Leave Me Breathless

I thought it would be interesting to revisit some classic films and provide my own insight and feedback. Although this is more for my own amusement, my History of Cinema class has inspired me. I thought I would start off by reviewing one of my favorite films, although this is a misnomer considering I have quite a few “favorite” films. What is it that makes Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (À bout de souffle) so good? In my mind it comes down to a little girl with a paper.

1959 was a watershed year for the French New Wave. You had Truffaut, Resnais, and Godard all releasing pivotal films that would influence generations of filmmakers that followed. Breathless tends to be the film I point people to when they ask just what was the French New Wave. Within this one film, almost every characteristic of the French New Wave is present. Beyond that, the film has such an intriguing plot that even if this were filmed with adherence to say the Hollywood Studio; it would still be a good story. Of course the French have a way with films about love, or lust perhaps.

In order for the story to succeed, you must have the actors to pull the villainous of Michel and the innocence of Patricia. Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) is a con-man and a criminal, yet you find yourself liking him.  Yes he killed a police officer, but he has such a nice smile.  Michel is supposed to at least garner the viewers attention, not fully being elevated out of his criminality but staying one step above hatred.  We need to care about him, or at least care that Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg) cares about him.  Patricia is a wide-eyed American, who recently found the time to go on vacation and have a fling with Michel.  Now that he is back in town, she is playing hard to get.  Or is she playing already caught?  One impressive scene nonchalantly discusses the fact that Patricia is pregnant, and the child is most likely Michel’s.  The film does not dwell on this, but provides it as fuel for the building climax.  We are left with characters that ultimately make a decision.  To run or not to run?  To love or to lust?

One of the finer attributes of Breathless is its own self awareness.  The film knows its a film and forces the viewer to see that they are watching a film.  This calling of attention is a major characteristic of the New Wave.  Throughout the film we see the use of jump cuts for theoretical ideals and for errors.  You see, the New Wave directors were not the best directors at first.  Jump cuts served a dual purpose in the early films, creating a visual cue to the audience that dissolved the illusion of film and creating an easy way to skip over an error.  The jump cuts make the film endearing.

But there are other instances of New Wave characteristics, such as the minute long homage to Humphrey Bogart.  The best way to describe how acutely aware of itself Breathless is, is to look at the scene where Michel is asked by a little girl if he would like a newspaper. Seeing it is a new one, he comments that he likes the old better. A seemingly off-handed comment becomes ironic when one realizes that the paper is none other than a copy of Cahiers du Cinema.

Godard has created a film that will inspire many films that followed.  Considering that Godard is still making films, I would say that his critical studies of film will continue to influence the world of film.  Breathless remains an all time classic of film, that shows that film does not have to create an illusion to be good.