Contempt and the Lovers Quarrel

The Oxford American Dictionary defines contempt as “the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn.” This feeling of contempt toward someone could come out in many different ways and could be portrayed in many different ways. In Jean-Luc Godard’s film Contempt, the audience is exposed to how contempt could be portrayed through the characters interactions and through the mise en scene and shot composition.
After the opening narrated credits, the film moves on to establish what seems to be a loving relationship between the films two main characters Paul and Camille. The red tinted scene shows the couple nude after making love. They are discussing what they love about each other. This scene establishes the relationship and the passion that they share for one another.
When Paul goes to his meeting with Jeremy Prokosch he does not continue to compliment and show his passion for Camille. She is upset with his behavior and begins to question his love for her. Paul had instructed her to go alone with Prokosch, although it was clear he was a Hollywood sleaze with no respect for the sanctity of their marriage. This insecurity truly heats up when the two return to their apartment.
From the time Paul and Camille enter their apartment, they begin to quarrel and question the love they have for one another. In the scene, there are many elements that help to create the uneasy feeling that is created and it is at this point in the film that the shot composition is most crucial.
In the apartment, Camille begins to question whether or not Paul loves him. She is never really seen in the same frame as Paul as she is pointing out all of the reasons why she is no longer in love with him, and everything that makes her question his love. Paul responds to her by trying to reassure her, almost chasing her around the apartment as Camille runs away. As the two weave in and out of the rooms, they cross paths in the long shots that focus on either one of them or just empty space that one of them has just occupied or will occupy, the audience is then exposed to an uneasy feeling that Godard wished to create.
The conflict between the two and Paul’s torn feelings over his newly acquired job are highlighted throughout this conflict between the two. Camille calls upon Paul to prove his love by writing the screenplay for her and providing for her. The dialogue goes back and forth when the two question each other’s love. When the two try to convince each other of their love and commitment to the relationship, it begins to seem as though neither of them cares, but they just don’t want to be the one to say they don’t.
This sentiment is then enhanced by the framing then used within the scene. In the long scene where Camille and Paul return to their home after meeting with Jeremy Prokosch, the films producer, Godard and Coutard show the strain on the relationship between Camille and Paul through the shot composition that they orchestrated. In the scene, as the plot develops, the audience begins to question the relationship between the two main characters. Before this point in the film, there was a loving relationship established, although that could be questioned as to how sincere that love is from the previous scene when, Camille is seduced by producer Jeremy Prokosch. In the scene in the apartment, the rest of the film is set up and exemplifies how one may not really be fully welcomed to know the truth in their relationship.
In many of the shots of the fight between Camille and Paul, the camera uses the doorframes to keep the audience out of what is actually happening. Although Godard wants his audience to understand the emotions of what is happening, he keeps the audience at a distance by framing key points through a doorframe. The use of the frame within the frame when the two are arguing about the state of their love shows his desire to keep the audience guessing what will happen. When viewing the couple from an outside view, it gives a voyeur feeling that helps keep the audience interested, and wanting to get further engaged into the relationship.
After this scene in the film, the relationship is never the same, even though the two travel to Capri to work on Prokosch’s film. As the plot advances, the audience sees how the two are no longer in love and how Paul chases Camille. Originally, he did not want to rewrite the film because he is a playwright, but he does it to prove his love, which she throws back in his face.
In the final scene of the film, Camille grants Paul what she thinks to be his original wish when she runs away from Capri with Prokosch. Even though this proves to be a fatal choice for Camille, she still stays true to her dispute with Paul and leaves him as she implied she might.
All of the scenes in the film relate to each other and pivot around one central scene. In the apartment, the dispute between the two solidifies the feelings that were vaguely shown earlier when Paul pushed off Camille to Prokosch. After the apartment, the bitter feelings that developed further and lead to the demise of the relationship. While all of this is happening though, there are interesting visuals that are paired with what is happening.
Through the mis en scene, Godard uses color to help show emotion. There are two main color schemes in the film. The first is earth tones. In the opening scenes on the movie lot, there are a lot of earth tones used in the colors of the buildings and in the scenery around the action. These colors show the raw emotion that is being put out into the open and the pureness of the people who are being brought into this film. Showing them in front of these natural colors shows how raw and natural the feeling that are being provoked can really be.
The other color scheme shown through the film is that of the primary colors. There are many scenes where there are bright red, blue or yellow objects, which attract the eyes attention. From the opening scene after the credits where Paul and Camille were in bed after making love, and there was a red filter used which then was dropped, and natural light was used and there was a bright yellow blanket on the bed, and then another filter appeared, but this time blue, the three colors were all main attractions of the eye. These three colors not only appear on pieces of furniture and filters, but in clothing, and in the natural scenery. When the film begins to show Capri, the vast blue ocean is the backdrop to many of the scenes. These primary colors add to the sense of pure truth that is laid out in the film. Godard wanted a film, which was reflexive of the film industry, and he used colors, which are the most pure and natural to help represent this point.
The primary color scheme used also shows Godard’s appreciation for the abstract. Many elements of his film are abstract and left to interpretation. But there is a clear influence from abstract artist Piet Mondrion. The works of Mondrion use rectangular shapes filled with primary colors to represent abstract ideas. Godard uses these primary colors to represent abstract ideas as well. When scenes from the film are interspersed into the film and we see statues of ancient Greek figures, their eyes are red and blue. The purpose of having these statues in the film at these interspersed points is an abstraction of the film.
The film’s plot, Godard’s use of the camera, and the mis en scene make Contempt a rich film to examine. The importance of framing and the way in which the characters relate to each other, help show the message that the filmmaker is trying to get across in this masterfully crafted film. Godard shows the audience that love is not simple, it is complex and is not always truthful. Color is used to show the purity and nature of his characters. He keeps the audience at a distance so that they do not become emotionally involved and can understand this by the end of the film. Although the film is difficult to understand because of its use of shot composition, the theme and message do clearly come through from the actions of the characters.