The place of the photograph in the films of Jean-Luc Godard
deserves a book-length study of its own. Few directors have explored
it so thoroughly. He has considered everything from the freeze frame
(Sauve qui peut (la vie), 1980 ) and advertising (Une femme mariée, 1964 )
to news photos (Cinétracts, 1968 ;Je vous salue, Sarajevo, 1993 ) and the
tableau (Passion, 1982 ). In general, he sees photographs as social signs
belonging to the construction of popular belief or ideology. His relation
to them is invariably analytical; when they enter his work they are
usually from the domain of the mass media, and on screen they are as
much objects of cultural critique as filmic fascination. Two examples must 103
91 Fiona Tan,Countenance, video
installation (2002): 4 video projectors,
4 hi-fi audio speakers.