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The movie that heralded the French New Wave movement, this lean and exciting 1959 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard (A Woman Is a Woman, Weekend) broke new ground not only in its unorthodox use of editing and hand-held photography, but in its unflinching and nonjudgmental portrayal of amoral youth. Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg play two young lovers on the run from the law after Belmondo kills a cop and steals a car. Soon they are on an odyssey through the streets of Paris searching for some money he is owed so that he and his American girlfriend can escape to Italy. As a chase picture it features some startling photography on the streets of Paris, but as a romance it defies expectations, existing as part tragedy and part Bonnie and Clyde crime movie. The result is a wholly original film experience. Inspiring not only a remake starring Richard Gere but numerous films and television series, Breathless is an essential part of motion picture history. --Robert Lane
Product Description
There was before Breathless, and there was after Breathless. With its lack of polish, surplus of attitude, crackling personalities of rising stars Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg, and anything-goes crime narrative, Jean-Luc Godard's debut fashioned a simultaneous homage to and critique of the American film genres that influenced and rocked him as a film writer for Cahiers du cinema. Jazzy, free-form, and sexy, Breathless (A bout de souffle) helped launch the French new wave and ensured cinema would never be the same.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette and Eric Rohmer were film connoisseurs, who all worked as movie critics for the same magazine. Between the years 1958 to 1964, this group transitioned into filmmaking, and, along with other directors, such as Agnés Varda, Jean-Pierre Melville and Louis Malle, ushered in the French New Wave Movement, (Nouvelle Vague). Their background in film theory and criticism was a major factor in motivating these artists to create a bold new cinema.
Jean-Luc Godard's first feature, "Breathless," was released in 1960, introducing the New Wave and changing cinema forever. Godard used jump cuts, handheld cameras, zoom lenses and a new editing style to take the viewer places never ventured before. No artificial, glossy stage sets in this movie. Along with the protagonists, we travel up and down small side streets, into local bars and sidewalk cafes, across boulevards and, for inconsequential moments, brush the lives of passers-by, who have nothing to do with the screenplay, but always play a role in our daily comings and goings. The fragmented rhythm of modern life is translated here. Godard used sound in the same way, adding street noises, bits of conversations and music to add to the movie's authenticity and pace. This was indeed innovative at the time. And it still holds up. Watching "Breathless" forty-five years after its debut, 21st century technology does not detract from its dynamism or relevance in the slightest. In fact, with each viewing, I find the film every bit as exciting and poignant as I did the first time.
Jean-Paul Belmondo plays the feckless, foul-mouthed car thief, anti-hero and Humphrey Bogart fan, Michel Poiccard. Just a few minutes after the opening credits conclude, Michel's status changes from small-time hood to cop killer. His life's plans alter drastically as he becomes a hunted fugitive. Michel remains cool enough, however, to visit an old girlfriend and steal some money. Bogart would have been proud - not of the theft, but of the style. Michel spots gamine-like American, Patricia Franchini, (the lovely Jean Seberg), selling copies of the Herald Tribune on the Champs-Elysees, and pursues her, with roguish smiles and moody pouts. He curses her and moves off fast, though, when she gives him a hard time. He likes his women more enthusiastic. Instead of getting out of town fast, Michel hangs with fellow thugs and steals more cars.
Patricia is an enigmatic character, who occasionally startles with her observations and revelations. Twenty years-old, with the naive face of an angel, she seems to have no direction or goals in life. She studies at the Sorbonne and says she wants to write, but is oddly detached. She shuns commitment. She does occasional odd jobs for the newspaper, but appears to live in a dream world. Of course Patricia winds up with Michel and together they gallivant around the gorgeous streets of Paris, as if they haven't a care in the world. Patricia does have at least one problem, however - she might be pregnant. Together the couple attempts to collect on a debt to raise enough cash to escape to Italy.
Godard captures incredibly intimate moments between the two lovers, particularly in one lengthy, extremely realistic bedroom episode, filled with small talk, tenderness, petty cruelties, eroticism, mind games, childhood memories shared and loneliness. At the scene's end we have a better understanding of the self destructive individuals who make-up this twosome. A sense of burgeoning doom, which has hovered in the background all along, begins to increase here. Michel's bravado also escalates with the level of danger and, to his credit, he remains true to his idol, Bogart, to the end. The conclusion boggles the mind, at least it has always impacted me emotionally in a major way.
Belmondo is brilliant as the restless thief, in this, his first film role. He reminds me of a French James Dean. Seberg is convincing and fresh. This is a dynamic film, witty, fast-paced, romantic and disturbing. It has long been a favorite of mine.
JANA
Jean-Luc Godard's first feature, "Breathless," was released in 1960, introducing the New Wave and changing cinema forever. Godard used jump cuts, handheld cameras, zoom lenses and a new editing style to take the viewer places never ventured before. No artificial, glossy stage sets in this movie. Along with the protagonists, we travel up and down small side streets, into local bars and sidewalk cafes, across boulevards and, for inconsequential moments, brush the lives of passers-by, who have nothing to do with the screenplay, but always play a role in our daily comings and goings. The fragmented rhythm of modern life is translated here. Godard used sound in the same way, adding street noises, bits of conversations and music to add to the movie's authenticity and pace. This was indeed innovative at the time. And it still holds up. Watching "Breathless" forty-five years after its debut, 21st century technology does not detract from its dynamism or relevance in the slightest. In fact, with each viewing, I find the film every bit as exciting and poignant as I did the first time.
Jean-Paul Belmondo plays the feckless, foul-mouthed car thief, anti-hero and Humphrey Bogart fan, Michel Poiccard. Just a few minutes after the opening credits conclude, Michel's status changes from small-time hood to cop killer. His life's plans alter drastically as he becomes a hunted fugitive. Michel remains cool enough, however, to visit an old girlfriend and steal some money. Bogart would have been proud - not of the theft, but of the style. Michel spots gamine-like American, Patricia Franchini, (the lovely Jean Seberg), selling copies of the Herald Tribune on the Champs-Elysees, and pursues her, with roguish smiles and moody pouts. He curses her and moves off fast, though, when she gives him a hard time. He likes his women more enthusiastic. Instead of getting out of town fast, Michel hangs with fellow thugs and steals more cars.
Patricia is an enigmatic character, who occasionally startles with her observations and revelations. Twenty years-old, with the naive face of an angel, she seems to have no direction or goals in life. She studies at the Sorbonne and says she wants to write, but is oddly detached. She shuns commitment. She does occasional odd jobs for the newspaper, but appears to live in a dream world. Of course Patricia winds up with Michel and together they gallivant around the gorgeous streets of Paris, as if they haven't a care in the world. Patricia does have at least one problem, however - she might be pregnant. Together the couple attempts to collect on a debt to raise enough cash to escape to Italy.
Godard captures incredibly intimate moments between the two lovers, particularly in one lengthy, extremely realistic bedroom episode, filled with small talk, tenderness, petty cruelties, eroticism, mind games, childhood memories shared and loneliness. At the scene's end we have a better understanding of the self destructive individuals who make-up this twosome. A sense of burgeoning doom, which has hovered in the background all along, begins to increase here. Michel's bravado also escalates with the level of danger and, to his credit, he remains true to his idol, Bogart, to the end. The conclusion boggles the mind, at least it has always impacted me emotionally in a major way.
Belmondo is brilliant as the restless thief, in this, his first film role. He reminds me of a French James Dean. Seberg is convincing and fresh. This is a dynamic film, witty, fast-paced, romantic and disturbing. It has long been a favorite of mine.
JANA
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Numerous reviews, essays, and books have dedicated much thought and contemplative work on Jean-Luc Godard's film Breathless. So where does one begin this review knowing that many have already dissected his film? Perhaps, we should try to understand why this film has received so much commotion.
Contemplating the society when Breathless was shot and comparing it with our current society might not be the best approach. It is also silly to think that a young audience will get all the references to older films, which Breathless intends to shove aside with a refreshing style. For example, jump cuts are something that today's youth have seen millions of times. If people watch MTV or any other television channel they will see the infamous jump cut in action in both recorded and live format. So why bother watching Breathless? Well, to fully appreciate Breathless the audience should watch films from France and the rest of the world that were made before, let's say in 1955. In this way the audience will build an idea of how stiff and structured films were without much visual surprise, which big production companies still depend on occasionally as they use them as a safety net in fear of having a bomb at the box office.
Breathless is actually a refreshing breath of a new wave that hit the world of the cinema in the 1960s. This fresh idea helped develop film and cinema into what it is today, and this is why Breathless is such an important film. The film broke the cinematic rules that were in use by the production companies. For example, Godard wrote his shooting script during his morning coffee while probably inhaling his nicotine fumes, scenes where not rehearsed and the idea of how to frame a shot came though the motion and the making of the film. Cinematography used handheld cameras a long time before it became common through lightweight cameras. Contempt was expressed in regards to meticulous lighting. The filmmakers tossed the old ways out through the window and began to create a new form of visual expression, which was only a natural progress for cinema just as art has advanced through history.
Breathless takes place in Paris where Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) seeks refuge in the masses after having killed a traffic policeman in a moment of fear. Wanted and hunted Michel takes short cuts to find money by stealing money from old girlfriends and trying to get back old debts, money Michel needs in order to leave the country. However, he has also made new acquaintance in Paris that infatuate him, the beautiful American Patricia Franchini, a Iowan girl by the name of Jean Seberg who sought refuge in France after a couple of box office bombs in United States. Michel seeks Patricia as a means to find shelter and possibly affection.
The chemistry between the Michel and Patricia generates a certain mystique, as Patricia always seems to be full of astonishing revelations. For example, she tells out of the blue that she is pregnant and that she requires her freedom. Michel on the other hand is an uncomplicated guy with a tough façade that he seems to borrow through his hero Humphrey Bogart--style he mimics by having a constant cigarette that is hanging of either one lip or squeezed in between. The character's differences could maybe be a result of the individual styles of acting, but also on Godard's rejuvenating style of directing. This mystique keeps lingering in the air through the cinematography and the performances of the actors.
Regardless of how the mystique is generated, the film provides a wonderful cinematic experience, as it is full of surprises and leaves the audience in a breathtaking, yet quirky visual journey. This further evolves on how Godard makes the film a little more interesting in a cerebral way in regards to cinema. For example, Godard efficiently uses the director Jean-Pierre Melville, to perform as a famous writer that Patricia interviews while Michel uses one of Melville's films, Bob le Flambeur (1955), as a reference of who would pay a debt. Ultimately, the audience has experienced an interesting cinematic expedition through Breathless, especially in a historical perspective. The story is not intricate, yet it is the simplicity that Godard employs that makes this film so wonderful.
Contemplating the society when Breathless was shot and comparing it with our current society might not be the best approach. It is also silly to think that a young audience will get all the references to older films, which Breathless intends to shove aside with a refreshing style. For example, jump cuts are something that today's youth have seen millions of times. If people watch MTV or any other television channel they will see the infamous jump cut in action in both recorded and live format. So why bother watching Breathless? Well, to fully appreciate Breathless the audience should watch films from France and the rest of the world that were made before, let's say in 1955. In this way the audience will build an idea of how stiff and structured films were without much visual surprise, which big production companies still depend on occasionally as they use them as a safety net in fear of having a bomb at the box office.
Breathless is actually a refreshing breath of a new wave that hit the world of the cinema in the 1960s. This fresh idea helped develop film and cinema into what it is today, and this is why Breathless is such an important film. The film broke the cinematic rules that were in use by the production companies. For example, Godard wrote his shooting script during his morning coffee while probably inhaling his nicotine fumes, scenes where not rehearsed and the idea of how to frame a shot came though the motion and the making of the film. Cinematography used handheld cameras a long time before it became common through lightweight cameras. Contempt was expressed in regards to meticulous lighting. The filmmakers tossed the old ways out through the window and began to create a new form of visual expression, which was only a natural progress for cinema just as art has advanced through history.
Breathless takes place in Paris where Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) seeks refuge in the masses after having killed a traffic policeman in a moment of fear. Wanted and hunted Michel takes short cuts to find money by stealing money from old girlfriends and trying to get back old debts, money Michel needs in order to leave the country. However, he has also made new acquaintance in Paris that infatuate him, the beautiful American Patricia Franchini, a Iowan girl by the name of Jean Seberg who sought refuge in France after a couple of box office bombs in United States. Michel seeks Patricia as a means to find shelter and possibly affection.
The chemistry between the Michel and Patricia generates a certain mystique, as Patricia always seems to be full of astonishing revelations. For example, she tells out of the blue that she is pregnant and that she requires her freedom. Michel on the other hand is an uncomplicated guy with a tough façade that he seems to borrow through his hero Humphrey Bogart--style he mimics by having a constant cigarette that is hanging of either one lip or squeezed in between. The character's differences could maybe be a result of the individual styles of acting, but also on Godard's rejuvenating style of directing. This mystique keeps lingering in the air through the cinematography and the performances of the actors.
Regardless of how the mystique is generated, the film provides a wonderful cinematic experience, as it is full of surprises and leaves the audience in a breathtaking, yet quirky visual journey. This further evolves on how Godard makes the film a little more interesting in a cerebral way in regards to cinema. For example, Godard efficiently uses the director Jean-Pierre Melville, to perform as a famous writer that Patricia interviews while Michel uses one of Melville's films, Bob le Flambeur (1955), as a reference of who would pay a debt. Ultimately, the audience has experienced an interesting cinematic expedition through Breathless, especially in a historical perspective. The story is not intricate, yet it is the simplicity that Godard employs that makes this film so wonderful.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Paul M West
Format:DVD
Godard's "Breathless" (or "Out of Breath," the correct translation fo the title) still feels fresh and alive, especially when viewed in the dreary context of contemporary Hollywood cinema. It offers a sparklingly original alternative at every turn, from the pacing of its story to the engine that drives its loopy, intentionally sloppy plot. This is a picture that is alive on screen as you watch it, forcing you to draw yourself into the action rather than lay back and passively absorb it.
The film is one of the finest examples of New Wave cinema, from its jump cuts, its depiction of Parisian life, its incredibly sustained sequences of pure converstaion and dialogue, all of which dominate what is essentially a simple chase picture.
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg are a perfect mix of classic and contemporary, both remaining timeless. Their relationship really unfolds in the film's central sequence, a near 25-minute conversation in Seberg's bedroom, in which such subjects as Faulkner and fornication are explored aptly. And that is what the film is known for----when was the last time a thriller contained the audacity to feel free to explore areas residing outside the genre?
Like "Pulp Fiction," one of its distant relatives, this is a film where plot and story are present but removed far into the background, while character, dialogue and visual texture are placed in the foreground. In its pristine black-and-white cinematography, its innovative use of camera movement and position, its raw, defined performances, and its tireless style and visual invention, "Breathless" is a great film and belongs in any serious film lover's video library.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth it in blu ray
Waht mpre can be said of "Breathless" that hasn't been already said? Viewing it on blu-ray with the Criterion add ons is the next best thing to actually owning a... Read more
Published 8 days ago by nicholas efteriades
4.0 out of 5 stars
Everything was great except...
The box was slightly bent once taken out of the package, other than that everything is fine. 3 more words
Published 1 month ago by Josh Jaques
1.0 out of 5 stars
French films ,ake no sense
There wasn't really a plot, the characters were scum, and it switched between two subtitles.Music was good. It was the only good part.
Published 1 month ago by Emily Robinson
4.0 out of 5 stars
First of the New Wave
The best part of this film is the pacing. The great editing makes for no slow scenes. I see this film as being more important for the way it tells the story through unique film... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dan Heflin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good for what it is
Breathless is a brilliant way to be introduced to the French New Wave. However, if you're just looking for a good movie, and you're not much of a film buff, I'd recommend something... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Elaine
5.0 out of 5 stars
Things change...
...and Breathless was the one that started a new phase in cinema history. It broke so many rules, oozed French charm, paid homage to American violence in film, and gave us two... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jeff Fujita
5.0 out of 5 stars
The film that changed everything.
Godard's mastepiece is everything and more. A landmark in world cinema that put a great big stamp of legitmacy on the French New Wave. Read more
Published 2 months ago by rhannah59
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Film from the French New Wave
Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless is considered by film historians to be the beginning of the French New Wave in film, along with Truffaut's The 400 Blows. Read more
Published 2 months ago by macdougallgreen6
4.0 out of 5 stars
Breathless Criterion Blu-ray - French New Wave Cinema
Breathless (1960) is considered to be one of the most important examples of French new wave cinema. It is the story of Michel Poiccard a young criminal who is on the run from cops... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Serkan Okar
3.0 out of 5 stars
Was on a MUST SEE list, so I watched it.
Not a bad movie. In all, I enjoyed it. Not action packed, no big explosions :) Not sure that I would classify it as a MUST SEE, but I don't regret watching it.
Published 4 months ago by Randall Feist
