Breathless (1960) is a French New Wave film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. It tells the story of Michel, a young criminal on the run in Paris after killing a police officer. Michel tries to convince his American girlfriend Patricia to run away to Italy with him, but she is unsure about committing to life as a fugitive with someone she barely knows. The film is notable for its realistic, spontaneous style which helped define the French New Wave movement in cinema.

1. Year: 1960
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Writers: François Truffaut (story), Jean-Luc Godard (screenplay)
Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg and Henri-Jacques Huet
Breathless (À bout de soufflé) is a 1960 French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard with
story writer François Truffaut, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. This film tells the
story of a young car thief’s expedition of escape. After killing a police officer, Michel Poiccard
is wanted by the authorities and tries to convince Patricia Franchini who is studying journalism
at the Sorbonne, to runaway to Rome with him. He plans to collect a debt from an unlawful
acquaintance and expects Patricia to accompany him on his planned getaway to Italy.
This film starts off with Michel modeling his behavior after a tough guy character
portrayed by Humphrey Bogart in the movies. Michel’s charisma and poise makes him appealing
although the audience knows that he is an unscrupulous criminal who only knows how to serve
himself. But his screen presence allows for the viewer to laugh with him as he ventures off
committed, expecting the support of Patricia who he has not even known for a long period of
time. His character does not progress; it’s a character that I love to hate. This film is mainly
narrative. It relates to chapter three in The Film Theory text by incorporating the Narrative
Concept which is the content that is selected and arranged in a cause-and-effect sequence
occurring over time. Narrative System includes: Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action
and denouement. Narrative films tell a story directed towards fiction, based on screenplays, have
the technical demands of film production and its primary purpose is entertainment.
A Film theory that relates to this film can be the Formalist film theory. In this theory the
focus is more on technical elements of a film, for example: lighting- sounds- and set design. In
Breathless, although it is a black and white film, lighting is crucial to the succession of the film
and becomes even more vital to the film because it is in black and white. It is about tonality. A
lot of colors in sets, costumes and make up may render in black and white as the same tone and
not look like they do to the naked eye that why it’s important to have an elaborate set design. The
Formalist theory is mostly about style. Breathless conveys the black and white style perfectly
because there is always a complete tonality and no scene ever looks too dark. There is a complete
wholeness which inhabits the ideological formalist.

2. In the article “Academy Celebrates French New Wave with Photo Exhibition and
Screening of Godard's Breathless” we see how The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences will be presenting a recently restored 35mm print of Breathless on Friday, March 23, at
7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The screening was presented in
conjunction with the opening of the Academy's new exhibition "Photos de Cinema: Images of
the French New Wave by Raymond Cauchetier." The rebirth of this film will give a new
perspective to the viewers of this generation.
In the Feb 8th article, “Time goes by and Bogart is still a box-office hit,” Godard is
mentioned as he is remembered for his 1960 Breathless. In 1999, when young British
entrepreneurs Will Clarke and Danny Perkins set up a tiny new distribution company called
Optimum Releasing, they started off by re-releasing films like The Third Man and Jean-Luc
Godard’s Breathless. By re-running these movies, they keep their memory alive and expand the
audiences.
I almost dislike Patricia’s character as well. She’s naïve and puts up with all of Michel’s
problems and eventually gives in to his shallow words of love. Her character is filled with
vagueness and ambiguity. It’s ironic that she works for a newspaper yet doesn’t know that
Michel is being sought after by the police. This film has many flaws but it’s still a film worth
watching. The music and the cinematography in this film are impressive for its time. The police
chase scene is a beautifully directed scene. As Michel runs from the police down the narrow
street was shot at a great angle and gave the audience the perspective that they too were chasing
after Michel. This film is definitely worth seeing.
Academy celebrates french new wave with photo exhibition and screening of godards breathless.
(2012, Mar 19). Targeted News Service, pp. n/a.
http://search.proquest.com/docview/929082439?accountid=11809
Macnab, G. (2012, Feb 08). Time goes by and bogart is still a box-office hit. The Independent,
pp. 44. http://search.proquest.com/docview/920161001?accountid=11809

3. CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the
paper.
3) (x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation
within the text.
4) (x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source
within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my
paper.
Name: Natalie Gonzalez Date: 2/25/2012