Contempt - Jean-Luc Godard

Adapted from a 1954 novel of the same name by Alberto Moravia, 'Contempt' tells the story of Camille and Paul Javal, a couple who live in Rome. When Paul is contacted by producer Jeremy Prokosch and asked to work on a cinema adaptation of The Odyssey, he sees an opportunity to earn enough money to realise his dream of writing for the theatre, and thus prove to his wife that he is talented, even if it means deliberately allowing the American producer to woo her. But the young woman refuses to take part in his scheme, and the love she felt for him turns to contempt.

In John Baldessari's studio, the TV was always on, tuned to channels that played a steady stream of films. Even when he went out the door, the monitor stayed on for his dog Benny. Films - from B-movies to Westerns - became a kind of background noise for Baldessari. The films that caught his attention even got a place in his artworks: Hollywood film stills from the 1940s to 1960s were cropped, scaled, and complemented with Baldessari's colourful forms. Bozar shows a selection of his favourite cinematic gems.