As rumors swirl of Jean-Luc Godard’s final posthumous film eying a Cannes premiere along with the recent premiere of Ben Affleck’s Nike drama AIR, it’s only fitting that a Nike commercial from the legendary French director has resurfaced. Shot in 1991 but never aired, the 15-second spot is undoubtedly something only Godard could have come up with as we see Death running after a girl and a man, who narrowly avoid their demise because they are wearing, of course, Nike sneakers.
Legendary Joe Pytka’s production company shared a few details on the genesis of the ad, which stemmed from a Nike campaign in which they were recruiting directors from across the globe. After a difficult search to find a French director, they finally contacted Godard and a commercial was made. When the campaign finally aired, the Godard spot was nowhere to be seen. Here’s the story, followed by the ad.
“The agency folk arrive in Paris and are given instructions on where to meet Godard for the filming,” it is noted. “They get there and Godard isn’t at that location (a restaurant). They find out where he is supposed to be filming and when they get there, they find that Godard has already finished and has left. They never meet him. The completed film arrives at the agency a while later. It’s not quite what they had expected but then it is Godard.”
It’s also not the only ad Godard helmed. Watch another below for Marithé + François Girbaud jeans from the 1980s.