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À bout de souffle
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À bout de souffle (1960) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   16,846 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Jean-Luc Godard
Writers:
Jean-Luc Godard (screenplay)
François Truffaut (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for Breathless on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 February 1961 (USA) more
Tagline:
The film that was banned for 4 years. Why..? (original Finnish poster tagline)
Plot:
A young car thief kills a policeman and tries to persuade a girl to hide in Italy with him. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(12 articles)
[DVD Review] Une Femme Mariée
 (From JustPressPlay. 4 June 2009, 7:38 AM, PDT)

Podcast #106 - Jean Luc Godard
 (From SoundOnSight. 28 May 2009, 4:12 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
In's not like this in movies more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Jean-Paul Belmondo ... Michel Poiccard

Jean Seberg ... Patricia Franchini
Daniel Boulanger ... Police Inspector Vital
Jean-Pierre Melville ... Parvulesco
Henri-Jacques Huet ... Antonio Berrutti
Van Doude ... Himself
Claude Mansard ... Claudius Mansard

Jean-Luc Godard ... An Informer
Richard Balducci ... Tolmatchoff
Roger Hanin ... Cal Zombach
Jean-Louis Richard ... A Journalist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Liliane David ... Liliane
Jean Domarchi ... A Drunk
Jean Douchet ... A Journalist
Raymond Huntley ... A Journalist
André S. Labarthe ... A journalist
François Moreuil ... A journalist
Liliane Robin ... Minouche
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Breathless (UK) (subtitle) (USA)
By a Tether (UK) (informal title)
more
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
France
Language:
French | English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The character of Michel Poiccard uses the name Laszlo Kovacs as an alias. It is often wrongly assumed this was an homage to the cinematographer of the same name: the film was made long before Kovacs established himself in the movie industry. It was actually a reference to the character played by Jean-Paul Belmondo in Claude Chabrol's À double tour (1959), earlier the same year. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Michel steals the Ford, a shot shows Patricia wearing her cardigan as he arrives in the car. When she stands to get in the car the cardigan is now in her hands. Later when they pull up at the Herald Tribune offices, she gets out of the car holding the striped dress and the shoes she sill change into, but it has never been shown how these got into the car. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Michel Poiccard: After all, I'm an asshole. After all, yes, I've got to. I've got to!
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in True Love (2006/II) more

FAQ

Who did the movie's soundtrack? Is it available to buy?
What is the significance of Michel rubbing his lips with his thumb?
What does it mean when Michel makes those three faces: open mouth, big smile, frown?
more
47 out of 50 people found the following comment useful:-
In's not like this in movies, 11 December 2001
Author: Richard Anderson from England

Jean-Luc Godard's, A Bout de Souffle is possibly the brightest star to shine from the French New Wave. The 'Nouvelle Vague' came about from a group of like minded film critics writing for the Cahiers du Cinema.

With his knowledge of classic film narrative and style Godard went out to create his own film in homage to, and also complete contradiction to, classic Hollywood film.

The plot reads almost like a crime thriller typical of the 1930-40's. A criminal on the run from the police; the distraction of a beautiful woman; the escape and eventually someones death. But it is in Godard's approach to film style and use of new technologies that the typical crime thriller was turned on its head.

In a break from classic Hollywood narrative the film opens with little equilibrium. Our protagonist's motives are unclear as he tears off to Paris leaving a woman and a dead cop in his trail. This in turn makes the ending somewhat open ended. With no sense of equilibrium to start with how can there be closure on what has happened throughout the film.

Another twist on the classic storytelling in film is the progression of plot. It is naturally assumed in classic Hollywood film, that everything the spectator sees they see for a reason. With Michel's constantly pointless phone calls to retrieve owed money the plot is not pushed along at all. The inclusion of a 25 minute digression from the plot stands to emphasise the spectators reliance on narrative structure in the watching of films. Although watching the film closely is, as always, important in following the story A Bout de Souffle requires that little bit extra to define where the plot is being progressed and where Michel or Patricia are just flattering their egos or each other.

All in all I personally think that A Bout de Souffle brought about a sense of realism not seen in Hollywood cinema before 1959 and even now. The fact that life isn't full of clues that will help us progress in say our relationships or escape from authority, but is infact full of digression; self exploration; and the confusions of love, ego and aspirations.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for À bout de souffle (1960)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Which director now reminds you of the early Godard? kBillysuperSounds
Screen play, dialogue (French) shadow04-2
French language question shadow04-2
great film but Jean Seberg's french was like nails on a chalkboard myusuf19
Old francs/new francs Ron in LA
How has Godard influenced film makers today? rsg47
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