History of the World by Jean-Luc GodardiTunes ♦ Stitcher ♦ Player FM ♦ TuneIn

Ep. 48: Histoire(s) du Cinema [ 1:14:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today’s 48th Sight and Sound entry is Jean-Luc Godard’s eight-part essay series: Histoire(s) du Cinema. A film as sprawling and experimental as Histoire(s) requires both time and patience to parse. For that reason, the majority of this podcast is spent decoding Histoire(s) esoteric text. Joining host, Lady P, to translate is a set of panelist with wide array of strong opinions on the film – as befits a figure as polarizing as Godard.

First up, in his Flixwise debut, is film critic and host of The Cinephiliacs podcast, Peter Labuza. Peter’s on hand to advocate for Histoire(s), not just as a piece of superlative filmmaking, but also for its significance as one of the few non-linear, non-narrative, works on the S&S list. Co-producer, Martin Kessler, and Flixwise regular, Kristen Sales, are a little more skeptical about some of Godard’s ideas, though they both found pieces in the film’s 4+ hours that they could get behind. They discuss why they found Histoire(s) both totally great and totally frustrating. Lady P, meanwhile, spends most of the episode just frustrated and befuddled.

While this is a packed episode, everyone still found time for some positivity:

Here’s Martin’s Final Note

Here’s Peter’s

Here’s Kristen’s

Here’s Lady P’s