Overview
A whimsical exploration of love and desire in a vibrant Parisian setting.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- playful
- charming
- arthouse movie night
- romantic comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Godard's playful romantic musical as funny, charming, and entertainingly experimental, with Anna Karina's performance at its center.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Characters intermittently sing and dance while the soundtrack and camera cut abruptly between realistic scenes and musical interludes.
The film incorporates abrupt soundtrack cuts, quotations, and conspicuously unconventional transitions associated with Godard's filmmaking.
Angela urgently wants a child, while Émile resists starting a family and proposes an arrangement involving his friend Alfred.
Angela, Émile, and Alfred become entangled after Émile's suggestion creates confusion and emotional rivalry.
Films like A Woman Is a Woman, and why
Band of Outsiders
playful french new wave experimentation, romantic miscommunication, and self-conscious cinematic style
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
stylized romantic comedy combining musical interludes, witty dialogue, and emotional volatility
The Young Girls of Rochefort
irreverent musical-romance form, vivid visual design, and comic relationship conflict
Le Mépris
experimental romantic comedy with theatrical performances, jealousy, and unconventional genre play
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Release Date
- 1961-09-06
- Runtime
- 83 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (412)
Cast
- Anna Karina
- Jean-Claude Brialy
- Jean-Paul Belmondo
- Henri Attal
- Karyn Balm
- Dorothée Blanck
- Catherine Demongeot
- Marie Dubois
- Ernest Menzer
- Jeanne Moreau
Common questions
- What is A Woman Is a Woman about?
- A determined exotic dancer turns a domestic argument about having a child into a witty, musical tangle of desire, jealousy, and cinematic play.
- What is A Woman Is a Woman like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Woman Is a Woman as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Woman Is a Woman violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in A Woman Is a Woman.
- What did critics think of A Woman Is a Woman?
- Critics broadly regard Godard's playful romantic musical as funny, charming, and entertainingly experimental, with Anna Karina's performance at its center.
- Which films are like A Woman Is a Woman?
- Films with a similar feel include Band of Outsiders, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Young Girls of Rochefort, and Le Mépris.
- How long is A Woman Is a Woman?
- A Woman Is a Woman runs 83 minutes.
