May 2, 2026
1685.) This week’s episode is a “summation” of an artist who is at the very top of the Funhouse Pantheon of deities. For this episode offers the American TV premiere of the last short made by Jean-Luc Godard, titled “Scenarios.” (made in 2022, released in 2024) The short was paid for by the Arte network (primarily French and German, but seen in other European countries), and JLG decided as his health was failing that he was going to complete it no matter what. Thus, what you will see in this episode are a few short scenes from the Arte documentary L’histoire de Scenario (2025) that show Uncle Jean outlining what elements will go into the short to his assistants. Then you will see the entirety of the short, which Godard planned precisely in both the “storyboard” phase (consisting of cards with images and text on them) and in a very detailed meeting (not seen on video) with his collaborators the day before his assisted suicide took place. The result is a two-part short video (consisting of “DNA” and “MRI”) that contains some images familiar from his films and videos essays, and some entirely new ones. In the process, he uses elements from several of the arts, while also paying a last tribute to the inspirations (Rossellini, Orson, Hawks, among others) who made him a filmmaker. It’s an emotional work and a jarring one, as could be expected from one of the greatest artists to ever work in cinema.
