Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorin were nearing the end of their collaborative investigation of new possibilities in political filmmaking when they joined forces with leftist celebrities Jane Fonda and Yves Montand for this bitterly funny comedy drama, which after many years out of circulation has been given an outstanding presentation in this DVD release from The Criterion Collection. Tout Va Bien has been given a letterboxed transfer to disc in the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.66:1, which has also been enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16 x 9 monitors. Digitized at a high bit rate, the images are crisp and colorful, capturing the ruddy, natural look of film without magnifying its flaws. The film's original single-channel audio mix has been preserved in Dolby Digital Mono; the film is in French, with optional English subtitles. As is their custom, Criterion have loaded this release with relevant and well-presented bonus materials, most notably Letter to Jane, an essay film in which Godard and Gorin use the famous photo of Jane Fonda visiting Hanoi as a jumping-off point for a less-than-charitable discussion of their one-time collaborator's political motives and integrity. First screened as a companion piece with Tout Va Bien, Letter to Jane certainly serves as a fascinating extension of the filmmakers' opinions about the role of intellectuals in the revolution, though it says as much about Godard and Gorin as it does about Mao, Marx...or Fonda. Also included is a short onscreen interview with Godard from 1972, a longer interview with Gorin shot for this release in 2003, and a 40-page book with essays on the films from writers J. Hoberman, Kent Jones, and Colin MacCabe, as well as highlights from an interview with Godard and Gorin published in Sight and Sound in 1973. In many respects, Godard's work from this period is as provocative and polarizing as ever, but its importance has not dimmed with the passage of time, and students of political filmmaking should be grateful for this "master's class" presentation of a vital but little-seen work.
