Breathless – A classic blend of technique and aesthetics
iView Author: Shashank Walia (Delhi, India)
Email: shashankwalia [at] live [dot] com
Breathless – A classic blend of technique and aesthetics
Jean Luc Godard, one of the founders of the great French new wave started his celebrated career in the year 1960 with the film a bout de souffl'©, also known as Breathless. The story of the film revolves around an amoral petty criminal Michel, who steals a car, senselessly kills a policeman on a highway and is in the desperate need of some money that’s owed to him so that he can escape to Italy with his love, an American named Patricia. The film boasts of many kinds of cinematic qualities with casting and the screenplay being in the foremost place. Jean Paul Belmondo plays such a complex role of Michel, modeled after Humphrey Bogart with such ease and efficiency that we become close to the character till the end of the film arrives. Jean Seberg also performs fabulously in the role of Patricia the American girl, Michel is in love with, by providing intense and natural reactions that a confused mind goes through.
The screenplay of the film is absolutely outstanding, written by the two gems of French new wave Francois Truffaut and the director himself Jean Luc Belmondo. Dialogues such as “If you don’t like the shore, if you don’t like the mountains and if you don’t like the city, then get stuffed”, I hope that nothing happens to you like the woman in the book and the conversation between Michel and Patricia in the climax signifies and identifies the personalities of both the characters. The brilliance of the screenwriting in the film can be experienced in the scene when Michel finds a gun while driving the car he stole and says “the sun’s great” and then starts firing at the sun. This whole sequence in the beginning of the film actually tells the audience, why Michel is so fearless, why he is so daring and why he is so mad. In context with the characterization of the film the screenwriting guru Syd Field in one of his books elaborates “As outlaws, their efforts to escape are farcical and half hearted. I totally related to their nonchalant attitude. It seemed that Godard’s character really didn’t give a damn about anything; they had no moral foundation, no political ideology.” The confused character of Patricia is brilliantly displayed in the scene where she tells Michel about her pregnancy and also tells him that she is confused whether to give birth to the child or not. The characters, the dialogues and above all the story is so fascinating that it takes the viewer to a level where one actually becomes a part of the lives of the protagonists.
The other high point of the film for which the film is famous and credited as a masterpiece is the technique. The way the film has been shot and edited was something new for that time when the film got released. In true sense it belonged to French new wave because it went against all conventions and stereotypes to prove how cinema can be handled differently and a story can be told in much effective manner. From handheld shots to jump cuts to rapid dialogue and sound cuts to character –camera face off everything went into the favour of the film and proved how brilliant is the vision of the auteur Jean Luc Godard. Use of jump cuts and hand held camera actually signified and as well as identified the characteristics of the protagonists. His unstable mentality as well as physical control is very well justified by the use of jump cuts and hand held camera. Protagonist’s aggressiveness is captured so well by the means of cinematic techniques that it makes this film the best example of blending of storytelling techniques with filmmaking techniques. The start as well as the climax of the film is shot in such amazing manner that the whole technical process of the film supports the story’s emotional quotient and gives it a boost. Cinematography by Raoul Coutard proves how well a cinematographer’s vision should compliment the vision of a director. The grayish tone provided to the film and the ways with which handheld shots are being taken are few master elements in the cinematography of this film. Another two gems who we must appreciate are C'©cile Decugis and Lila Herman – the editors of this unique cinematic experience. Original music by Martial Solal is also another very important aspect of the film as it effortlessly gels with the mood of the characters and the film.
Another very interesting trivia that I found at imdb.com – Director Jean-Luc Godard couldn’t afford a dolly, so he pushed the cinematographer around in a wheelchair through many scenes of the film. He got the idea from Jean-Pierre Melville, who had used the same low-budget technique in Bob le flambeur (1956) and Silence de la Mer, Le (1949). This whole concept is so close to numerous low budget/short films/debutant filmmakers because this technique is very well used by them and it also shows up the desperation and dedication of a filmmaker to get a perfect shot without having the required equipment.
Film’s another very interesting aspect is that the film actually rolls in two different parts; one being the action taking part and another where only conversation and self analysis of the characters takes place. The way these two different elements are woven together is the art that Jean Luc Godard masters. The first thirty minutes of the film actually revolve around the action taking place in the life of Michel. This part deals with the external conflict the protagonist is facing. The next forty-fifty minutes take place where the protagonist meets his girlfriend and both the characters indulge in soul searching. This sub plot involving the conversation of Michel and Patricia in latter’s room unwinds various characteristics and facets of both the character and that’s why this part of the film is so important. In a film it is very important to show the character development and the unique thing about Breathless is that it takes place after the action takes place not before the conflict.
The climax of the film is discussed often in various intellectual spaces because of it sheer genius. It is path breaking in the sense that the fearless character of Michel could only have got peace after his death. He does not wanted to run from the police but the circle of confusion comes in to plays in such a terrific manner that Michel is ultimately shot to death out of misunderstanding.
MICHEL: Makes me want to puke.
PATRICIA: What did he say?
VITAL: He said you make him want to puke.
PATRICIA: What’s that mean, “puke”?
The above stated are the closing dialogues of the film as translated in Criterion collection prints and DVDS. This conversation actually portrays the sheer disappointment and anger that character has for Patricia as well as the society. The catharsis of the film is immediately carried after the climax to provide audience a quality level where they get involved deeply with the character of Michel.
A bout de souffl'© or Breathless will always remain very special to all the film enthusiasts, film lovers and film makers of the world because of its pure and unique cinematic value.
Anurag Kashyap
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Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
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Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
new wave new wave godard and traffaut he he he ho ho ho ha ha ha
if you don’t like godard, if you don’t like truffaut and if you don’t like new wave, then get stuffed.
@vishal
whats so funny about new wave and Godard
Stucked or Busted ?
Breathless was written by ‘Jean Luc Godard’ and ‘Fracous Traffaut’
A note about the famous jump cuts in A bout de Souffle AKA Breathless. The final edit of the film was too long for Godard’s liking and he didn’t want to cut any of the scenes off…so voila: snip snip snip in the middle of a scene and the famous jump cut entered film making lore. Pretty cool when you think about it. And one more thing…the New Wave rules!
@krishna
what new u wrote………….?
new wave rules ?
duniya kahan se kahan aa gayi
kim ki duk ne cinema ko kahan se utha ke kahan pahuncha diya
aur tum abhi 1970 main hi atke ho
Kim ki Duk ki Cinema ko kahan se utha ke kahan pahuncha diya…agreed. But Alejandro Inarittu’s (one of my fav film maker) films…all of them have essentially borrowed narrative styles from Kieslowski’s “Blind Chance”. But that doesn’t not make his films any smaller or that of Kieslowski’s. Kim is great…as so is Godard…and so is Shakespeare, and so is Shakespeare in Love…
@vishrant dead on mate….
@vishrant
plz do not show off ur knowledge we all have seen 3 iron. this was just a tribute to french new wave..
badhai ho
kab pata chala ?
Why can’t we agree that certain genres or movements in cinema were not meant for everyone and sundry? We should respect the likes and dislike of each other and stop getting personal if we don’t subscribe to someone’s tastes.
Just my $0.02
nothing is for everyone
.
i have utmost respect for others opinion
they are as free as i am
.
the point i was trying to make, if at all
was that one should not try to get it
.
art is not reasoning
.
art corresponds with your inner being
if a van gough painting
connect with you, that’s it
if it does not connect with you
than also that’s it
.
there is nothing to get
van gough represented his inner space through his painting
if you have that inner space in you
then you will communicate with painting
if you are not capable of that space
than there will be no communication
.
but this space, this communication can not be achieved
through reading and learning and practice
either it happens or it does not happen
.
the right way is to relish the art that you can communicate with
this will nourish your sensibility
and some day you will be able to communicate with van gough
.
till then let the van gough be
and you also just be
Vishrant, the way you express.
If only ur write-ups are like these. Not even sure if they are meant to be, but still wud be better than being dead factual…