Breathless

Breathless (A Bout De Souffle) (1960)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard

Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, Henri-Jacques Huet, Roger Hanin

From: Several different French companie

Well, this is the first time I had ever seen this incredibly influential movie in the history of cinema. About time, right? I don't have a better intro to write as not only do I give my reasons below for why I enjoyed (if not loved) this but I am not happy now as I was going to watch something streaming on the Blu-ray player but for reasons unknown the Internet connection there isn't working (despite the connection everywhere else-such as my laptop-working perfectly) so I'll have to watch something else and I am quite peeved about that. Sigh... I will still try to squeeze a review in tomorrow night.

It may be an embarrassing thing to admit on such a site like Letterboxd (at least with a segment of people here) but last night was actually the first time I had seen this film. I knew for years how important it is in film history, how even up to today there have been countless movies in the 55 years since it was released that have been inspired by the way it was filmed and its style. I was hoping I'd enjoy it and think it was more than just great style.

Luckily, I did enjoy (if not love) this motion picture about Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo), self-professed A-hole (and that he certainly is) who's a low-life criminal and early on he murders a cop. People are on the lookout for that lout but as he wishes to be Bogie-an understandable thing-and a cool SOB he chain smokes, hangs around Paris, and chills with one of his ladies, Patricia (Jean Seburg), uncaring about the manhunt to find him and more admiring than fearful that his picture is now in the papers.

I do understand those that don't care for the movie; after all, Michel has little redeeming qualities and the style of this film probably would usually turn me off. However, I was interested in those two young fools and their pretentious babbling; they often argue but I'll say that what they have for each other is “passion” instead of true love. They are pompous fools but I was engrossed. I am not saying this as I am “supposed” to; I have no fear of being honest about films that most love. This is how I honestly feel.

The fact that it was filmed in an innovating and still interesting style (hand-held as if it was a documentary, and the jump cuts that were done to shorten the film but made the film-aside from the 10 or more minute segment in the apartment which was all talking-move pretty fast) with a groovy jazz score, those are big assets in helping me savor the movie. All that and the two leads delivering great performances made this “cool”; many have used the word but it is the best to describe it all, cool. Thankfully this virgin experience for me was a positive one.