Overview
A provocative exploration of youthful idealism and radicalism in the heart of Paris.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- confrontational
- didactic
- political cinema viewing
- film studies session
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a prescient, formally inventive examination of New Left activism and one of Godard's strongest politically engaged works.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Students articulate Maoist ideas and arguments in highly performative conversations, interviews, and staged exchanges.
The student apartment is organized through vivid primary colors, graphic compositions, posters, books, and deliberately artificial poses.
Véronique, Guillaume, and their companions debate how to transform society while confronting the practical implications of Maoist terrorism.
The students' certainty is repeatedly complicated by disagreement, theatrical self-presentation, and the gap between revolutionary theory and action.
Films like La Chinoise, and why
Weekend
politically engaged french new wave filmmaking with radical formal experimentation and debates about revolutionary identity
The Dreamers
intellectual ensemble drama about young people, ideology, and the political tensions of contemporary France
Tout va bien
experimental political cinema centered on revolutionary theory, collective action, and the limits of bourgeois narrative
Masculin féminin
french new wave examination of youth culture, alienation, and ideological commitment through formally inventive storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Release Date
- 1967-08-30
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (248)
Cast
- Anne Wiazemsky
- Jean-Pierre Léaud
- Juliet Berto
- Michel Semeniako
- Lex De Bruijn
- Omar Diop
- Francis Jeanson
- Blandine Jeanson
- Eliane Giovagnoli
- Charles L. Bitsch
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kino Film Collection
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is La Chinoise about?
- A vivid, intellectually combative portrait of Parisian students turning Maoist theory into a volatile experiment in revolutionary action.
- What is La Chinoise like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of La Chinoise as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is La Chinoise violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in La Chinoise as mild.
- What did critics think of La Chinoise?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a prescient, formally inventive examination of New Left activism and one of Godard's strongest politically engaged works.
- Which films are like La Chinoise?
- Films with a similar feel include Weekend, The Dreamers, Tout va bien, and Masculin féminin.
- How long is La Chinoise?
- La Chinoise runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch La Chinoise?
- In United States, La Chinoise streams on Kino Film Collection.
