Godard had been regarded by many critics as one of the directors who most vividly embodies Brechtian theories. Godard and the French New Wave made it impossible for audiences to ignore that they were watching a film.
- Pierrot Le Fou (1965)
-You'll never leave me?
-Of course i won't.
-Of course?
-Yes, of course...yes, of course.
Actors address their dialogue directly to the audience, music is cued in the wrong places, jump cuts point up that someone was editing, there are random endings, and similar devices.
- Alphaville (1965)
-Increasingly i see the human form as a lovers dialogue...
The heart has but one mouth.
In Brechtian theory, if the spectator knows that what he is watching is fiction and is not driven by an emotional identification, he can complete the play in his mind. Brecht was also a Marxist and his main interest was to expose contradictions from the stage, and involve the audience. He never gave complete answers which would go against dialectical exercise.
- Masculin Féminin (1966)
-Ever realize that in "masculine" there's "mask" and "ass"?
-And in "feminine"?
-There's nothing.
To achieve this he employed the verfremdungseffekt (distancing effect), a strategy which constantly reminded the audience that they were in a theater.
- 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle (1967)
-...the truth of our thoughts
Our thoughts are not the substance of reality...
but its shadow.
The influence of these ideas became so prominent, that there are a number of examples of them in cinema. Some of his techniques became popular in modern cinema, though not necessarily with the same objectives Brecht had in mind. Addressing the audience by breaking the fourth-wall was one of Brecht’s revolutions, but now this is quite normal, and is not always related to distancing ideas.
- Week-end (1967)
(Once again Jean‑Pierre Léaud. This time, he's acting Saint-Just.)
-...I see nought but constitutions steeped in gold, pride and blood...
and nowhere do I see the sweet humanity and equable moderation...
which ought to be the foundation of the social treaty.
- Tout Va Bien (1972)
-I'm only now starting to understand things that Brecht pointed out over 40 years ago.
Do you know his preface to Mahogany?
Isn't it brilliant?
Godard’s cinema always the stories he wants to tell, but is also about cinema itself.