Directed by Jean Luc Godard (1960)

Jean Paul Belmondo

Jean Seberg

• Kwan Gi Yue on Breathles -

"THE FILM THAT CHANGED CINEMA...  This is the film that has inspired me to do more with my work.  Godard at his best.  Godard has been such an influence on me.  He has told me that cinema is not a rule, it is a path that leads us to a type of creativity that in normal daily life, we cannot achieve.  He has told me how beauty of realism can be captured on screen.  Most importantly, we don't make good films because we do, but because we have a good insight of life.  Like many others, I am still a student of Godard, and my journey through cinema will continue with his films, and with those that follow his philosophy.

The following information is taken from Films De France

Summary

Michel Poiccard is on the run from the police, having killed a policeman.  He chats up an Amercain student, Patricia, and seeks sancutaury in her Paris apartment.  Michel appears to be in love with Patricia, who remains non-commital.  Then Patricia discovers Michel's terrible secret... 

Review

This is arguably one of the dozen or so most influential films of the twentieth century.  The contrast with everything that went before A bout de souffle is stunning, in terms of plot structure, content, direction and camera work.  This is Jean-Luc Godard at his most anarchistic, although - ironically - the film begins as what appears to be a conventional gangster film, albeit in the mould of the New Wave of Godard's contemporaries, Truffaut and Chabrol.

Godard embraces new, unconventional techniques to the point - almost - of excess, particularly the use of jump-cuts and long takes.  He uses as one of his lead characters an inexperienced actress, Jean Seberg, who speaks throughout in an appallingly broken americanized French.  And lengthy philosophical discussions and existentialistic references take precedence over action and drama.  But the result is a piece of French cinema that even now appears fresh and exciting - witty and effervescent with some catchy and effective music from Martial Solal.

Jean-Paul Belmondo is cast as the luckless petty criminal with an eye for the ladies and an uncanny respect for the police.  One of Belmondo's better performances, the charismatic young actor dominates every scene in which he appears.

A bout de souffle is a truly great film - one that breaks all the conventions and leaves its audience - quite literally - breathless.

Video: A Bout De Souffle trailer