Synopsis
Vivre sa vie was a turning point for Jean-Luc Godard and remains one of his most dynamic films, combining brilliant visual design with a tragic character study. The lovely Anna Karina, Godard’s greatest muse, plays Nana, a young Parisian who aspires to be an actress but instead ends up a prostitute, her downward spiral depicted in a series of discrete tableaux of daydreams and dances. Featuring some of Karina and Godard’s most iconic moments—from her movie theater vigil with The Passion of Joan of Arc to her seductive pool-hall strut—Vivre sa vie is a landmark of the French New Wave that still surprises at every turn.
Cast
| Nana | Anna Karina |
| Raoul | Sady Rebbot |
| Paul | André Labarthe |
| Yvette | G. Schlumberger |
| The cook | Gérard Hoffmann |
| Elisabeth | Monique Messine |
| Journalist | Paul Pavel |
| The "guy" | Dimitri Dineff |
| The young man | Peter Kassowitz |
| Luigi | E. Schulmberger |
| Philosopher | Brice Parain |
| Arthur | Henri Atal |
Credits
| Director | Jean-Luc Godard |
| Producer | Pierre Braunberger |
| Cinematography | Raoul Coutard |
| Editing | Agnès Guillemot |
| Sound | Guy Villette |
| Assistant director | Bernard T. Michel |
| Sound mixer | Jacques Maumont |
| Sound editor | Lila Lakshmanan |
| Camera operator | Charles Bitsch |
| Music | Michel Legrand |
| Thought out, written, shot, edited, in sum, directed by | Jean-Luc Godard |
Disc Features
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
- Audio commentary featuring film scholar Adrian Martin
- Video interview with film scholar Jean Narboni, conducted by historian Noël Simsolo
- Television interview from 1962 with actress Anna Karina
- Excerpts from a 1961 French television exposé on prostitution
- Illustrated essay on La prostitution, the book that served as inspiration for the film
- Stills gallery
- Director Jean-Luc Godard’s original theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring Godard’s original scenario, an essay by critic Michael Atkinson, interviews with Godard, and a reprint by critic Jean Collet on the film’s soundtrack
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