Eddie Constantine as Agent Lemmy Caution.
Last weekend I renting the 1965 film Alphaville by Jean-Luc Godard. Alphaville is a tech noir tale that follows secret agent Lemmy Caution as he penetrates and subverts a totalitarian society controlled by the merciless Alpha 60 computer. originally titled “Tarzan vs IBM”, the film is both cliche and inventive at the same time. It intentionally overplays cinematic Noir conventions but laces them with surreal futurist elements. I liked it. I really liked it.
I think my favorite aspect is its almost utter lack of any scifi props of special effects. Everything is implied. Although Caution arrives from another galaxy he does so in a normal car via a normal road. Guns are just guns and buildings look like, well, buildings from 1965. There are several shots of computer banks and the like, but they are again unremarkably period equipment.
Tech noir is a genere ripe for exploration in Hollywood. Its been thriving in comic books and Japanese animation for a while now. It’d be good to see some quality releases along the lines of Dark City or Blade Runner.
This site has more information and pictures on Alphaville.
On a completely unrelated note, I’m really beginning to miss my iPod…