Breathless (1960) À bout de souffle (original title)

Director:

Jean-Luc Godard

Writers:

François Truffaut (story)
Jean-Luc Godard (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 February 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The film that was banned for 4 years. Why..? (original Finnish poster tagline)

Plot:

A young car thief kills a policeman and tries to persuade a girl to hide in Italy with him.

Plot Keywords:

Car | Criminal | Journalism | Money | Policeman

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jean Seberg	...	Patricia Franchini
Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	Michel Poiccard
Henri-Jacques Huet	...	Antonio Berrutti
Liliane Dreyfus	...	Liliane aka 'Minouche' (as Liliane David)
Claude Mansard	...	Claudius Mansard
Van Doude	...	Himself
Daniel Boulanger	...	Police Inspector Vital
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Liliane Robin	...	Minouche
Richard Balducci	...	Tolmatchoff (uncredited)
Gérard Brach	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Philippe de Broca	...	A Journalist (uncredited)
José Bénazéraf	...	(uncredited)
Jean Domarchi	...	A Drunk (uncredited)
Jean Douchet	...	A Journalist (uncredited)
Michel Fabre	...	Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)
Jean-Luc Godard	...	An Informer (uncredited)
Roger Hanin	...	Cal Zombach (uncredited)
Raymond Huntley	...	A Journalist (uncredited)
André S. Labarthe	...	A journalist (uncredited)
Louiguy	...	(uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Melville	...	Parvulesco (uncredited)
François Moreuil	...	A journalist (uncredited)
Michel Mourlet	...	(uncredited)
Guido Orlando	...	(uncredited)
Madame Paul	...	(uncredited)
Raymond Ravanbaz	...	(uncredited)
Jean-Louis Richard	...	A Journalist (uncredited)
Jacques Serguine	...	(uncredited)
Jacques Siclier	...	(uncredited)
Virginie Ullmann	...	(uncredited)
Emile Villion	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Jean-Luc Godard

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jean-Luc Godard		screenplay
François Truffaut		story

Produced by
Georges de Beauregard	....	producer

Original Music by
Martial Solal

Cinematography by
Raoul Coutard

Film Editing by
Cécile Decugis
Lila Herman

Makeup Department
Phuong Maittret	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pierre Rissient	....	assistant director

Art Department
Clément Hurel	....	poster artist

Sound Department
Jacques Maumont	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Claude Beausoleil	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Lila Herman	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Claude Chabrol	....	technical advisor
Suzon Faye	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Les Productions Georges de Beauregard
• Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC)

Distributors

• Films Georges de Beauregard (1961) (France) (theatrical)
• Les Films Impéria (1960) (France) (theatrical)
• Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC) (1960) (France) (theatrical)
• Société nouvelle de cinématographie (SNC) (1960) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Films Around the World (I) (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2006) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (2001) (Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Optimum Releasing (2000) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Rialto Pictures (2010) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Seven Films (2011) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• BBC Worldwide (1987) (UK) (TV)
• Carlotta Films (2010) (France) (all media)
• Connoisseur / Meridian Films (1989) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Connoisseur Video Collection (1989) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Criterion Collection, The (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Lorber (2001) (USA) (DVD) (subtitled)
• Fox Lorber (2001) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Janus Films (1989) (USA) (all media)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Nothing's New Video (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2000) (UK) (DVD) (re-release)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2001) (UK) (DVD) (special edition)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2007) (UK) (DVD) (box set)
• Polyband (1992) (Germany) (VHS)
• Raro Video (2005) (Italy) (DVD) (boxed set)
• Raro Video (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Timeless Video (1994) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (StudioCanal Collection)
• Wellspring Media (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"À bout de souffle" - France (original title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (1996) | Finland:K-16 (1964) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Portugal:(Banned) | Portugal:17 (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:(Banned) (1960) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | West Germany:18 (bw) (nf) | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

11 rue Campagne Première, Paris 14, Paris, France

Company:

Les Productions Georges de Beauregard

Trivia:

According to Jean-Pierre Melville, Godard asked him for consultation during the post-production stage because the first edit was too long for distribution. Melville suggested Godard remove all scenes that slowed down the action (his own turn as novelist Parvulesco included). But instead of excluding entire scenes, Godard cut little bits from here and there. This led to the "jump cut" technique this movie introduced. Melville declared the result to be excellent.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Patricia (Jean Seberg) is going up the escalator, a plant beside it can be seen moving as if knocked by the cameraman going up in front of her.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Michel Poiccard:After all, I'm an asshole. After all, yes, I've got to. I've got to!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Patiently Wasting (2008)

French New Wave for Dummies

This is the one that started it all kids, the daddy of post-modern cinema. MTV jump cuts, fractured soundtrack and images aplenty

Self reflexive to the point that it not only acknowledges its own existence, it revels in it.

All style and no substance is considered a bad thing today, unless its Tarantino. Well, if it wasn't for Godard, chances are there would be no QT.

All the characters and images, and dialogue and sets are constructed from all aspects of life - Michel is a Bogart collage. Patricia apes everything she sees, from her Interviewee's facial gestures to Michel's own.

Don't let all this technical mumbo fool you, I did my thesis on Godard and would happily bore the ass off you with a lecture in great detail about this film, but the fact is, it's a stormer.

Grips you by the throat and shakes the hell out of you, and it doesn't let go until the final breath.

Fantastically, artistically magnificent. If Godard wanted to make his debut picture to show how well he understood American ideals and the history of cinema, he couldn't have made a better picture.

Top stuff French guy.