Une Femme est une Femme

The Criterion Collection

Une Femme est une Femme


With A Woman Is a Woman (Une femme est une femme), compulsively innovative director Jean-Luc Godard presents "a neorealist musical—that is, a contradiction in terms." Featuring French superstars Anna Karina, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Jean-Claude Brialy at their peak of popularity, A Woman Is a Woman is a sly, playful tribute to—and interrogation of—the American musical comedy, showcasing Godard's signature wit and intellectual acumen. The film tells the story of exotic dancer Angéla (Karina) as she attempts to have a child with her unwilling lover Émile (Brialy). In the process, she finds herself torn between him and his best friend Alfred (Belmondo). A dizzying compendium of color, humor, and the music of renowned composer Michel Legrand, A Woman Is a Woman finds the young Godard at his warmest and most accessible, reveling in and scrutinizing the mechanics of his great obsession: the cinema.

FILM INFO

  • Jean-Luc Godard
  • France
  • 1961
  • 84 minutes
  • Color
  • 2.35:1
  • French
  • Spine #238

SPECIAL FEATURES

  • New high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Raoul Coutard, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions
  • Charlotte et Véronique ou Tous les garçons s'appellent Patrick (All the Boys Are Called Patrick, 1957), an early short film by Godard with Jean-Claude Brialy, written by Eric Rohmer
  • "Qui êtes-vous Anna Karina?"; excerpts from a 1966 French television interview with Karina, Brialy, and Serge Gainsbourg
  • Publicity for A Woman Is a Woman featuring the original trailer, rare on-set photos by photographer Raymond Cauchetier, a poster and stills gallery, and an audio promotional recording for the film
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
  • Plus: a 24-page booklet featuring excerpts from a 1961 interview with Godard and director of photography Raoul Coutard about A Woman Is a Woman, and a new essay by film critic J. Hoberman

New cover by Alexander Ku