Film #9: Breathless (1959)

Introduction

In this essay, I will be talking about how the film named “Breathless” or “A Bout De Souffle” by Jean-Luc Godard is related to the French New Wave film movement.

Theory Discussion

French New Wave is a film movement started in 1959. French New Wave is also known as French Nouvelle Vague. According to Indie Film Hustle (2016), it is often referred as one of the most influential film movements in the history of cinema. It was first used by a group of French film critics associated with Cahiers Du Cinema, which is a magazine about cinema in the late 50s and 60s. Before the 50s and 60s, French film were mostly literary adaptations. For example, with the recent adaptations, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and The Fault in Our Stars, just to name a few. These films were usually filmed within the studio or on big budget spectacles and international co-productions. This film movements rejects montage aesthetics, favouring mise-en-scene. Tv Tropes (n.d) mentioned that French New Wave films includes shaky hand-held cameras, long shots, jump cuts, improvised plots or dialogues, narrations, existentialism, location shooting, direct sound and light, revolutionary editing techniques, and breaking the Fourth Wall. The auteurs or authors played a hole during the film movement. It is because they received amazing support from the youth. It is an independent film and it has low budget. The characters are young anti-heroes and loners, with no family ties, who behave spontaneously, acts immorally and are often seen anti-authoritarian. Women role are often given strong parts that did not conform to typical roles in Hollywood films.  French New Wave film movement ended in 1969, but they remained the dominating influence in artistic circles in France and Europe and continued to be touchstones to the present day.

Synopsis

Breathless or A Bout De Souffle is directed and written by Jean-Luc Godard in 1960. This film is about Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo), a young criminal who steals car, murders a cop, and hides with his American girlfriend, Patricia (Jean Seberg). Michel often hides out in Patricia’s apartment, constantly seducing her and asking for loans to escape to Italy together. She was questioned by the police about Michel, with that she knew that he is on the run. Towards the end, Patricia betrayed Michel and called the police on him. Before the police arrives, she told Michel what she has done. Michel somewhat surrenders and did not try to escape at first. Later, he ran and the police shot him on the street, after a prolonged death run, he dies “breathless”.

Film Analysis

In the film, Breathless has characteristics of the French New Wave film movement.

One of the characteristics is editing. French New Wave films breaks the rule of continuity editing and uses freestyle editing. This draws attention from the audience with the discontinuity editing to remind them that they are really watching movie. By using this editing style, it shows jumpcuts. For example, after Michel killed a cop at the beginning of the film, then he drives to Paris. During the route of going to Paris, a lot of jump cuts have been used. Another example is when Patricia and Michel is having a long conversation in Patricia’s apartment and while Michel is driving the stolen car with Patricia.

Another characteristics is the location and sound. French New Wave movement is about shooting on location with natural sounds and available light. It does not use studio sets to film. For example, when Michel was chatting with Patricia in the bathroom in her apartment, the siren sound was recorded along with the conversation and blocks Michel’s voice. Another scene is when Michel is driving to Paris using the highway. It shows that it is a real location. A scene without any lighting can be seen in the film when Michel is following a guy in a lift. It is filmed without using any lighting, thus, this scene looks dark.

Next, using hand-held cameras. In French New Wave films, some scenes will appear shaky and unstable. It is because directors used a much lighter hand-held cameras to shoot. It allows them to shoot easily and shoot long shots. For example, Michel was having a conversation with Patricia on the street, while Patricia is selling a few copies of New York Herald Tribune on Champs-Elysee.

It also uses improvised plot and dialogue. French New Wave films are often shot with loose structure and open-ended storyline. The plot is not planned well before shooting and making the changes on the dialogue on the same day it shoots. Sometimes, actors are given a general idea of the scene and they were encouraged to improvise their lines as like how it happens in real life. Some conversations were not related to the storyline at all. For example, the scene in Patricia’s apartment where both of them are on the bed, having a conversation about why won’t Patricia sleep with Michel again. Patricia suddenly talks about Romeo and Juliet comparing their relationship to hers with Michel and Michel asking Patricia to smile.

Anti-authoritarian protagonist is another one of the characteristics of French New Wave film movement. Michel was an anti-authoritarian protagonist. For example, he stole a car. He killed a police. He stole money from Patricia. He lifted up Patricia’s skirt. He hid away from being captured. In this film, he often shows the attitude of being a rebel.

Lastly, long takes or long shots is also one of the characteristics of French New Wave film movement. There is little or no camera movement. For example, the ending scene when Michel was running away after being shot with a gun by a police. Another example is when Patricia is in the office running around while the police was following her.

Conclusion

In conclusion, French New Wave film movement is still used by some documentary filmmakers. Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian quoted “Jean-Luc Godard’s brilliant Nouvelle Vague classic is still wonderfully fresh, even half a century on.”

References

1)     Indie Film Hustle. (2016, December 5). What is the French New Wave? Retrieved from https://indiefilmhustle.com/french-new-wave/

2)     Tv Tropes. (n.d). Useful Notes / French New Wave. Retrieved from https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave

3)     Bradshaw, Peter. (2010, June 24). Breathless. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jun/24/breathless-godard-film-review