Contempt is a film by Godard that didn’t even register on my radar before someone mentioned it to me. It was a pleasant surprise and a glimpse at Godard working with what seemed to be his largest crew and a more linear and narrative structure.

The cast is wonderful with surprises from Fritz Lang (as himself) and Jack Palance as a Hollywood producer, but the film is built around Michel Piccoli and Brigitte Bardot. The breakdown of their relationship is the core of the film and it’s also a metaphor for the end of the big old-Hollywood model of filmmaking. But with Godard it’s never that simple or clear and he manages to cram a lot into the frame and it keeps you thinking about it for days afterwards.