Two or Three Things I Know about Her
(Deux ou trois choses que je sais d'elle)

Juliette Janson (Marina Vlady) Speak as though quoting the truth. Old father Brecht said that, that actors should quote.

Narrator (Jean-Luc Godard) Pax Americana: jumbo-sized brainwashing.

Juliette Janson We often try to analyze the meaning of words but are too easily led astray. One must admit that there's nothing simpler than taking things for granted.

Juliette Janson In my dreams I used to feel that I was being sucked into a huge hole. Now I feel I'm being scattered in a thousand pieces. Before, even if it was a slow process, I would wake up all at once. Now I'm afraid there'll be pieces missing.

Christophe (Christophe Bourseiller) I had a dream last night, you know. I was walking all alone at the edge of a cliff. The path was only wide enough for one person. Suddenly I saw two twins walking toward me. I wondered how they would get past. Suddenly one of the twins went towards the other and they became one person. And then I realized that these two people were North and South Vietnam being united.

Juliette Janson Language is the house man lives in.

Juliette Janson No one knows what the city of the future will be like. Part of the wealth of meaning it once had will undoubtedly be lost, undoubtedly. Maybe the creative and formative roles of the city will be taken over by other forms of communication, maybe television and radio . . .

Juliette Janson Something may make me cry, but the reason for my tears is not contained in their traces on my cheeks. In other words, you can describe what happens what I do something, without necessarily indicating what makes me do it.

Narrator Where is the beginning? But what beginning? God created heaven and earth. But one should be able to put it better. To say that the limits of language, of my language, are those of the world, of my world, and that in speaking, I limit the world, I end it.

Juliette Janson I don't know where or when, just that it happened. I have tried all day to recapture the feeling. There was a scent of trees. I was the world, the world was me. A landscape is like a face.

Narrator What is art? Form becoming style. But the style is the man. Therefore art is the humanizing of forms.

Narrator There is increasing interaction between images and language. One might say that living in society today is almost like living in a vast comic strip.

Narrator How do you render events? How to say or show that at 4:10 p.m. that afternoon, Juliette and Marianne came to the garage where Juliette's husband works? Right way, wrong way--how can one say exactly what happened? Of course, there is Juliette, her husband, the garage. But are these the words and images to use? Are there no others?

Narrator Objects exist, and if we pay them more attention than we do people, it is because they exist more than those people. Dead objects live on. Living people are often dead already.

Narrator Should I have talked about Juliette or the leaves, since it's impossible to do both at once? Let's say that both, on this October evening, trembled slightly.

Juliette Janson Thought meshes with reality or calls it into question.

Robert (Roger Montsoret) People never really talk in films. I'd like to try with you.

Fan What will communist ethics be like? Ivanov The same as they are now, I expect. Fan Meaning what? Ivanov Look out for one another, work for one's country, love it, love the arts and science. Fan What will the difference be then? Ivanov It will be easier to explain when communism comes. Fan Oh yes, I understand. It's money. It's a great evil, because you steal without realizing it.

Ivanov One must always be sensitive to the intoxication of life. Fan Can I ask you another question? Is poetry formative or simply decorative? Ivanov Everything that decorates life is formative.

Martine What have you been doing all day, clever? Robert This morning I worked at my garage. Martine Do you own it? Robert No, I don't. Martine Then why is it "my garage"? Robert At "the" garage. Right. Martine You're not listening. How do you know it's a garage? Are you sure the word isn't "swimming-pool" or "hotel"? Robert I suppose it could be. Martine Exactly. How do things get particular names? Robert They're given them. Martine Who by?

Robert Well, we got there. Juliette Janson Where? Robert Home. Juliette Janson So what now? Robert We go to bed. What's up with you? Juliette Janson And then? Robert We wake up. Juliette Janson And then? Robert Same again. We'll wake up. We'll eat. Juliette Janson And then? Robert I don't know. Die. Juliette Janson And then?

Juliette Janson I know they're my eyes because I see with them. I know they're not my knees or whatever, because I've been told so. Suppose I hadn't been told. How would life be?

Narrator Our thoughts are not the substance of reality, but its shadow.