The critical writings of the French film director, Jean-Luc Godard, are collected here. Many of them are reviews which originally appeared in the French magazines "Cahiers du Cinema" and "La Gazette du Cinema." They include comments on many American and European films from the years 1950-59, as well as Godard's comments on films and film-makers, including his own approach to film, from 1960-67. In his espousal of American directors like Frank Tashlin and Douglas Sirk, Godard establishes his own belief in the "auteur" theory of film. His early essay, "Towards a Political Cinema," presages his later films. A commentary by the editor explains obscurities and establishes links between the articles and Godard's own films. Many of the stills which accompany the test were chosen to illustrate the similarity between the photography of the films Godard reviews and his own films. There is an annotated bibliography. (JK)