Even when they trade in quotations, the films of Jean-Luc Godard exude a sense of spontaneity. The Swiss filmmaker has never been able to stay put on an idea or story line for very long; his work always goes off in unexpected directions or sprouts up non sequiturs. A possible explanation for the films’ eccentric forms is that Godard has always embraced chance, coincidence, and arbitrary decisions as a core part of his creative practice. When he employs quotations (whether from written texts, movies, paintings, or musical compositions), he’ll often do so because he simply likes how the sources look or sound. He also likes to name his films before determining anything else about them, letting the titles guide his ideas, motifs, arguments, and counterarguments as if they were watchwords or mantras.
The narrative structure suggests something out of a book for children. It comprises six sections, the first five (which run about 45 minutes total) representing a person’s five fingers and the last (which runs about 40) representing a hand. This form points to the film’s overarching thematic question, which is one that a young child might pose: What’s the difference between looking at the parts of a thing versus looking at the thing as a whole?
Correction: An earlier version of this review stated that part three of The Image Book took its name from a poem by Rimbaud. It is actually a poem by Rilke.
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard. In English, subtitled French, and other unsubtitled languages. 85 min. Now playing through 2/21. Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, 312-846-2800, siskelfilmcenter.org, $11.
