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Breathless

Original title: À bout de souffle
  • 1960
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
91K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,134
2,563
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless (1960)
Original trailer with English subtitles
Play trailer2:03
3 Videos
96 Photos
CaperCrimeDrama

A small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder of a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.A small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder of a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.A small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder of a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.

  • Director
    • Jean-Luc Godard
  • Writers
    • Claude Chabrol
    • Jean-Luc Godard
    • François Truffaut
  • Stars
    • Jean-Paul Belmondo
    • Jean Seberg
    • Richard Balducci
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    91K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,134
    2,563
    • Director
      • Jean-Luc Godard
    • Writers
      • Claude Chabrol
      • Jean-Luc Godard
      • François Truffaut
    • Stars
      • Jean-Paul Belmondo
      • Jean Seberg
      • Richard Balducci
    • 266User reviews
    • 166Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 5 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: The Criterion Collection
    Trailer 1:34
    Breathless: The Criterion Collection
    Breathless - Rialto Pictures Trailer
    Trailer 1:22
    Breathless - Rialto Pictures Trailer

    Photos96

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    Top cast31

    Edit
    Jean-Paul Belmondo
    Jean-Paul Belmondo
    • Michel Poiccard a.k.a. Laszlo Kovacs
    • (uncredited)
    Jean Seberg
    Jean Seberg
    • Patricia Franchini
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Balducci
    • Tolmatchoff
    • (uncredited)
    Daniel Boulanger
    • Police Inspector Vital
    • (uncredited)
    Gérard Brach
    • Photographer
    • (uncredited)
    Philippe de Broca
    Philippe de Broca
    • A Journalist
    • (uncredited)
    José Bénazéraf
    • Man in a White Car
    • (uncredited)
    Jean Domarchi
    • A Drunk
    • (uncredited)
    Jean Douchet
    Jean Douchet
    • A Journalist
    • (uncredited)
    Van Doude
    Van Doude
    • Van Doude
    • (uncredited)
    Liliane Dreyfus
    • Liliane
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Michel Fabre
    • Police Inspector #2
    • (uncredited)
    Jean-Luc Godard
    Jean-Luc Godard
    • The Snitch
    • (uncredited)
    Roger Hanin
    Roger Hanin
    • Carl Zubart
    • (uncredited)
    Henri-Jacques Huet
    • Antonio Berrutti
    • (uncredited)
    Raymond Huntley
    Raymond Huntley
    • A Journalist
    • (uncredited)
    André S. Labarthe
    • Journalist at Orly
    • (uncredited)
    Louiguy
      • Director
        • Jean-Luc Godard
      • Writers
        • Claude Chabrol
        • Jean-Luc Godard
        • François Truffaut
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews266

      7.791.1K
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      Featured reviews

      ZachFrances1990

      To Reinvent The Wheel

      Jean-Luc Godard intended to shake the delicate world of cinema, that much is obvious. But did he intend to reinvent it? Whether it was his intention or not isn't the point, the point is this; he did. Jean-Luc Godard, and Francois Truffuat are the undisputed fathers of the French New Wave. Some cinephiles or historians may feel like pointing elsewhere, to Jean Renoir for example, protesting that he is truly the father of the French New Wave, I disagree entirely. The French New Wave was a product of the kindred spirits and talents of Godard and Truffaut. And no other film represents the French New Wave more coherently than Jean-Luc Godard's dazzling 1960 picture, 'Breathless'. Unorthodox and uninhibited. Raw and experimental. Godard broke every rule in the book, disavowed the laws of cinema, and scribed a new rule book, one where the pages are blank, and possibilities are endless. The story is so simple I can summarize the entire film in half of a sentence, but I refuse to give you or Godard the satisfaction. What counts in Breathless is not the story, but how the story is told. The very definition of 'cool', the film is robust in creativity, and exuberant in its flaws, and passionate about its reckless behavior. Self aware and rebellious. If there was no breathless, there would have been no Tarantino, if there was no French New Wave, the streak of genius that ran through the nineties and 2000s wouldn't have existed. Before Breathless, it was believed that films took money, that you had to find yourself in a place of authority to make a film. Breathless broke this misconception. Breathless makes you want to run outside and make the film of your life. Breathless made that possible, Breathless made the amateur the auteur, Breathless reinvented the face of the cinema, and made you believe that could too. All you need is a girl and gun.
      Benedict_Cumberbatch

      "If you don't like this film...then you can get stuffed!"

      "À Bout de Soufflé" aka "Breathless", was the first full-length film directed by the controversial Jean-Luc Godard, and the first film of his long career that I've had the chance to see so far. "Breathless" is the landmark film of the Nouvelle Vague (New Wave), when young filmmakers such as François Truffaut thrilled the audiences and shocked the Establishment.

      Although some people may not be as impressed with "Breathless" structure as they were in 1960, it remains a terrific, breathtaking film experience and has aged wonderfully. Such masterpieces live up to the hype and time, even though they're not as technically impressive as they were 40 years ago, and they're still powerful thanks to what great films consist of: passion. As another user rightfully stated, we have to look at "Breathless" from a historical point: it's different from any other previous film. Godard was truly a visionary and an incredibly talented, passionate "auteur".

      "Breathless" plot is rather simple: Michel Poiccard/Laszlo Kovacs (Jean-Paul Belmondo), our anti-hero, is a young criminal on the run from the police, after stealing a car and killing a cop. He has an affair with a beautiful young American, Patricia (Jean Seberg), an aspiring journalist who sells the New York Herald Tribune in the middle of the Champs Élysées (her first scene here was paid a tribute by Eva Green in Bertolucci's "The Dreamers"), and is also expecting Michel's baby. Patricia helps Michel to dodge the police, while they steal cars together in order to raise money for a trip to Rome. But when you want to "vivre dangereusement jusqu'au bout" - or, live dangerously till the end, things may end up not so well.

      When you see Belmondo touching his lips, trying to imitate Humphrey Bogart's trade mark, Seberg walking on the Élysées as lovely as a girl can be, the unforgettable final moments...you don't worry about theories on why this is a classic. "À Bout de Soufflé" is Cinema.
      9ill_behavior

      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.
      8StevePulaski

      More fun to discuss than to watch

      Watching Jean-Luc Godard's massively influential, unintentional-classic Breathless and discussing Jean-Luc Godard's massively influential, unintentional-classic Breathless are two totally different things. For one, the latter is more fun the other and, two, discussing the film almost instantly allows for quality, intelligent discussion of cinema to ring. There are certain cinephiles that take Godard himself more seriously than they take any other director who has ever lived. Just when you thought Stanley Kubrick-fanatical elitism was out of control, spend about ten minutes, as an exercise, scouring the internet for French New Wave forums and in-depth analysis of the Godardian methods and you may be surprised at what you find.

      I'm only stating this because around a year and a half ago, I began my sporadic voyage into the depths of Godard with his most recent picture, at the time, Film Socialisme, which I found to be an assault on every conceivable sense and not in a particularly good way. The film was choppy, disjointed, messy, just about as incomprehensible as it could be, and trying to find justifications or analyses online proved ineffective. All and all, it's a film I just want to forget and I didn't care to dive into Godard much after that endeavor. I now realize that a decent part of the blame is on me for choosing perhaps the wrong film to begin my Godardian journey with. I emerge from seeing Breathless (known by its French title as À bout de soufflé) with a more of a positive reaction. This is a bravely-structured and maturely handled annihilation to every cinematic convention prior to its 1960 release down with class and impenetrable style on part of Godard.

      The story - even though it is relatively the least of our concerns - follows Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo), who is trying to emulate the characteristics possessed by Humphrey Bogart during the particular 40s/50s era of menacing American crime dramas that billed him as the lead actor. One day, feeling intimidated and a perhaps a little adventurous, Michel shoots a police officer who has been tailing him and now must deal with being broke and on the run from the cops. His only companion is Patricia (Jean Seberg), an American journalist getting by in life by selling newspapers in downtown Paris. The two desperately skim through their options trying to hide from the police, one of which is skipping town and going all the way to Italy as fugitives.

      I say the story is the least of our concerns because there is simply not much to it. After all, Breathless is an aesthetic breakthrough rather than a narrative one. Godard employs dangerously subversive jump cuts - where the camera cuts to another shot within the same frame creating a breach in continuity - along with rapid-fire, quick shots and lengthy dialog scenes. All of this broke French cinema convention, which, prior to this, was consistently polished and very elegant. Godard invited in a rebellious messiness to the picture, almost like the guy coming into a neatly-organized room and rustling all the papers and files to not only create a stir but to do something different, something completely new.

      It's almost shortchanging to simply say that I have immense respect for Godard seeing as in 1960, a time when social change and civil unrest amongst adolescents and twentysomethings seemed to be so prevalent in many different places, he ushered in a new way of doing things cinematically and created a stylistically bold film because of it. He even threw in the element of using a hand-held camera, an unheard of practice during this particular time. I think I would also be in line to compare Breathless to Bonnie and Clyde, a film that would enter the picture seven years later in American studios that would simultaneous shock and stimulate audiences everywhere.

      Godard's films have a unique power after you watch them. For example, it has been about four days since I sat down to watch Breathless and since watching it - and now writing a medium-length analysis of it - I have a strong, biting urge to watch more of Godard's films. His films have the kind of impact where you just want to talk about them and talk about their impact in great length; which, once more, brings me to the point that watching the films is actually the weaker part compared to discussing them.

      Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard.
      9jdoan-4

      To become immortal, and then die

      So says the novelist in response to Patricia's question, "What do you hope to attain out of life?" That response is the philosophy of the film and of every character in the film. All want to be in control of their destiny. All want to be something that they are not. None are able to do any of these things. They are all contradictions. How can you die as an immortal? How can Patricia be free and independent is so many other things determine what she can do? How can this film transcend the screen while existing on the screen? This is an amazing film to watch. Goddard fills every scene with ingenuity and energy. He puts his actors in a beautiful environment and lets them do their thing. And they do it extremely well. The actors are beautiful. Not just cosmetically, but spiritually and psychologically. I am not sure that I liked either of the two main characters. I am sure I could not keep my eyes off them. I could not take my eyes off the screen. Techniques that novices today use for no substantial purpose are utilized by Goddard to amazing effect. The greatest filmmakers are the great editors. Goddard makes the editing a character itself. It is the nervous narrator hurrying the film along. It breathlessly awaits the next scene, and leads us to do the same. I like the way Goddard spends prodigious time simply watching his characters. The conversation scene at the center of the film is amazingly long and drawn out, yet I did not find it boring. I found it fascinating. People are fascinating. Everyone is trying to be something. It takes tremendous talent to indulge in the minutiae of existence. A great film.

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      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Despite reports to the contrary, Jean-Luc Godard did not shoot the film without a script; however, he did not have a finished script at the beginning, instead writing scenes in the morning and filming them that day. See also Pierrot le fou (1965).
      • 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 Pariz pripada nama! (2016)

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      FAQ22

      • How long is Breathless?Powered by Alexa
      • 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
        • February 7, 1961 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • France
      • Languages
        • French
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Sin aliento
      • Filming locations
        • 11 rue Campagne Première, Paris 14, Paris, France(on location)
      • 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
        • $594,039
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 30 minutes
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.37 : 1

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