2x50 Years of French Cinema(DEUX FOIS 50 ANS DE CINÉMA FRANÇAIS)

Ever the contrarian, Godard responded to the British Film Institute's invitation to make a documentary about the centenary of French cinema by performing a Socratic dialogue with Michel Piccoli, cast here as the president of France's official centenary celebrations. Challenging the festivities as penance for our society's neglect of film history, Godard stresses the medium's connection to the past, subject to personal and collective amnesia. The film highlights the spirit of film criticism as the essence of French film culture, from iconic figures André Bazin to archivist Henri Langlois. A perfect prelude to Historie(s) of Cinema.