Vivre Sa Vie (1962)

Turner presents the film as a New Wave masterpiece, emphasizing its spiritual portrait of Nana. He singles out Godard’s chapter-based storytelling and Raoul Coutard’s camerawork as notable features.

Phipps finds the film’s philosophical ideas somewhat patchwork, but says Godard’s cinematic confidence and mounting tragedy bring it together. He praises the distancing compositions for deepening the film’s portrayal of desire and humiliation.

Parkinson calls the film Godard’s forgotten masterpiece and says it makes cinema-going worthwhile. He singles out Anna Karina’s bewitching performance and the film’s beautiful photography.

French regards the film as an influential, highly original work and says its power endures. He praises its carefully composed shots for questioning cinema, appearance and reality, and perception.

Denby presents the film as a fatalistic, fragmented portrait of Nana that culminates in a moving ending. He praises Anna Karina’s vivacity and soulfulness for unifying the portrait despite Godard’s distancing techniques.

Henderson praises the film as a compelling, finely balanced work shaped by the tension between Godard and Karina. He especially singles out Karina’s vivid, captivating performance.

The review is positive about Godard’s sustained, unsentimental portrayal of a young woman adrift in Paris. It especially praises Anna Karina for giving the character truth and depth.

The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict or specific praise or complaint. The URL indicates a Great Movies article about Godard’s film, but its critical details cannot be verified.

The page presents Godard’s film as a sequence of Brechtian tableaux tracing a sex worker’s life and death. Its description singles out the shift from documentary-like treatment of prostitution to a Monogram-style B-movie ending.

The piece offers a mixed, questioning view rather than a clear verdict. It singles out the film’s shifting styles and suggests its connection to Karina’s marriage to Godard, but leaves that interpretation uncertain.

Beta finds the film resonant and singular within Godard’s body of work. He praises its moody, sparse style and its exploration of the economics of pleasure.