Histoire(s) du Cinéma (1988)

The apotheosis of Jean-Luc Godard’s experimental era, this sprawling essay film indicts the 20th century through its most popular medium.

“Eight sumptuous episodes: cinema’s tombstone according to JLG, in the most vivid and poetic way. I can’t wait for the zombies that will arise from that tombstone one day.” Olivier Joyard

“An intense, cumulative exploration of cinema, as well as the 20th century itself, by one of cinema’s greatest masters.“ Raymond Phathanavirangoon

“‘Cogito ergo video.’” Santos Zunzunegui

“Godard’s magnum opus, made just as digital cinema arrived, is an astonishing ‘hyperlink’ film that takes in ‘everything’, a cinema that our digital present can only dream of.” Kaushik Bhaumik

1988 France, Switzerland
Directed by
Jean-Luc Godard

Ranked in The Greatest Films of All Time poll

Sight and Sound

Who voted for Histoire(s) du Cinéma

Critics

Marcelo Alderete
Argentina
Mubarak Ali
New Zealand
Fábio Andrade
Brazil
Joana Ascensão
Portugal
Neil Bahadur
Canada
Michael Baute
Germany
Kaushik Bhaumik
India
Maja Bogojević
Montenegro
Nicole Brenez
France
Emilio Bustamante
Peru
Edwin Carels
Belgium
Luc Chessel
France
John Conomos
Australia
Kieron Corless
UK
Jesús Cortés
Spain
Nilo Couret
USA
Lorenzo Esposito
Italy
Juliano Gomes
Brazil
Antoine Guillot
France
Olivier Joyard
France
Jihoon Kim
South Korea
Joachim Lepastier
France
Josué Morel
France
Markus Nechleba
Germany
Javier Oliva
Spain
Jaime Pena
Spain
Raymond Phathanavirangoon
Hong Kong/Thailand
Martial Pisani
France
Peter Christian Rude
Denmark
Cristian Saldía
Chile
Zunzunegui Santos
Spain
Srikanth Srinivasan
India
Víctor J. Vázquez
Spain
Deane Williams
Australia
Geoffrey Wong
Hong Kong

Directors

Jerónimo Atehortúa
Colombia
Martín Farina
Argentina
Grant Gee
UK
Rastko Novakovic
UK
Pere Portabella
Spain