Breathless (1960) – Review

There is not much I can really add to the conversation about a film like Breathless which is already an over-analyzed famous influential classic film piece. Instead of going into serious detail on most all of the things typically covered, here are the helpful details very quickly: This film is famous for its atmosphere, cinematography, editing and overall style behind the camera. Its presentation is definitely “artistic” and was one of the first to do many things prominently such as jump-cutting during scenes, while maintaining an energetic pace and delivering a slice of crime life tale.

The shots presented are framed very well, and almost come alive with color despite being in black and white. The camera often gets lost in a hypnotic flow as it tells its story. Oh, right the story, so, what is it all about? Michel Poiccard (Belmondo) is a criminal thug who steals car after car and has a dream of living the good life of an American movie gangster.

He pushes his fantasy to the limit by trying to escape the cops in a hot vehicle. This leads to a shootout with a biker cop, who winds up dead at his hand. Bad news for Michel. Hope there were no witnesses, and he does not flee through fields in a bright white shirt after tossing his jacket.

Patricia Franchini (Seberg) is slanging newspapers in the middle of the street in Paris for the New York Herald Tribune. Her fate is probably tied to Michel’s as he is on the run, and may try to use her as a cover to get across the country. Things will work out well for everyone, because that’s how these stories always go, right??

I did like a lot about the creativity in how the story was presented, but the tale itself did not move me all that much. The main character was not really anything new and different, and the slice of criminal life presented didn’t rock my world. It was well done, and I can see why at the time it was a pretty big deal, considering what it was bringing to the table, and why it lands on many “best of” lists.

If you like stories that feature deeper looks at life, include metaphors and are very artistically presented, you will likely get more out of this than I did for enjoyment levels. I def found this watchable but not at an all-time classic level, however it is fully worth the watch for its historical and influential value alone, and it is an okay time. This film’s style was so influential that many other directors and movies emulated it for years to come.

Breathless has been remade in the U.S., as well as Richard Linklater made a movie named ‘Nouvelle Vague’ centered on the filming and actors of the original in the 60s on set in France.