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Breathless

Original title: À bout de souffle
  • 19601960
  • 13+13+
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
81K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
5,285
675
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
Original trailer with English subtitles
Play trailer2:03
3 Videos
87 Photos
CrimeDrama
A small-time thief steals a car and impulsively murders a motorcycle policeman. Wanted by the authorities, he reunites with a hip American journalism student and attempts to persuade her to ... Read allA small-time thief steals a car and impulsively murders a motorcycle policeman. Wanted by the authorities, he reunites with a hip American journalism student and attempts to persuade her to run away with him to Italy.A small-time thief steals a car and impulsively murders a motorcycle policeman. Wanted by the authorities, he reunites with a hip American journalism student and attempts to persuade her to run away with him to Italy.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
81K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
5,285
675
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Jean-Luc Godard
    • Writers
      • François Truffaut(original scenario)
      • Jean-Luc Godard(screenplay)
      • Claude Chabrol(original scenario)
    • Stars
      • Jean-Paul Belmondo
      • Jean Seberg
      • Daniel Boulanger
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Jean-Luc Godard
    • Writers
      • François Truffaut(original scenario)
      • Jean-Luc Godard(screenplay)
      • Claude Chabrol(original scenario)
    • Stars
      • Jean-Paul Belmondo
      • Jean Seberg
      • Daniel Boulanger
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 239User reviews
    • 213Critic reviews
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 4 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos3

    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Trailer 2:03
    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Breathless: The Criterion Collection
    Trailer 1:34
    Breathless: The Criterion Collection
    Breathless - Rialto Pictures Trailer
    Trailer 1:22
    Breathless - Rialto Pictures Trailer

    Photos87

    Raoul Coutard in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
    Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jean-Paul Belmondo
    Jean-Paul Belmondo
    • Michel Poiccard a.k.a. Laszlo Kovacs
    Jean Seberg
    Jean Seberg
    • Patricia Franchini
    Daniel Boulanger
    • Police Inspector Vital
    Henri-Jacques Huet
    • Antonio Berrutti
    Roger Hanin
    Roger Hanin
    • Carl Zubart
    Van Doude
    Van Doude
    • Self
    Claude Mansard
    • Claudius Mansard
    Liliane Dreyfus
    • Liliane
    • (as Liliane David)
    • …
    Michel Fabre
    • Police Inspector #2
    Jean-Pierre Melville
    Jean-Pierre Melville
    • Parvulesco the Writer
    Jean-Luc Godard
    Jean-Luc Godard
    • The Snitch
    Richard Balducci
    • Tolmatchoff
    André S. Labarthe
    • Journalist at Orly
    François Moreuil
    • Journalist at Orly
    Jacques Lourcelles
      Liliane Robin
      • Minouche
      Gérard Brach
      • Photographer
      • (uncredited)
      Philippe de Broca
      Philippe de Broca
      • A Journalist
      • (uncredited)
      • Director
        • Jean-Luc Godard
      • Writers
        • François Truffaut(original scenario)
        • Jean-Luc Godard(screenplay) (uncredited)
        • Claude Chabrol(original scenario) (uncredited)
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • 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). Instead of excluding entire scenes, though, 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
        During street shots, countless passersby look at Patricia and Michel and stare into the camera, revealing that the shots were made without filming barriers and simply used street pedestrians in place of extras.
      • Quotes

        Patricia Franchini: What is your greatest ambition in life?

        Parvulesco: To become immortal... and then die.

      • Connections
        Edited into De l'origine du XXIe siècle (2000)

      User reviews239

      Review
      Review
      Top review
      9/10
      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.
      helpful•218
      107
      • ill_behavior
      • Dec 8, 2004

      FAQ5

      • What is the significance of Michel rubbing his lips with his thumb?
      • What does Michel say at the end of the movie?
      • What is the movie playing in the theater when Michel and Patricia are trying to escape from the detectives?

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • August 1962 (Canada)
      • Country of origin
        • France
      • Languages
        • French
        • English
      • Also known as
        • À bout de souffle
      • Filming locations
        • 11 rue Campagne Première, Paris 14, Paris, France
      • Production companies
        • Les Films Impéria
        • Les Productions Georges de Beauregard
        • Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC)
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

      Edit
      • Budget
        • FRF 400,000 (estimated)
      • Gross US & Canada
        • $414,173
      • Opening weekend US & Canada
        • $32,424
        • May 30, 2010
      • Gross worldwide
        • $593,302
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 30 minutes
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.33 : 1

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