Tout Va Bien (1972)
One of the more accessible pieces of work from Dziga Vertov group period Godard, Tout Va Bien can be considered his reaction to the events of “Mai ‘68″. The not-so-simple story of a couple caught up in a strike at a sausage factory, and the ensuing effects is as ridiculous in tone as the setting suggests, yet carries a heavy handed message appropriate to Godard’s political leanings at the time. The Marxist approach to the class struggle is heavily pushed, with bias not even considered, and despite these outdated ideologies being the dominating force that drives the film, Tout Va Bien remains an entertaining piece of cinema 35 years after its initial release, due in some part to the topical relevency of some of the text. The film was co-directed by Jean-Pierre Gorin.
The film opens with a literal naration breaking down the status of the situation on screen. Our protagonists, referred to initially as Him and Her or She and He, before resting on Suzanne and Jacques (portrayed by Jane Fonda and Yves Montand), are outlined in a very complex manner, akin to their descriptions being read out aloud from a script, as is the world around them. Literally. The breakdown of the social structure, the geographical structure and the class structure of the world of the film is outlined in an intricate yet playful manner, that proves to be a unique and welcoming introduction to the piece.
One of the most immediate details of Tout Va Bien would be the set design and the way the camera works around those venues. The cutaway style of the sausage factory set is clearly inspired by Jerry Lewis’ The Ladies Man, a film which I shall be taking a refreshing look at next week, as per the influence of Tout Va Bien! Wes Anderson would later go onto utilise such set design in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited. A lot is made of the influence of the Nouvelle Vague on Anderson’s work, alas its actually the post-Nouvelle Vague work that seems to have been the bigger influence, what with the already established echoes Truffaut’s Stolen Kisses and now Tout Va Bien.
The staging of the strike being a sausage factory could be read to be a post-modern spin on Orwell’s Animal Farm, with the machine of society being questioned in a similar manner. The sheer absurdity of the locale itself suggests the burlesque nature of the tale.
Jane Fonda was at her most overtly political in the years surrounding Tout Va Bien, with her outspoken stance on Vietnam leading to world wide notoriety/fame (dependent on your political leanings). Indeed the follow up to Tout Va Bien, Letter to Jane exists solely around the concept of Godard and co-director Jean-Pierre Gorin dissecting a photographic image of Fonda during the Vietnam years. With regards to Montand’s turn as a former Nouvelle Vague director the obvious route of interpretation would be to assume that this was some kind of commentary on the behalf of Godard with regards to his own role within the film industry, alas its never safe to second guess or presume with Godard!
