Goodbye to Language
Friday-Saturday: Jean-Luc Godard, godfather of the French New Wave, has always loved anarchy, beginning with the early '60s gangster cool of "Breathless" and "Band of Outsiders" and continuing through the scathing satire of "Weekend" and "Tout Va Bien." Now the legendary director returns to the screen at the ripe old age of 83 with his first 3-D communiqué, "Goodbye to Language." When he presented its debut at Cannes, Godard warned the audiences, "This is not a film." His 39th rant is more an essay with a few plot elements than a story. It features a 70-minute compilation juxtaposing jarring audio, parodies of today's cinema technology featuring eye-bending video collages that defy the capabilities of digital stereoscopic glasses, a romance challenged by the elderly man's demanding bathroom breaks and a cameo performance by Godard's real-life dog. As usual, there are interrupting title cards with observations such as, "Those lacking imagination take refuge in reality." Variety called it "by far his most passionately embraced work in years." It returns to Walker Art Center by popular demand. (7:30 p.m. March 13, 2 & 7:30 p.m. March 14. 1750 Hennepin Av. S., $7-$9. 612-375-7655, tickets.walkerart.org.)
COLIN COVERT
