Histoire(s) du Cinéma 3a: The Coin of the Absolute

Jean-Luc Godard's Histoire(s) du Cinéma 3a: The Coin of the Absolute keeps up his fragmented examination of what cinema meant across the 20th century. This chapter assembles film clips, photographs, voiceover and music into a collage that suggests connections among image, memory, politics and philosophy. Godard narrates and appears in brief passages while archival footage of figures like Alain Cuny and Juliette Binoche punctuates the film. It doesn't offer a linear storyline or explicit conclusions, instead it layers associations and repetitions so viewers are invited to interpret how montage and commentary reshape the past. He mixes narration, text on screen and abrupt cuts, asking viewers to read cinema as a layered historical record.

Released in 1998, the segment is directed by Jean-Luc Godard as part of his eight part Histoire(s) du Cinéma project. Godard also appears uncredited, and the piece uses archival performances and voice from notable actors and thinkers, and archival voices.

It did not collect major mainstream awards, and there are no widely reported Oscar or Golden Globe nominations for this installment. Instead it has been circulated primarily in festival screenings, retrospectives and academic study, where its experimental form is treated as a subject rather than a contender for popular prizes.

Within cinephile and scholarly circles the Histoire(s) series, including 3a, is often cited for challenging how films are seen and talked about. Its montage driven logic and layered soundtracks have influenced film theory courses and prompted essays that reconsider authorship, memory and the role of historical footage in creative work.

Critical response is mixed, reflected in a modest average rating of 6.4 out of 10 from a small number of votes. Viewers who appreciate experimental cinema praise its meditation on image, time and ideology, while others find its associative method elliptical and demanding. Some find its pace frustrating, others rewarding.