Certainly a very provocative film for the time period, Jean-Luc Godard's A Married Woman tells the story of Charlotte, a young, well-put together woman who clearly prides herself on being up to-date on the most recent fashion trends. She lives in a Paris suburb with her son and her husband Pierre, while in the city she has Robert, her lover of the side. Godard's A Married Woman is an examination of the female form in modern society, using the character of Charlotte to examine the double-standards, and downright misogyny which is systematic in society. In a stunning opening sequence which finds Charlotte in bed with Robert, Godard lets his camera linger completely on the female form, a series of tightly-composed shots of Charlotte's bare back, long legs, and bare-stomach, truly objectifying this woman as the visuals capture the complete sensual-based relationship of Charlotte and Robert, one that is, at least for Robert, based almost completely on physical attraction. From there A Married Woman introduces us to Charlotte's husband Pierre, a pilot who seems to view Charlotte on a significantly deeper level. Pierre is a character who Charlotte cares for deeply, no question, but he has become quite possessive, providing her a sense of structure, taking care of her, but it's clear the spark is somewhat missing at this point in their respective marriage, and Pierre has been suspicious of Charlotte's affair for weeks now. When Charlotte learns that she is pregnant, she is unsure who the father is, forcing the young woman to come to the realization that she may have to choose between her husband, Pierre and her lover, Robert. Often referred to as a lesser Godard, I'm not sure i'd agree with this categorization, as A Married Woman is an intricate study of a woman forced to choose between two lovers, with Godard using this narrative structure as not only a meditation on love but also on the feminine form in modern society. Charlotte is a character who isn't sure what she wants, unable to differentiate between Robert and Pierre's love for her. Godard's deconstruction of love, or societies attempted definition of it, is intentionally elusive, expressing how pleasure and love are far from the same thing while simultaneously capturing the importance of sensuality in any healthy relationship, with structure and security alone not being enough. Through this portrait of Charlotte, Godard captures a woman's place in society in a quietly chilling matter, with in both cases Charlotte being a character who is objectified in one way or another by whichever mate she chooses. With Robert, Charlotte is fearful that he doesn't have any true feelings for her, as she is merely just a sexual object for his pleasure, while with her husband Pierre is quietly obsessive and controlling, always paranoid about his wife's whereabouts -a strict structure that provides very little room to breath. In Jean-Luc Godard's A Married Woman both of Charlotte's potential arrangements are defined more by man's desires than her own, as the iconic filmmaker weaves a fragmented tapestry of a character who feels oppressed by this rigid, defined structure, with the film exposing the objectification and double-standards which face females living in a male-dominated world.
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June 2023
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