Picking up where I left off last week, it’s important to further note why Breathless was so different from most other films of the era. Besides a generally accepted pattern of flow and continuity, Breathless contains other visual oddities as well — which were hardly standard features of most films whether they originated in Hollywood, France, or anywhere else.
For instance, in most films establishing shots would normally be used to give a sense of place or defined locale. These might include say, an aerial shot of the Eiffel Tower or some other acclaimed architectural landmark to designate Paris at the start of the feature. However, in Breathless these appear sporadically, occurring at scattered or seemingly inopportune times. A noteworthy example of this is a breathtaking aerial shot which appears to be the partially captured Palace Of Versailles and its spectacular gardens. All of this could have been better used in a fascinating travelogue but do nothing to further along the narrative.
Another intriguing, innovative technique which Godard used freely in Breathless was his use of “jump cuts” which are two close shots in a row that vary slightly because of different camera positions, but still give the impression that they have “jumped” breaking up the smooth flow of a scene. Godard employed some other techniques that may not have been completely unknown, but nevertheless became quickly associated with him. Godard’s use of faster film stocks (not normally used for feature films) that allowed for the utmost use of natural light and less developing was also quite ahead of its time.
The use of long takes focusing on extended dialogue sequences such as when Michel and Patricia are in her bedroom (with relatively little camera movement) is another example of untypical filmmaking. In this scene so much attention was centered on inconsequential, vague chatter that leads nowhere, such as: “What would you choose, grief or nothing?” It’s rather strange (especially in comparison to Hollywood filmic styles. In Breathless there is much talk where characters do not come to a decision to actually accomplish something. The same bedroom scene chatter meanders around whether or not Michel should go to Italy on holiday and have Patricia accompany him or not…but no plans materialize.
Along with unstructured plot elements of this sort, it has also been said that Godard was quite liberal in allowing improvised dialogue. Supposedly, Breathless never had an organized, complete script. Situations like this are an absolute no-go with big budget, major studio-oriented film productions. In any event, regardless of how sharply and often the critics and traditional filmmakers of France rebuked Godard and Breathless for being such an unorthodox creation, it still turned out to be a considerable box office success internationally. Breathless is still widely considered to be one of the most influential films ever made.
Next week we’re continuing with another vital French New Wave film, Cleo From 5 To 7!
