A Woman is a Woman, Jean-Luc Godard

A Woman is a Woman is a great example of experimentation with sound editing. As Angela moves through the city, music jumps from being diegetic to non-diegetic. For example, every time she interacts with men in a flirty way, the music suddenly stops. Such changes of sound are made so obvious that destabilizes audience’s expectations of sound and music. In addition, Godard breaks the forth wall. The characters talk and sing directly into the camera, as if addressing the audiences. In addition, the mise-en-scenes tend to resemble theater productions. For example, when Angela tells Émile to put on a show, she is framed by the door of her house, which gives the illusion to be in a stage.

Therefore, the audience is forced to step out, watch from a distance, and analyze and question the film instead of submerging themselves into the story. As in Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera, the audience is made aware of the medium and deceptive techniques used by the film industry.