Review: Criterion's Restored, Hi-Def 'Pierrot Le Fou' Sets a New Bar

Writing about any film by Jean-Luc Godard is already a daunting task, but what is there to say about "Pierrot le fou" that hasn't been said before? It's a masterpiece of the highest order, simultaneously an autobiographic work and a ripe exploration of what the very nature of art, existence, and cinema actually means. But what's even more engaging about the frenetic, lush aesthetic is the frank depiction of the personal being inexplicably tied to the political, with events all underscored by the jetsam and flotsam that life injects into every moment.

The new Criterion Collection Blu-ray of "Pierrot le fou" offers a better visual presentation over the prior 2009 release, but don't expect it to be like watching the film born once again. The new 2K digital restoration from the original camera negative used the digital master from the 2009 release as a color reference, which you can clearly see when comparing. That being said, the grain structure is solid and the improvement in visual depth is clearer when in close-ups. All of the special features from the 2009 release have been carried over and no new extras have been produced, but this new edition still stands as the preferred home entertainment version of the film. Highly recommended.

Ferdinand (Jean-Paul Belmondo) is disgusted by the man he has become; one dissatisfied with his marriage and the strains brought on by the bourgeois world. But when his ex-lover Marianne (Anna Karina) comes back into his life, the duo takes off for an adventure of self-discovery and, ultimately, self-destruction.

From the opening credits, Godard makes it clear that "Pierrot le fou" is going to be a film obsessed with the building blocks of art, life, and, of course, the intangible. For a director that was able to find a gift for improvisation within the strictures of the genre, this work of his defies all easy categorization because of his own relearning of what cinema can achieve. Its many spontaneous asides feel less like throwaway gags and more like an artist furiously putting his ideas down as they come to him. But this isn't a stream of consciousness; Godard's sharp knowledge of the political, and apolitical, drives that fury into something revolutionary. There are so many films out there that are championed for having a "lightning in a bottle" type quality, but such films rarely focus on the moments before the lightning strikes.

Again, this new Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection provides a visual improvement over the 2009 release, but it's also worth noting that the special features and booklet essays are just as essential. Pick this up immediately if you're a fan of Godard.

Special features include:

� Interview with actor Anna Karina from 2007
� "A 'Pierrot' Primer," a video essay from 2007 written and narrated by filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin
� "Godard, l'amour, la poesie," a fifty-minute French documentary from 2007, directed by Luc Lagier, about director Jean-Luc Godard and his work and marriage with Karina
� Excerpts of interviews from 1965 with Godard, Karina, and actor Jean-Paul Belmondo
� Trailer
� A booklet essay by critic Richard Brody, along with a 1969 review by Andrew Sarris and a 1965 interview with Godard

"Pierrot le fou" is out on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection on October 6.