Contempt

Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 film follows a writer working on a screenplay at a producer's request. His wife draws away from him. The reason is never explained. The film places a film in production inside its narrative; the narrative also takes aim at the economics of cinema itself. Brigitte Bardot and Michel Piccoli lead. It is adapted from a novel. The opening scene was added at the producers' insistence. Who it's for: those who like the cinema of the New Wave. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a conventional plot; the film proceeds at a distance and in theory.