Three talented actors wasted in a single film. Haneke has shot a flop film.

La Pianiste (2001) directed by Michael Haneke

Not having seen even a single film of Michael Haneke's Austrian trilogy,I decided to watch this film in order to understand his style. My expectations were not met as I was heavily disappointed with this film as primarily all the three French actors were not properly used. To begin with Isabelle Huppert is a big miscast as the cold,lonely music teacher.This role could have been nicely done by Hanna Schygulla. Why ? As a German actress she would have surely had better affinity with Michael Haneke who is an Austrian author.Even the role given to the veteran actress of the past Annie Girardot looks unconvincing as she never fits in such kind of troubled mother mold.The biggest error is related to Benoit Magimel's character. This is because he is more at home in demonstrating his acting talents related to psychological aspects of French films. As I have not read the books by Elfriede Jelinek,I don't think that it would be fair on my part to comment on the book's cinematographic adaptation. All in all, I have no hesitation in saying that I have failed to grasp the very the essence of this film. May be I should soon organize a second viewing session in order to find out hidden meanings of this film.For the moment this film remains an awful experience for me.

This film by Godard is not at all a film of our times.

Sauve qui peut (la vie) (1980) directed by Jean Luc Godard

The English title of this film "Sauve qui peut la vie" made by Jean Luc Godard is "Everyman for himself".This is exactly what happens in this film which is only for people having unusual cinematographic tastes.All the three main characters are in their own world without bothering about what the other persons are doing.There are a lot of similarities between the film maker Jean Luc Godard and the film director's role played nicely by French singer,actor Jacques Dutronc. It appears as if Godard had deliberately chosen Dutronc for that role keeping in mind their own erratic behavioral patterns. Nathalie Baye is acceptable in her role as the hapless girl friend of this eccentric director.The most challenging and in some sense controversial part has been played by famous French actress Isabelle Huppert as an innocent prostitute who silently bears all the ill treatment meted to her by her clients.This is a good psychological film directed by Godard about the emotional stagnation of some characters who are unable to come out of their mental framework.