CQ

The signal sent by an amateur radio operator in morse code when he or she wants to QSO (talk to someone).

It's also evolved into something amateur radio hams use when calling to see if anyone is listening, even when not using morse code. It's also the title of one of amateur radio's premier magazines.

"CQ DE N1TAX" (Station N1TAX calling for anyone on this frequency)

"CQ" is the first film written and directed by Roman Coppola (son of Francis Ford Coppola, brother of Sophia Coppola) about Paul (Jeremy Davies), an aspiring film director who, living with his girlfriend in 1969 Paris, is working on a personal documentary about finding what is real and honest. His day job is editing a science fiction film called "Codename: Dragonfly" that takes place in the distant year 2001. After a screening of the film for its producer, the current director is fired and Paul is given the task of completing the sci-fi action adventure himself. As Paul tries to find an ending for both films simultaneously, the line between science fiction and reality starts to dissolve and he finds himself falling for Agent Dragonfly (or is it the actress who plays her).

Though competent as a film on its own, "CQ" (used in the film as code for "SEEK YOU") is really a valentine to the films of the 1960's, mostly European like the works of Mario Bava (whose "Danger Diabolik" largely inspired this film), Fracois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Coppola pays homage to many films of the new wave era, such as "David Holzman's Diary", "Girl on a Motorcycle" and "Dr. Strangelove", with visual appropriations and even references with dialogue. The result of these influences is a refreshingly stylized movie.

To achieve the look of the film, Coppola shot mostly on camera lenses designed in the 1960's, and also used only period special effects (no computers) to create the science fiction elements. Among his stellar cast he included John Phillip Law (star of "Danger Diabolik") and Kit Carson (star of "David Holzman's Diary").

CQ was released in 2001, and is 88 minutes long. It stars Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Elodie Bouchez, Gerard Depardieu, Giancarlo Giannini, Dean Stockwell, Jason Schwartzman and Billy Zane.
Music by Mellow.

To sum up an earlier writeup, the movies within the movie in CQ are: Codename: Dragonfly is a combination of Barbarella and Danger: Diabolik (John Phillip Law, star of both, has a role), while Paul's home movie is a documentary version of David Holzman's Diary (star L.M. Kit Carson appears as one of Paul's imaginary critics). Some other characters in the film are directly inspired by real actors and filmmakers of the period.

• Dragonfly/Valentine (Angela Lindvall): Conflation of Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot. Both starred in flashy trashy coproductions of the 1960s, and have been known to present their boobies for the camera, Fonda allegedly doing so in Barbarella. Fonda was not a political activist at the timeframe depicted in the movie, but one shouldn't forget her Hanoi Jane period. Valentine and Fonda are both Americans that were made into stars by a Frenchman, which brings us to:
• Andrezej (Gérard Depardieu): Roger Vadim. Director of said international co-productions of the sixties. Discovered Bardot and Fonda, and was married to both for several years. Directed Barbarella, allegedly by himself.
• Enzo (Giancarlo Giannini): Dino De Laurentiis. Italian producer of said co-productions, including both Barbarella and Danger: Diabolik, and many other films of varying quality since then.
• Marlene (Élodie Bouchez): Anna Karina. Icon of the Nouvelle Vague, at the time wife of Jean-Luc Godard and star of many of his early and mid 1960s movies. Bouchez has some physical resemblances to Karina, and is used in much the same way.
• Felix DeMarco (Jason Schwartzman): Roger Corman. Francis Ford Coppola's nephew playing the elder's former boss, obnoxious director (and producer) of grade-Z horror garbage. Coppola directed his first few movies for Corman in the early 1960s, namely Dementia 13.