Alphaville (1965)
88%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: NA
While Alphaville is by no means a conventional sci-fi film, Jean-Luc Godard creates a witty, noir-ish future all his own
The Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution” is a sci-fi film that has stood the test of time, and for good reason. It’s a quirky and playful homage to American movie tropes, with a European post-war uncertainty thrown in for good measure. Godard’s ground-breaking visuals and deliberate attempts to unease make this darkly enticing film stand out. It’s like he’s transported us to some other world, even if it’s all a colossal put-on. But hey, Godard is having a bit of a laugh, and we’re all just along for the ride.
Production Company(ies)
Stanley Kubrick Productions,
Distributor
Janus Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Esso tower, La Défense, Hauts-de-Seine, France
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1965
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 38m
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Language(s):French, English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 5, 1965 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 20, 1998
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff, Valérie Boisgel, Jean-Louis Comolli, Michel Delahaye, directed by Jean-Luc Godard, written by Paul Éluard, Jean-Luc Godard, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Chris Vognar, Ty Burr, Steven Rea, Kenneth Turan, Richard Brody, David Parkinson, Kristy Strouse, Mattie Lucas, Jeffrey M Anderson, Sarah Boslaugh, Andrew Wyatt, Robert Mazzocco, produced by Janus Films, MPAA rating, Alphaville, science fiction, dystopian metropolis, rogue agent, computer, mind control, Natacha, Von Braun’s daughter
Worldwide gross: $47,696
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $508,938
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,735
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 55,500
US/Canada gross: $47,696
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $508,938
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,318
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,298
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $77,873
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,038
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $220,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,347,501
Production budget ranking: 2,014
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,264,129
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$3,102,692
ROI to date (est.): -86%
ROI ranking: 1,929
Anna Karina – Natacha Von Braun
Akim Tamiroff – Henri Dickson
Valérie Boisgel – 2nd Seductress Third Class (uncredited)
Jean-Louis Comolli – Prof. Jeckell (uncredited)
Michel Delahaye – von Braun’s Assistant (uncredited)
Director(s)
Jean-Luc Godard
Writer(s)
Paul Éluard, Jean-Luc Godard
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (4)
It’s so archly intellectual that you fear it might splinter if you poke it in the ribs. It’s also endlessly playful in its worship of American movie tropes, and deeply resourceful.
May 29, 2014 | Rating: B
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
TOP CRITIC
Nothing about this strange, moving work of agit-pop has ever seemed out of date. If anything, “Alphaville” moves closer to relevance with every passing year.
May 1, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
A bracing salute to American gangster pics, with a jumpy European post-war uncertainty thrown in.
April 25, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Despite its age it’s that rare science fiction film that doesn’t seem to have dated at all.
April 24, 2014
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
It’s one of the great cinematic works of romanticism, as well as a sort of filmed revelation of the very essence of science-fiction movies and German silent classics — their blend of social critique, emotional liberation, and paranoia.
April 1, 2014
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Although this is drastically different compared to the rest of Godard’s oeuvre, it has without a doubt had a lasting impact with its ground-breaking visuals.
April 1, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Visually stunning, but ultimately peculiar, Alphaville isn’t a sci-fi you’ve seen. The deliberate attempts to unease, and extend our curiosity in a stylish display make this darkly enticing film stand out.
July 8, 2022
Kristy Strouse
Film Inquiry
Take(s) elements of classic Hollywood and twist(s) them into a haunting foreshadowing of the Godard to come.
July 28, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
It really does feel like Godard has transported us to some other world, even if it’s all a colossal put-on.
July 12, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
…Godard is having a bit of a laugh…and if everything in this film is just too much of whatever it is, that’s totally deliberate on his part.
July 9, 2019 | Rating: 7/10
Sarah Boslaugh
TheArtsStl
Godard whips this peculiar mélange of cinematic influences and invention into a work that is stimulating, stylish, and irresistible.
January 22, 2019
Andrew Wyatt
The Lens
Always something strangely individualistic, utterly contemporary, and yet for all that, riddled with dj vu, cultural echo chambers, a kind of deliberately outmoded sleight-of-hand.
March 13, 2018
Robert Mazzocco
The New York Review of Books…
Plot
Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet. His very American character is at odds with the city’s ruler, an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has outlawed love and self-expression.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Eddie Constantine as the American private eye Lemmy Caution.
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