Internationally renowned filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan said that French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard changed the grammar of filmmaking and created his own path in making films.
He was reacting to the passing away of the Franco-Swiss filmmaker on Tuesday, September 13, at the age of 91.
Adoor said Godard's intellectual abilities were seen in his first movie 'Breathless'. He questioned the traditional mode of filmmaking and created his own path. He has used a unique style of the character directly speaking to the audience. The acclaimed filmmaker said Godard had even developed a new methodology to make digital movies.
National Award-winning editor and artistic director of International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Bina Paul, told IANS: "The Intellectual commitment of Godard was exemplary and he was fully devoted to movies. His movies themselves are a treat to watch and have revolutionised filmmaking."
Last year, Godard was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th edition of the IFFK. He had participated in the ceremony virtually as he was unable to travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was Adoor who had accepted the award on his behalf.
'Godard Pala Yathrakal' (Many Journeys of Godard), a book on the filmmaker by the critic G.P. Ramachandran, published by the State Chalachitra Academy, was also released at the opening ceremony of the festival.
Shyamaprasad, a National Award-winning director, said: "This is a great loss to world cinema. It was Godard who changed filmmaking. He has inspired several Hollywood filmmakers to make realistic movies and revolutionised international filmmaking. It is indeed a great loss."
Jean-Luc Godard entered the film industry after a stint as a critic and writing screenplays for movies. 'Breathless' was his first movie and 'A Woman is a Woman' his first colour movie.
His movies broke the established conventions of French cinema and commenced on a new style of filmmaking. He was more forthright and his offbeat approach to sex was noteworthy.
In his later years, movies such 'Goodbye to Language' (2014) and 'Image Book" (2018) were more experimental in nature. (AA/IANS)
