First Name: Carmen.
I was in Lisbon for a day and still I found the time to purchase two of my favourite Godards. Passion (1982) and First Name: Carmen (Prenom: Carmen, 1983) have recently been released on DVD in pristine copies with introductions by Colin MacCabe.
As I re-watched the two films at night, it became clear that, contrary to what some people say, Godard’s films do not demand a patient spectator. Passion and Prenom: Carmen ask for an attentive viewer, one who knows that this attention is not different from the kind of awareness that we should devote to ordinary and precious things, to striking images and words that we may want to remember and revisit. Seeing instead of simply looking, listening instead of merely hearing, is vital, not dull.
