Film review ‘Breathless’ (À bout de souffle)


‘Breathless’ (1960) is a ground breaking piece of cinema, which along with other French new wave films, completely changed the path of cinema and helped shape the way most modern films are directed today. This is because director Jean-Luc Godard broke from the conventions of film and in particular Hollywood and created his own style of narrative, camera angles, and editing. Even though the film looks slightly dated now and in many ways old fashioned we must remember it was the first of its kind and I feel it is still very watchable compared to a lot of black and white films made before it which tend to have longs pieces of dialect and standard shots almost as if you are watching a play.

This film oozes ‘coolness,’ not in the sense that we may use the word today but the real meaning of the word. From the sharp suits and fashionable dresses, the old American convertibles, the streets of downtown Paris, and the continuous smoking of cigarettes, this film has not lost any of its attitudes from when it first hit cinema screens. The story line however seems a simple one; it is crime thriller and romance story revolving around two main characters Michel and Patricia. Michel is a small time crook who steals a car and shoots a police officer dead, now on the run he goes to Paris to get some money he is owed and to meet up with a old girl friend who he is madly in love with (Patricia), however things aren’t as simple for Michel as he thought as he cannot get hold of his friend who owes him the money and Patricia is not sure if she loves him as much as he loves her. The film is very fast paced except for a couple of scenes, however Godard still manages to hold your attention as the dialogue flows beautifully as if your where reading a crime novel and almost every line feels as if meaning and thought has gone in to it, much like a Coen brothers film. There is also some amazing cinematography in the film from noir like shots as the characters walk in silhouette down dark Parisian alleyways, to perfectly executed rule of third shots. However as I have already talked about this movie broke the conventions of cinema at the time and this is also apparent with beautiful and very interesting shots, as well as Godard’s famous use of Jump cuts which at first or too an untrained eye may look like lousy editing but which are infact a clever way that Godard keeps the film flowing as he is only keeping in the parts which are important.

My overall opinion of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless is a positive one and I feel it is a ground breaking piece of cinema and defiantly one to see as a film fanatic or a student, not only because it is such a important piece of cinema which set up much of the modern film techniques we see today, but also because it is a beautifully spun tale which will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.