Breathless (1960)

Jean-Luc Godart's seminal 1960 debut is often accredited with kicking off the French New Wave of cinema, influencing cinema right up until this day. As is often the case with such classics of the medium it is often difficult to fully appreciate the film in the proper context, many of the techniques used in the film that seems prevalent now; long tracking shots, handheld naturalistic dialogue scenes, were in fact amazingly pioneering back in 1960.

The film concerns itself with Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo), a young criminal on the run from the law. He takes refuge in Paris where he hooks up with Jean Seberg's aspiring American journalist. Outside of that brief synopsis not a lot happens in the film, the bulk of it is less about the impending police investigation, but about the relationship between Michel and Patricia. It is this aspect that most surprised me about the film, it still feels remarkably modern; the loose tone and naturalistic dialogue and extended scenes seem from a different era than other films of the time and give the film a great sense of urgency and intimacy at times. The carefree nature of the main anti-hero is again an unusual touch, there is little concession made to make him out as a particularly sympathetic character but he is never less than fascinating. The battle of wills that they two engage in is engrossing and Seberg's conflicted nature brings the film its heart, her Patricia is captivating and it's easy to see why Michel would pursue her in the way that he does.

Despite the lack of significant action the film is breezy and never feels stale or dull. Godard's obvious control over the tone and mood of the film is evident; it feels more than most films of the period, a very authored and specific vision. It is this uniqueness, the French sense of style and passion that infuses the film that helps it linger long past it's ending. Much in the same way that many modern art-house films are said to be sensory experiences, so too is Breathless and it's hard even now to fully understand just what a change this would have been for the industry at the time. One element of the film that is easy to overlook is how revolutionary its approach to editing was at the time, forgoing a lot of the established rules around continuity editing Godard often uses jump-cuts to speed up scenes, or create a sense of dislocation and confusion. It's a small thing that makes a big different and it's a key factor in the immediacy of the films action.

There are aspects that feel dated, Michel's initial run in with the law and subsequent escape is less than convincing, and the lack of budget is evident in some scenes. However the performances and the assuredness of the direction help anchor the film through these moments, leaving an indelible impression and a film that deserves it's place in the history books.