Details in Breathless

Dominic Mayhall


Details in Breathless


        There have been many directors to come and go throughout the history of film making. Some to leave an impression and others to take it with them. Each of these directors from all over the world used a certain style or a mix of styles to create the movies they wanted to make. The style that Jean-Luc Godard is a unique one that is deserving of the title "New Wave".


        My first thoughts on the movie "Breathless" by Jean-Luc Godard is that it has some realism to it. A film I can compare it to is one you already mentioned in the film lesson, and that's "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Breathless's use of comedic timing and randomness every so often remind me of that same cadence in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". For example, even though he doesn't look at the audience directly like Ferris would, he speaks his mind out loud to tell us what he's thinking. In the first 10 minutes you understand his emotions towards women because he feels the need to voice his opinion on them. Which I think is a fast and great way to get to know a character.


        The randomness of it all comes from the uneven use of jump cuts that there are in this film. Like it's only an hour and a half film, so he could've kept 15 minutes' worth of some of the jump cuts that are scattered throughout the film to not make it feel so choppy. One example is when Michel is in the room with that one girl getting dressed. That whole scene could've been done a lot smoother without the needless cuts. There are a couple other scenes with lesser jump cuts that could easily go unnoticed but still look weird. Like that out of place car crash where some people check on the guy then leave him there and then Michel walks away while opening the Newspaper just to stop again and read it. Godard really didn't need that car crash in there. Cutting that out would've also saved some time instead of resorting to unnecessary jump cuts.


        With some questionable scenes and out of place jump cuts it's still a pretty solid movie. I liked his use of different angles and close ups. When it would pan in and out of the many different parts of the city to follow Michel around. I liked his close up of the revolver before shooting the police officer and when he was shooting the gun out the window at the trees driving down the countryside. In short, this film has a raw realistic feel. And even though the quality of it isn't too high you can tell that this movie was made with a type of passion and expression that many directors lack.

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