The Children of Marx and Coca Cola: The Life and Work of Jean-Luc Godard Beyond the Aesthetics

"The philosopher and the filmmaker share a certain way of being, a certain view of the world that is that of a generation.” - Maurice Merleau-Ponty 

Jean-Luc Godard is perhaps the most iconic figure in cinematic history; he is the first name every person who calls themselves a cinephile should know. His name reverberates with such significance that its absence from one's cinematic lexicon may induce shaming by others. The French-Swiss film director, known for his contribution to the New Wave movement of the 50s and 60s, pioneered new narrative structures, innovated and developed filmmaking techniques and produced many masterpieces, some of which you may all have heard of, such as Pierrot Le Fou or Breathless (À bout de souffle). Yet, we tend to ignore Godard's impact beyond his cinematic aesthetics and his role as a political activist who used his art to articulate his socio-political convictions.

A period of civil unrest and social upheaval took place in France, particularly in Paris, during May and June of 1968. Mai ‘68 started as a series of student protests but quickly escalated into a widespread movement involving millions of people from various societal sectors. This upsurge symbolized  defiance against established authority, denounced the suppression of academic freedoms within universities, and later gained the support of labor unions. Artists joined this vibrant societal movement, among whom Godard's stance was particularly significant: the director got the world-renowned Cannes film festival canceled, his impassioned words —"I talk to you about solidarity with students and workers, and you talk to me about tracking shots and close-ups! You're idiots!"— showed his commitment to sociopolitical justice and solidarity over formalities such as film festivals.

His activism also took more implicit forms as he communicated his political views through his films. In Masculin Féminin, based on two short stories by the great French author Guy de Maupassant, the story revolves around the romantic relationship between Paul, a young man who is looking for a job and protesting against the Vietnam war, and Madeleine, an aspiring pop singer. The film captures the essence of the youth in the 1960s; Godard shows the youth’s raw struggles, relationships, and opinions during the period. He uses the characters' dialogues and interactions to reflect the political apathy and growing shift away from traditional political ideologies. He states in an intertitle that, “This film could be called The Children of Marx and Coca Cola,” confirming his efforts to portray the political climate of the time through a cinematic lens, illustrating the romantic lives of young Parisians, busy signing petitions against restrictions of freedom of speech and quoting philosophers such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty.

Essentially, the work that Jean-Luc Godard accomplished transcends cinema. He manages to depict a moving history of social revolutions and reflect the dynamics of political dissent and periods of social change. His legacy lives on not just in the frames of his many films but also in his ever-present dedication to promoting social change and expressing his beliefs through the medium of film.