Breathless

Friday, January 18 - Monday, January 21, 2019

35mm Print!

“Shot on a shoestring and none the worse for it, Jean-Luc Godard’s gritty and engaging first feature had an almost revolutionary impact when first released in 1960. It lays down most of the Godardian repertoire that the later films would build upon: male bravado spiced with plug-ugly mugging and amusing self-mockery (brought to perfection in Jean-Paul Belmondo’s wonderful performance); a fascination with female beauty and treachery (the indelible Jean Seberg as the archetypal American abroad); an emulation of the American gangster movie, and a love-hatred for America in general; radically employed jump cuts that have the effect of a needle skipping gaily across a record; and a taste for literary, painterly, and musical quotations, as well as original aphorisms. Less characteristic of Godard’s later work are the superb jazz score (by French pianist Martial Solal), a relatively coherent and continuous narrative, and postsynchronized dialogue.” – Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Part of our Winter 2019 season of Weekend Classics: Early Godard.

• Country France
• Language In French with English subtitles.
• Year 1960
• Running Time 89 minutes
• Distributor Rialto
• Director Jean-Luc Godard
• Writer Francois Truffaut (original scenario)
• Editor Cecile Decugis
• Cinematographer Raoul Coutard
• Cast Jean Seberg, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Van Doude, Roger Hanin

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.