Breathless (60th Anniversary Edition)

The legendary movie from the auteur.

wow what a box set -amazing movie -especially for the time -1959 -i love jean seberg -amazing actress -the music is awsome -great to get a vinyl of the movie -the bluray is an amazing clear transfer of a movie made 61 years ago -fantastic poster -a great amazon collectible -if your a fan -dont hesitate -buy now you wont be sorry

Although this is recognised as a classic film, I did not fully appreciate it. Jean Seberg's clear French pronunciation is useful for any one learning the language. .

Another Great release by Studio Canal

Excelente

An absolutely stunning release of one of the most influential films of all time. Utterly gorgeous quality set including the film in 4K and Blu-ray, art cards, booklet, poster - and a 12" vinyl soundtrack! This release left me breathless. ;)

This is a deeply disappointing film. No doubt the director thought he was being clever making such a disjointed film, but frankly he wasn't.

The highly regarded and influential debut feature from Jean-Luc Godard. Breathless sees a small-time thief (Jean-Paul Belmondo) steal a car and impulsively murders a motorcycle policeman. Wanted by the authorities, he reunites with a hip American journalism student (Jean Seberg) and attempts to persuade her to run away with him to Italy.Widely regarded as the ground zero of the French New Wave movement and clearly hugely influential and standout in terms of narrative and attitude. The film feels cuttingly original and has an aura of edge, attitude and freedom to the proceedings. However for me personally the story and the characters within it, hold back the ahead of its time presentation and tone.Though very different in many ways, Breathless reminded me a lot of Easy Rider. Understandably highly influential in terms of tone and technical elements, but lacking in engaging structure and story. The Bonnie & Clyde-esque narrative only really comes into its own towards the end, before then the film is mostly a repetitive series of at times meandering dialogue sections. The playful romantic elements feel natural and the dialogue does carry most of the scenes.The film undeniably bleeds cool and its free spirited, casually sexually charged attitude is certainly original for 1960, especially when you consider many of the uppity and classier films still releasing around the time. The cinematography is great at times, with superb shadow and lighting usage. The handheld camerawork adds a natural feel to the proceedings. The editing though is certainly divisive. There are many seemingly random, frequent and unnecessarily quick cuts. Characters will skip streets, their dialogue can be a little choppy and it hinders the plot from gaining substance. The jazzy score is also hypnotic and fits seamlessly.Jean Seberg is undeniably iconic here and completely owns the screen with her calm, cool and breezy demeanour and infectious screen presence. She contrasts against the sexist and reckless Poiccard/Kovacs played commandingly by Jean-Paul Belmondo. The two have a genuine feeling rebellious chemistry. It’s just a shame that the characters themselves aren’t particularly engaging, with Poiccard/Kovacs especially not being likeable whatsoever.Breathless’ impact on cinema is undeniable and though 60 years old it still feels like it could have been made now. The visual style and performances are strong, with some impressive technical elements. However a choppy, un-engaging storyline, not particularly developed characters and some strange editing choices do hinder it.