Women and Godard

At first sight Godard’s representation of women seems to be more complex than the traditional image offered by Classical Hollywood; however, his films cannot avoid reflecting the typical male ambivalence towards women, which sees them both as objects of love and contempt—goddesses or cruel vamps. This view of women can be best understood within the context of his society where religious conservatism was clashing with changes in sexual and gender norms and expectations. Ironically, at the same time that his films explore characters who are unrestrained by traditional bourgeois norms, Godard appeared to have been terrified at the idea of having a child out of wedlock that he rushed to marry Anna Karina when she was pregnant.
Although Godard’s films, Breathless and Une Femme est une Femme, expose feminine issues such as pregnancy, sexuality, and women’s labor, they fail to present a different view of women from the ones previously seen in Art, in particular the French Avant-Garde, in which women are muses and incomprehensible enigmas that can be lethal at times. This view of the lethal woman is a continuation of the Film Noir’s femme fatale. Breathless is a great example of this male ambivalence. Patricia, the love interest of Michel Poiccard, is the one who leads him to his death by informing the police of his location. Une Femme est une Femme.