Breathless

Movie: Breathless, 1960; 87 min

Director: Jean-Luc Godard

Actors: Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg

Summary: The story follows Michel, a criminal on the run for shooting a policeman. Michael attempts to persuade his American girlfriend, Patricia, to run away to Italy with him.

Question 1: How does the unique narrating style at the beginning of the film contribute to the plot?

            At the beginning of the film, Michel is talking to someone, but this person is never addressed. It is soon realized that he is in fact talking to the audience as he steals a car and drives away. The car scene is seen though Michel’s eyes as he drives along the countryside road in his new, stolen car. As he drives, Michel continues to talk to the camera/audience. This narrating style can be suggestive of Michel’s personality. For example, because he talks to someone who is not actually there in front of him, it is suggested that Michel does not enjoy being alone. This unique narrating style gives the sense that Michel is not alone even though in reality he is the only one in the stolen car.

Question 2: How does the director’s use of multiple cuts and a choppy style contribute to the story?

            The film, at first, seems to be very choppy with cuts. There are many more cuts in each scene compared to the average film. These choppy cuts maybe seem like poor filmmaking, but they are actually the opposite. The director uses these multiple cuts to contribute to the story. The film is “breathless” in French, and the multiple cuts evoke a feeling of attempting to catch one’s breath. They create a fast paced tension—like a quickened heart beat in some sorts. The choppy cuts make the audience feel the stress of being pursued, a feeling that the principal character constantly feels. This choppy style is an example of a film director’s purpose in every one of his shots and cuts.