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Breathless
À bout de souffle
1960 90 min France 16+
★8.1
Drama, Crime
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Trailers
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Description
A small-time thief steals a car and impulsively murders a motorcycle policeman. Wanted by the authorities, he attempts to persuade a girl to run away to Italy with him.
Budget:
$80,000
US Gross:
$414,173
Starring
Jean-Paul Belmondo
Actor
Jean Seberg
Actor
Jean-Luc Godard
Actor
Awards
Berlin International Film Festival 1960
— Silver Bear – Best Director
BAFTA 1962
— Best International Actress
Berlin International Film Festival 1960
— Golden Bear
Key opinion
Jean-Luc Godard's debut feature is a seminal work of the French New Wave that revolutionized cinema through its innovative use of jump cuts and documentary-style realism. While critics widely acknowledge its immense historical significance and stylistic flair, some viewers find the narrative thin and the emotional connection to the central anti-heroes elusive.
| Editing | The innovative, disruptive editing—most notably the use of jump cuts—fundamentally transformed cinematic language and remains the film's most significant technical contribution. | |
| Acting | Jean-Paul Belmondo delivers a breakout performance, perfectly embodying a restless, charming, yet remorseless anti-hero. | |
| Originality | The film succeeds as a bold cultural statement that rejects traditional, rigid French cinematic conventions in favor of a fresh, American-influenced noir aesthetic. | |
| Screenplay | The script blends high-brow literary references with sharp, colloquial dialogue, creating a unique, albeit occasionally detached, intellectual atmosphere. | |
| Score | The musical score is polarizing; some find it a light, pulsating complement to the film's rhythm, while others view it as dull or unremarkable. | |
| Screenplay | The minimalist, low-stakes plot leaves some viewers feeling underwhelmed or disconnected from the characters' opaque motivations. |