Late Godard and the Possibilities of Cinema [Paperback]

WithLate Godard and the Possibilities of Cinema, Daniel Morgan makes a significant contribution to scholarship on Jean-Luc Godard, especially his films and videos since the late 1980s, some of the most notoriously difficult works in contemporary cinema. Through detailed analyses of extended sequences, technical innovations, and formal experiments, Morgan provides an original interpretation of a series of several internally related filmsSoigne ta droite(Keep Your Right Up, 1987),Nouvelle vague(New Wave, 1990), andAllemagne 90 neuf z?ro(Germany 90 Nine Zero, 1991)and the monumental late video work,Histoire(s) du cin?ma(1988-1998). Taking up a range of topics, including the role of nature and natural beauty, the relation between history and cinema, and the interactions between film and video, the book provides a distinctive account of the cinematic and intellectual ambitions of Godards late work. At the same time,Late Godard and the Possibilities of Cinemaprovides a new direction for the fields of film and philosophy by drawing on the idealist and romantic tradition of philosophical aesthetics, which rarely finds an articulation within film studies. In using the tradition of aesthetics to illuminate Godards late films and videos, Morgan shows that these works transform the basic terms and categories of aesthetics in and for the cinema.

Daniel Morganis Assistant Professor of Film Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.

Late Godard and the Possibilities of Cinemais an exhilarating and extremely lucid analysis of the way Godard thinks in, of, and through cinema. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of French culture, politics and theory, Morgan skillfully illustrates the complex relations between history, aesthetics, and nature in the directors later works. Defying criticism of Godards alleged retreat from politics, this book provides compelling, detailed, and erudite analyses of his lc$