1961: Une femme est une femme (A Woman Is a Woman)

If A bout de souffle was Godard's take on American gangster films, maybe Une femme est une femme may be seen as his version of lighthearted musicals in the style of An American in Paris. Loosely plotted, it deals with a woman who knows she wants a child but not from which of two men (who, naturally, are good friends - remember, this is a French film). Though it's clearly too much in love with its own quirkiness, it's a good movie overall because it's visually attractive (Early 1960s Paris! Technicolor! Competent individuals in charge!) and because some of its quirkiness is rather lovely - two of the comic scenes, combined running time about four seconds, are almost unforgettably super. (7)