Contempt
Le Mépris
“More bold! More brazen! And much, much more Bardot!”
Synopsis
Art film producer Jeremy Prokosch, unhappy with the work of his director, hires Fritz Lang (as himself) to direct an adaptation of The Odyssey, but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb, he brings in a screenwriter to energise the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
60th Anniversary Trailer [Subtitled]Official
Type: Trailer • Published 2023-05-10
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Release History & Theatrical Window
Beijing International Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
December 18, 1964
Wide Cinema Exhibition
April 20, 1999
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$900K
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$528K
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
0.59x
-$372K deficit
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Screenplay & Story
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Original Score
- Georges Delerue
- Original Title
- Le Mépris
- Country of Origin
- France, Italy
- Spoken Languages
- English, French, German, Italian
- Runtime
- 1h 43m
- Production Budget
- $900K
- Worldwide Gross
- $528K
- Production Studios
- Rome-Paris Films, Les Films Concordia, C. C. Champion
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard, Alberto Moravia
Georges Delerue
Raoul Coutard, Alain Levent
Lila Lakshmanan, Agnès Guillemot
Joseph E. Levine, Carlo Ponti, Georges de Beauregard
Department Leadership Roster
Jean-Luc Godard
Director
Lila Lakshmanan
Editor
Joseph E. Levine
Producer
Carlo Ponti
Producer
Raoul Coutard
Director of Photography
Agnès Guillemot
Editor
Georges de Beauregard
Producer
Jean-Luc Godard
Screenplay
Georges Delerue
Original Music Composer
Tanine Autré
Costume Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 6 — Restricted to viewers aged 6 and older.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Contempt.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Contempt.
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:37:48 UTC+8)*
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Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2022 (Critics' Poll). Every decade the Sight and Sound team asks critics to name the greatest films of all time. Here are the results of the 2022 poll – the largest ever, with 1,639 critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics each submitting their top ten ballot - and now updated with the complete list. 《视与听》2022年影评人评选影史百大电影（含并列完整版）： 由 1639 位影评人、策展人及学者共同票选的影史最伟大电影。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#152] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#171] Out 1 (1971) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:36:35 UTC+8)*
S&S Directors - Greatest Films
Sight and Sound’s Directors’ 100 Greatest Films of All Time 2022. Every decade since 1992, Sight and Sound has complemented its celebrated critics’ poll by formally sounding out the world’s leading directors on the ten films they believe to be the greatest of all time. 《视与听》2022年导演评选影史百大电影： 由全球 480 位知名导演共同票选出的影史最伟大电影。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:36:27 UTC+8)*
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:33:14 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About Contempt
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Contempt about?
Art film producer Jeremy Prokosch, unhappy with the work of his director, hires Fritz Lang (as himself) to direct an adaptation of The Odyssey, but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb, he brings in a screenwriter to energise the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.
Who directed Contempt?
Contempt was directed by Jean-Luc Godard.
Who stars in Contempt?
The principal cast of Contempt includes Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, Giorgia Moll, Fritz Lang.
When was Contempt released and how long is it?
Contempt was released in 1963 with a total runtime of 1h 43m.
What was the box office and production budget of Contempt?
Contempt had a reported production budget of $900K and grossed $528K at the worldwide box office (0.59 return on budget, classified as a underperformed).
Who composed the musical score for Contempt?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Contempt was composed by Georges Delerue.
Is Contempt based on a book or true story?
Contempt is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "Alberto Moravia".
What is the age rating and content advisory for Contempt?
Contempt holds official age classifications: DE: 6 (FSK 6 — Restricted to viewers aged 6 and older.); FR: TP; US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).