OY, I THOUGHT Godard would live forever, at least till the end of my own life. Early on, in my youthful arrogance, I had quibbles with some of his films—too arch at times, too arrogant at others—but I have since had to admit that without his brilliance and daring, many of us in the US avant-garde would have missed out on his challenge. At some point, on one of the director’s visits to New York, his agent had asked me for copies of several of my films for Godard to view. I complied, and though subsequently I never heard from the master himself, I felt deeply honored. I have no doubt that Godard’s films will stand the test of time.
Yvonne Rainer is an artist based in New York.