Though I'm afraid I've never been able to connect with the films of Godard, I'd like to offer a word of support for the idea that avant garde artists can have lasting effects on the world. I came at German Expressionism through Robert Hughes's "The Shock of the New," where he makes the point that many Expressionist artists expected to change German society for the better only to find themselves swept aside by the Nazi juggernaut. Many decades later, I myself, and I believe many of my students, have found profound lessons in the lives and the work of Felixmuller, Kollwicz, and many other Expressionist artists. Obviously many art forms have the potential to move people deeply--politically as well as spiritually . And, as we consider the role of film scholars, we should note that the larger effort at scholarship in our various disciplines often performs the function of making avant garde art accessible to those who might at first be put off by its differences from accepted practice. Spend enough time on SCREEN-L, and I might even come to appreciate Godard! Ciao. Dan. Dan Gribbin Ferrum College (VA) ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.sa.ua.edu/screensite