An Account of Criminality and Prostitution in the Film Vivre Sa Vie (1962)

Prostitution, arguably one of the oldest professions in human history, has flourished in every form of society since time immemorial regardless of its legality. Particularly in France, prostitution has had a long and extended socioeconomic influence and is recognised by Nicolas Sarkozy (former French president) as being part of France 's national cultural heritage (Gangoli, G. & Westmarland, N. 2006). In Jean-Luc Godard 's fourth feature film, Vivre Sa Vie (1962), an account of the impact prostitution and its affiliation with criminality in the daily lives of ordinary Parisians is brought to light in the style of a theatrical documentary, using various Brechtian alienation devices to provoke understanding and critical analysis from audience members concerning its underlying message. Just as the chapters one is prone to find in a fictional novel just so Vivre Sa Vie (1962) is filmed in the form of twelve tableaux, done to further distantiate the audience on regular intervals, discouraging any preoccupation with the psyche of the unfortunate heroine Nana. In addition to its novelistic detail in form, the name 'Nana ' carries the legacy of the naturalist film done in 1926 by Jean Renoir (one of Godard 's greatest influences). The striking similarities between the scripting of the two films are perspicuously displayed in the heroines ' shared ambitions to succeed in the entertainment industry, their promiscuity and the tragic end to which they found themselves. Nana, in addition to being Godard 's homage to Renoir, is also an anagram of 'Anna ' Karina ( the then wife of Godard). It is therefore implied that it is not the identity of Nana being examined on the pedestal of this moving picture alone but Karina as seen through the eyes of Godard which begs the question of whether the work of an auteur can be indeed seen as an autobiography of its creator.

Earlier releases of the film in predominantly English speaking countries such as North America and the United

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