Last Year at Marienbad

Some of the main themes of this film are perception, memory, and a concept of "truth." I found it to be somewhat similar to Hiroshima Mon Amour in that there did not seem to be a strong, clear-cut plot with a traditional rising/falling action and climax. It instead seemed more concerned with revealing itself slowly and carefully in a way that supported the dense, mysterious feeling of the film.
The acting in the film was purposely flat, with the main characters showing little emotion. This aspect of the film also reminded me of Hiroshima Mon Amour. This lack of emotion suggests that Resnais wants the viewer to focus on other aspects of the film instead of getting attached to the characters personal identities. For example, Resnais wants us to focus on the hotel and its eerie feeling and its potential meaning, or the idea that the hotel/setting may also be a character in itself that is more important than the individual people. This idea is supported by the fact that Resnais spends much time filming the elaborate corridors and rooms of the hotel, as well as the exterior, not always with any people in the shots.
I found this film to be very beautifully shot. Resnais use of symmetry was very aesthetically pleasing and precise. He also played with the exposure of some of his shots for an interesting effect. For example, going from one extremely over-exposed shot of the main woman in the film to a shot of the garden outside of the hotel at dusk. It is this kind of contrast that makes the film so memorable and striking. Resnais use of repetition in the film emphasizes the idea that there could have been multiple outcomes to the story being told.

Bonnie and Clyde

Upon its release in 1967, Bonnie and Clyde was given mediocre or negative reviews by much of the mainstream press. It looked like it was going to be a failure until Warren Beatty urged critics to give it another look. Beatty starred in the film and also helped secure much of the funding for it when things were looking grim. Upon second consideration, many of the critics changed their opinions of the film, and it became a financial and critical success. This was significant because it was one of the first American films to be influenced by the French New Wave.
The film broke new ground in a variety of ways. The graphic violence (especially in the end) depicted in the film was some of the most gruesome ever shown up to that point in any major film. This led to controversy about the effect of violence in cinema. The film also addressed issues of impotency- which was unheard of at the time in the film world. It was especially effecting because it showed the main male character Clyde (Warren Beatty) as the one with problems "performing." It also showed scenes with Bonnie and Clyde in bed together, which some of the public found inappropriate. Of course, many also loved the film and today it is generally considered a classic.

Alphaville

Godard is making equal nods to sci-fi and film noir/detective genre film in this 1965 film. It is interesting to see Eddie Constantine cast as his notorious character Lemmy Caution in this film. In some ways he is parodying his character, but staying true to the personality of Lemmy Caution. It is clear that Godard feels a sentimental attachment to the film noir/detective genres, but he also wants to comment on how the plots in such films can be totally over the top and/or predictable. For example, when Lemmy first enters his hotel room and is immediately chased by a man trying to kill him who crashes through (I believe) three glass doors in pursuit of him- and this is all with a naked woman in the bathtub! It is these kind of over-the-top scenes that make it clear that Godard is poking fun at the genre he loves.
In taking on the sci-fi genre, Godard is not so concerned with sophisticated special effects (like other directors in the genre) but rather keeps true to his style of throwing in bits of literature, poetry, and whatever else he was interested in at the time. In that, his "signature" is still very apparent in the film. I would not say that this film is merely a loving tribute to the genre. Godard seems to be saying that the genre (film noir/detective) had reached a certain peak at that time, and it needed a change. A change that should give the genre some deeper meaning or posed more controversial questions than it had in the past. In essence, it seems that while the film was a tribute to his love of the genre, the film was also a warning that if filmmakers continue to churn out films with stereotypical plots in the film noir/detective genre, the genre will lose its relevancy and ability to keep people's attention, and it will instead start to become a parody of itself.