Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still

Godard and J.P. Gorin's hourlong essay on the star of their previous movie--a reflection on a photograph of Jane Fonda among the North Vietnamese. If I recall correctly, Pauline Kael found this movie aestheticized and repugnant; I find it aestheticized and beautiful. Godard's Marxist period now does feel dilettantish, chosen (to quote John Gielgud in a bad spy movie) as "an aesthetic decision more than anything else." But his dilettanterie feels like a grasp through the veil of form--which Godard, in rending it, mastered utterly--toward some fundamental truth about being human. He ultimately found it in the transcendental-poetic, Wallace Stevensish cosmos of his difficult "late" films; but am I the only person who finds this "didactic," "agitprop" period of Godard among his most beautiful work?

After making the fictional film Tout Va Bien with Yves Montand and Jane Fonda, Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorin created this odd little masterpiece, exploring the Vietnam War, propaganda, the history of film, and imperialism, all based on a single photograph: a 1972 black and white shot of Jane Fonda in Vietnam that appeared in the French magazine L'Express. I've lost count of how many times i've watched Letter To Jane, and each time I get something new.

(extra characters required) According to a publication called Vulture, Fonda herself called the film "a big pile of bullsh-t." I hope this isn't true, if so she's missing out!

Going in, this sounded like a really interesting film. 20 minutes after starting it, I tapped out. I suppose they investigated the picture and the whole issue. But does the viewer get to see that. Yes and NO! Yes, because the "script" they're reading says they did. No because, all you see is the picture, followed by periods of black screen. How do you make a boring "documentary" even more boring? Show a blank/black screen. Genius! That's sarcasm btw. If you really want a good documentary about Jane and her hippie lifestyle, watch F. T. A. Instead. At least they could actually fill an hour and a half with actual footage.

Godard and Gorin's collaboration LETTER TO JANE, a follow-up to their relatively more conventional TOUT VA BIEN (1972), is pretty much impossible to see these days, except in film school. Unsurprisingly, there's not much demand for it.

The viewer sees a series of still pictures, accompanied by narration by Godard and Gorin in heavily-accented English. The photo that keeps returning to view is one of Jane Fonda listening to Viet Cong members during her infamous visit to Hanoi. Fonda was the star of TOUT VA BIEN, and Godard and Gorin predictably criticize her for not being "radical" _enough_ in her activism-- the opposite of what the many haters of "Hanoi Jane" say. G & G analyze that and other photos of Fonda and other people, using trendy French theories of semiotics.

Ironically, the two philosophers criticize Fonda's thoughtful facade as reinforcing evil Cartesian thinking-centered philosophy-- all the while speaking of subjects they themselves _thought_ about a lot, and presenting this analysis as important. Being Maoists, of course, they want to validate revolutionary _action_.

If you're interested in conceptual art, like I, you will probably appreciate LETTER TO JANE, even if you disagree with the politics. Others will never see it, anyway. A novel format-- philosophizing-over-still-pictures is certainly unique in film history. However, as with TIMECODE, I wouldn't want every film to be like this-- especially with such dubious politics.

The narration itself is also quite amusing, for those who find bad English funny.

remember to watch this godard film all the way through to get its full effect. don't be a jerk and cop out on it. that's too easy. commit yourself to this film. it's greatly rewarding. sometimes the screen is totally blank (black) for fairly long stretches. the political polemic may or may not be suited to your own point of view. whichever the case, it is a brave and totally unique film. there is no other that has a look and feel quite like it. i might say that it's my favorite godard film (it certainly is his purest), but that would be too easy. i like most of his films for very different reasons. just don't be afraid of this one. and watch it in a darkened room!

• bobby cormier