The Cinematheque

New 35mm Print

Made in the wake of France’s May 1968 social uprising, Philippe Garrel’s enigmatic, elliptical avant-garde opus, a delirious retelling of the Christ story, was shot without a script and under the influence of LSD. It is the second and most thematically ambitious of Garrel’s drug-fueled artifacts created as a member of the Zanzibar Group, a collective of politically-radicalized artists galvanized by the May ​’68 events. In Garrel’s own (albeit translated) words: ​“It is a non-violent parable in which Zouzou [iconic ​‘60s model, singer, actress] incarnates both Mary and Mary Magdalene, while Pierre Clémenti [Buñuel, Visconti, Bertolucci actor] incarnates a discouraged Christ who throws down his arms in face of world cruelty. In spite of its allegorical nature, the film contains a denunciation of the police repression of 1968, which was generally well understood by viewers at the time.” Filmed in engulfing, monochrome widescreen, and featuring music by Garrel’s then-partner Nico.