Band of Outsiders

Jean-Luc Godard's Band of Outsiders I have loved for years without really ever knowing why. Maybe it's the overall melancholy feeling that's punctuated with brief moments of joy. I've never given it much conscious thought until I sat down to tear it apart and put it back together again. I was watching a YouTube clip of the film, that famous scene of the characters running through The Louvre, while listening to The Love Language's "Lalita". The song has a very lo-fi yet upbeat and poppy sound that I associate with 60's rock. It seemed to fit the tone of that scene so well that I decided to cut together a music video using Band of Outsiders.

During that process I scanned through the movie looking for the most iconic scenes. And I quickly came to realize something; you could watch the whole film with the sound off and understand it very well based solely on the strength of the images. And it dawned on me that it was reason I liked the film so much. There is no grand, sweeping cinematography here; it's all about the details and and small gestures that have a lot of meaning. The little touches that you wouldn't even think to put in the script but which lend meaning to the action. I didn't set out to make my video a chronological story but it ended up that way. By choosing the most meaningful scenes I could essentially distill the basic story into three minutes. Admittedly, some of the story elements are missing and as well as some of the subtext but it's a credit to Godard that he can say so much with a simple gesture or glance.

To quote Godard's narration near the beginning of the film: "We might digress now and describe how Odile, Franz and Arthur each felt. But that's pretty clear. So we'll let the images speak for themselves".

That is why I love Godard and this film. And cinema as an art form.

So, here is my video and following that, a description of what I think are some brilliant scenes from Band of Outsiders.




First of all, the title sequence, which quickly intercuts images of the three main characters, establishes a relationship before we've even been properly introduced to them.

Then we cut back to Arthur and Franz staking out Odile's house. They're up to something shady, even if we don't know exactly what it is yet. On the way back to the car Franz turns quickly and mimes shooting Arthur, who falls to the ground and writhes dramatically on the ground. On the surface it's a playful gesture but it has a deeper meaning. You can guess the nature of their relationship from that action. There's already an unstated competition. Is the girl coming between them already? And since we don't yet know if these guys are real gangsters or just petty thugs, the tension starts to build. How long until these guys are shooting at each other for real?

When we first see Odile, she's the picture of innocence. Modestly dressed, hair done up in pigtails and riding a bicycle. So there's already a contrast between she and them. We know the guys are about to take advantage of that innocence.

The triangular relationship is further strengthened by a single shot in the classroom. The camera pans from Arthur, over to Odile, who looks shyly at him before turning to gaze at Franz on the other side of the room.

As they are talking in the hall and Odile and Arthur seem to be getting sort of cozy, Franz literally and quite comically comes between them as he goes through the door.

Later, in the hall, Arthur asks her if she has ever kissed a guy. When he asks her for a kiss she awkwardly sticks her tongue out because she thinks that's how it's done. He kisses her on the cheek, but her gesture points out how innocent and naieve she really is. This is made pretty obvious in the dialogue but that scene alone is all you really need to establish it.

As they drive her home, with her in the front seat between them, she takes playfully takes Franz's hat and places it on her head. He promptly takes it back, probably not wanting to step on Arthur's toes. When they park and get out, Arthur removes her bicycle from the trunk and then rides it once around the car, as if to claim his property.

In the famous dance scene in the cafe, naturally with Odile between the two guys, Franz now takes his hat and places it on Odile's head for the duration of the dance. It wasn't until I watched this scene with no sound or narration that I picked up on the fact that Odile keeps stealing glances toward Franz instead of Arthur. It's subtle but almost certainly intentional.

And of course my favorite visual from this film, the sprint through the Louvre. Turning the hallowed halls of the worlds most famous art museum into a playground. I love how, in the first shot, they race past a well known classical painting, Jacque Louis-David's "Oath of the Horatii". The camera lingers there for a moment to make a point. But our young trio is long gone. It's a nice metaphor not only for the foolishness of youth but for the New Wave itself.

Once I started thinking about this film on a conscious level I started to understand that a lot of these small devices Godard uses are simple but not immediately obvious. While he gives you plenty to think about with the existentialist conversations of the lead characters, he's quietly building these signs into the background.

I'm sure there is much more of this film to analyze but these are the things that came to the surface for me as I was going through the process of re-editing the work of a master filmmaker.