spectacle, though, Godard rigorously challenges expectations with a prolonged portrait of a broken marriage. Fritz Lang and Jack Palance also star, though Godard's guiding intellect is the feature attraction. The film plays at the Castro in a new 35mm print — a major cause for celebration given the director's emphatic use of primary colors and Cinemascope framing. – Max Goldberg