Breathless

A must-see pairing for the Tartuff opening film “Nouvelle Vague”. A chance to (re)watch Godard’s tremendous debut.

The most monumental piece of the French New Wave inspired other critics of Cahiers du Cinema to make their own films and heavily influenced American directors such as Brian de Palma (“Sisters”), Martin Scorsese (“Mean Streets”), Mike Nichols (“The Graduate”), Arthur Penn (“Bonnie and Clyde”), and Dennis Hopper (“Easy Rider”). Godard simply followed Melville’s advice to shorten the film from three hours to 90 minutes, coincidentally inventing jump cuts in the process. Raoul Coutard’s innovative use of a handheld camera is still widely employed by many filmmakers today. For his breakthrough role, Jean-Paul Belmondo was given permission to improvise his dialogue, which Godard wrote it on the spot to create iconic spontaneity and a naturalistic feel.

The gangster film’s story is simple to its benefit. A small-time Parisian crook, Michel, idolises Humphrey Bogart and obsessively mimics his gestures. He mistakenly believes that he is tough and cool, but he eventually panics after finding a gun in Marseille. After stealing a car, he impulsively shoots a police officer and flees to Paris, where he hides in the apartment of an American journalist named Patricia. Michel devises another petty plan to raise money for their getaway to Italy, but Patricia has her doubts.