What I think is so fascinating about Godard and his legacy is that not every film is great or successful. Between the masterpieces are all sorts of strange detours and dead ends. But even when it doesn't "work", how can you not be astonished by the signs of life, of thinking?
If cinema becomes anything more to you than just a way to pass the time after work, you start to think about its history, about its technology, about its ideology, about how it is made and financed, about its potential for political impact. By then you know Godard.
I don’t believe it’s possible to be seriously interested in cinema and not also be seriously interested in Jean-Luc Godard. There’s too much to say about everything he gave us, and I mourn that there won’t be more from him to look forward to. He never stopped being essential.