Le Mẽpris: Contempt

Without explicitly denoting the failure of Paul and Camille’s relationship, Jean-Luc Godard brilliantly implies the seed of its demise in Contempt.

Of course, it is not Godard’s style to feed his viewers a story’s true beginning. So, very early in Contempt during a scene filmed in erotic red tones, wife Camille lays nude, questioning husband Paul’s content with her body: part by part. As the film cuts to melancholic blue tones, Paul confesses that he lovers her “totally and tragically.” She claims that she loves him too, but this is not true.

The truth is that she despises him for this love. This is because she does not feel the same. His display of affection only intensifies her disgust.

In two different scenes, ignorant-arrogant-American film producer Jeremy Prokosch makes improper advances toward Camille. Both times, her husband insists that she go off with him, so she does.

Therefore, Camille resents him for this. What initially appeared as a rude gesture by Paul is not. It is this “tragic” love he has for Camille. He is willing to let her go even if he inevitably loses her. This occurs although the story seems to be framing a parallel between Odyssey and Paul in reference to why they leave their wives. Instead, the story reveals. He is concerned for her happiness. She again despises him for having such immense love as well as being innocently accurate in projecting her lacking. He is painfully correct, she is wrong.

This revelation is implied because this content is conveyed through the actions and emotions portrayed between Paul and Camille. However, it is not actually apparent within the extensive dialogue that takes place in the numerous disagreements between Paul and Camille. Basically, Camille knows she is not worthy of such amounts of love, therefore, she is in contempt by disrespecting her marriage.