2501 I disagree, I think Godard films are fun to watch (at least some of his early films and the ones with a sense of humor, I will not defend his entire body of work lol). I like loose structure and I don’t mind long stretches of a film being uncomfortable or never directly paying off. Formalism is not necessary, other filmmakers can do that. I think going in expecting him to be academic in his approach is the wrong way to view his films. What motivates his art is how humans interact and oppress each other, and he tries to convey that as directly as possible. What actually comes together on screen is downstream of that philosophy. When it works, it can appear like vibes, but it does have a method behind it.
Yes Godard was an asshole and acted like he knew everything, but I wouldn’t take him at his own word with that. Godard couldn’t even make good Godard films half the time. Like you said Welles could make a Godard film, I don’t think Godard could restrain himself to make something like A Touch of Evil or The Lady From Shanghai, but I don’t think that diminishes his works that do manage to be lyrical and thought provoking.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand, Does Mario talk about the class struggle or sexual ennui?