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"À Bout de Souffle" ("Breathless," 1960) - One of the First French New Wave Films, Written and Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg


DIShGo

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I really thought I would like "Breathless" more than I did. Articles I read about this film stressed how important it is, calling it one of the most influential films of the French New Wave movement that changed the way modern movies are made.

Having watched this film, I can appreciate these sentiments. I can see how this style of filmmaking would have been groundbreaking in 1960, and I understand how a film like this could influence future film directors for years to come. Having said that, I found the movie tedious to watch. I would never be interested in seeing it again.

From a film appreciation stand-point, I am glad I saw it. The film has a quirky 1960s feel to it, and there are moments I enjoyed. Years from now, if I look back on this film, the thing I will remember best is beautiful Jean Seberg and her charming gamine style. I would love to find a copy of the striped dress she wears at the end of the film in a second-hand store somewhere (along with a pair of wrist-length white gloves).

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But did you notice this moment?

Screenshot 2017-04-30 at 3.11.20 PM.png

(Google Cahiers du Cinéma, and notice how *different* their picks are than the Motion Picture Academy.)

I'm halfway through the film, and I'm with you: This is tedious to watch - I think it's of more historical importance than anything, but a *lot* of critics I respect rave about it (I haven't read the reviews yet, but have seen the ratings). Certain things of intellectual depth take multiple viewings or listenings, and this may be one of them - it may also help me to have a better background in what French cinema came before La Nouvelle Vagueor, it may just be boring as hell because it's no longer revolutionary or evolutionary. More later ... (and don't forget these French directors thought Jerry Lewis was the next coming of Charlot.)

Before I go ... it becomes *very* easy to forget, early in the film, that the lead is a cold-blooded murderer.

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3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

But did you notice this moment?

Screenshot 2017-04-30 at 3.11.20 PM.png

(Google Cahiers du Cinéma, and notice how *different* their picks are than the Motion Picture Academy.)

Ha! I didn't notice what she was handing out when I watched it. He is such a flirt with pretty young things, I was surprised he was so rude to her. I read some glowing reviews of the film after I watched it, and apparently there are several other nods to French New Wave directors in the film, including cameos by both Godard and famed New Wave director Jean-Pierre Melville. 

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On 4/28/2017 at 7:35 PM, DonRocks said:

And how wonderful that the closing music is the most famous piece for clarinet ever written, the Mozart Concerto.

Go to the 1:20 mark, with about 10-minutes left in the film. :)

The scene where she was walking around the circular living room - dining room - kitchen, where she's saying 'she called the police and she doesn't love him' was certainly novel for the time - the camera is constantly in front of her, tugging her along.

Couple other things ...

The antagonist / protagonist loves Humphrey Bogart, probably the most overrated actor in world history. He falls in love with this American girl ...

When this concerto was playing, and the camera was tugging her around, she was walking counter-clockwise (I don't think this was an accident), and I'll bet there are a hundred things in this film that we haven't spotted yet.

Nor is it coincidence that, at the end, he's running down a one-way street. This is fertile ground for study, and I'm willing to bet the critics of the time were saying what a "great" film this was, without even knowing why it was great (critics tend to do this, and figure out *why* they love something so much after they've had time to see it / eat it / view it / drink it, etc ... - remember David Foster Wallace making this same complaint to Charlie Rose about the reviews of "Infinite Jest?")

I'm quite certain that Godard, perhaps the most serious student of film in all of France, didn't set out to make a tedious first-movie.

An interesting review from 1961.

And a modern review.

Did "Columbus discover America?" Hell no. But Hell yes vis-a-vis someone who flew from CDG -> JFK this afternoon.

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*** SPOILER ALERT ***

I was very happy to find that Wikipedia discusses the Closing Dialogue in depth, because it really confused me when I heard it - however, Wikipedia makes a mistake.

As someone who speaks French, and is "fortunate" enough (thanks to the book, "Merde!") to know the adjective (and it *is* an adjective) "dégueuleasse," this is what it means:

"Gueule" is an *extremely* rude way of saying "face" - if someone cuts you off in traffic, you yell out the window, "Ta gueule!"

"Dé" means (originating) from, just like the French word "de." 

The *verb* "Dégueuler" is an extremely rude way of saying "To puke," and the *adjective* "Dégueuleasse" is an equally rude way of saying "Nauseating," or "Makes me want to puke." "Nauseating," however, does not come close to the severity and rudeness of "Dégueuleasse" - there is no equivalent English-language word.

So, when Wikipedia says:

"The 2007 Criterion Collection Region One DVD uses a less literal translation," I would say they're dead wrong - it's *more* literal, because it uses the word "puke." 

Also of note: Even though Patricia (Jean Seberg) breaks the fourth wall, and says, "What is ... dégueuleasse?" I think she's feigning ignorance, because even though she spoke with a heavy accent, her French was fluent. Yes, it's a word a Marseille dockworker would use, but I think she'd still know it with her level of fluency. She did this at least one other time in the film with the slang word "plâquer," and I wondered why - it was to set up for her final line. 

And, Michel's final words were "It's really dégueuleasse," not "You're really dégueuleasse," so it's left completely ambiguous what he's referring to (the process of dying, the world we live in, the whole business of running and running, or, perhaps, Patricia's betrayal) - the policeman simply misheard what he said when he told Patricia, "He said you really make him want to puke" - he didn't.

Also, right before saying that, he made those three playful facial expressions that the two were making in her apartment. I don't know what they mean (I missed that), but I think they were playful and coquettish, and he wouldn't have wasted his time doing them again if he found her so disgusting.

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16 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Go to the 1:20 mark, with about 10-minutes left in the film. :)

The scene where she was walking around the circular living room - dining room - kitchen, where she's saying 'she called the police and she doesn't love him' was certainly novel for the time - the camera is constantly in front of her, tugging her along.

Couple other things ...

The antagonist / protagonist loves Humphrey Bogart, probably the most overrated actor in world history. He falls in love with this American girl ...

When this concerto was playing, and the camera was tugging her around, she was walking counter-clockwise (I don't think this was an accident), and I'll bet there are a hundred things in this film that we haven't spotted yet.

Nor is it coincidence that, at the end, he's running down a one-way street. This is fertile ground for study, and I'm willing to bet the critics of the time were saying what a "great" film this was, without even knowing why it was great (critics tend to do this, and figure out *why* they love something so much after they've had time to see it / eat it / view it / drink it, etc ... - remember David Foster Wallace making this same complaint to Charlie Rose about the reviews of "Infinite Jest?")

I'm quite certain that Godard, perhaps the most serious student of film in all of France, didn't set out to make a tedious first-movie.

An interesting review from 1961.

And a modern review.

Did "Columbus discover America?" Hell no. But Hell yes vis-a-vis someone who flew from CDG -> JFK this afternoon.

I knew you would appreciate the Mozart Clarinet Concerto.

There is an interesting fact about the scene where Patricia is running in circles around the house. They couldn't afford a dolly, so parts of the film were shot by a man with a handheld camera being pushed around in a wheelchair. 

F17ED585-0470-4E97-AC9F-90D80DA398B8-5929-000009E4CAFC5E51.jpeg

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43 minutes ago, DIShGo said:

I knew you would appreciate the Mozart Clarinet Concerto.

There is an interesting fact about the scene where Patricia is running in circles around the house. They couldn't afford a dolly, so parts of the film were shot by a man with a handheld camera being pushed around in a wheelchair. 

F17ED585-0470-4E97-AC9F-90D80DA398B8-5929-000009E4CAFC5E51.jpeg

I'm pretty sure that's Godard himself pulling (not pushing) the wheelchair.

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6 hours ago, DonRocks said:

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

I was very happy to find that Wikipedia discusses the Closing Dialogue in depth, because it really confused me when I heard it - however, Wikipedia makes a mistake.

As someone who speaks French, and is "fortunate" enough (thanks to the book, "Merde!") to know the adjective (and it *is* an adjective) "dégueuleasse," this is what it means:

"Gueule" is an *extremely* rude way of saying "face" - if someone cuts you off in traffic, you yell out the window, "Ta gueule!"

"Dé" means (originating) from, just like the French word "de." 

The *verb* "Dégueuler" is an extremely rude way of saying "To puke," and the *adjective* "Dégueuleasse" is an equally rude way of saying "Nauseating," or "Makes me want to puke." "Nauseating," however, does not come close to the severity and rudeness of "Dégueuleasse" - there is no equivalent English-language word.

So, when Wikipedia says:

"The 2007 Criterion Collection Region One DVD uses a less literal translation," I would say they're dead wrong - it's *more* literal, because it uses the word "puke." 

Also of note: Even though Patricia (Jean Seberg) breaks the fourth wall, and says, "What is ... dégueuleasse?" I think she's feigning ignorance, because even though she spoke with a heavy accent, her French was fluent. Yes, it's a word a Marseille dockworker would use, but I think she'd still know it with her level of fluency. She did this at least one other time in the film with the slang word "plâquer," and I wondered why - it was to set up for her final line. 

And, Michel's final words were "It's really dégueuleasse," not "You're really dégueuleasse," so it's left completely ambiguous what he's referring to (the process of dying, the world we live in, the whole business of running and running, or, perhaps, Patricia's betrayal) - the policeman simply misheard what he said when he told Patricia, "He said you really make him want to puke" - he didn't.

Also, right before saying that, he made those three playful facial expressions that the two were making in her apartment. I don't know what they mean (I missed that), but I think they were playful and coquettish, and he wouldn't have wasted his time doing them again if he found her so disgusting.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

Did you notice, early in the film, (24:04) when Patricia leaves him to meet the editor for lunch, he tells her, "you make me want to puke." He of course, doesn't mean it, but his feelings are hurt because she is going to see another man.

Several times she asks him the meaning of words, and more often than not, he doesn't clarify. I think she is being coy and trying to get him to expand on his thoughts rather than not understanding what he is saying in French.

I like the ambiguous ending. It suits the film. My interpretation is he is saying dying sucks, and he isn't saying she disgusts him. I think he loves her to the end, or at least he thinks he does.

The very long scene with Patricia and Michel in her bedroom seems like it is about him trying to seduce her, but there is a lot of foreshadowing in it. Around the 32 minute mark, she tells him she wants him to be like Romeo, because Romeo doesn't want to live without Juliet. He says he doesn't want to live without her, but she does not believe him.

In the same scene, around the 46 minute mark, she reads the last line from a William Faulkner book, a sentence she finds beautiful: "Between grief and nothing, I will take grief." She asks Michel which he would chose. At first he doesn't reply, instead asking to see her toes. So she asks him again. He says. "Grief is stupid. I'd chose nothing. It's not better, but grief's a compromise. I want all or nothing."

Also in this scene, she says she wishes her name were Ingrid, instead of Patricia. Ingrid Bergman, of course, plays Ilsa in "Casablanca." This is another clue that the love affair between Patricia and the Humphrey-Bogart-obsessed Michel is doomed.

I may have to eat my own words about not giving this film a second viewing. There is a lot to "Breathless" that isn't readily apparent on its surface. I am certain I would appreciate it more if I watched it again.

 

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On 4/30/2017 at 3:12 PM, DonRocks said:

Certain things of intellectual depth take multiple viewings or listenings, and this may be one of them

I think your statement is correct about this film. There is more to "Breathless" than meets the eye. I so glad this film forum exists. It makes me watch movies with a more critical eye. It is refreshing to see what other people think about the films I watch.

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6 hours ago, DIShGo said:

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

Did you notice, early in the film, (24:04) when Patricia leaves him to meet the editor for lunch, he tells her, "you make me want to puke." He of course, doesn't mean it, but his feelings are hurt because she is going to see another man.

And he uses the word "degueuleasse," too.

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One other thing which you, DIShGo, have probably picked up on by now:

Most people agree that "Breathless" is a snappy translation for "À Bout de Souffle," but the phrase "à bout de souffle" has a very specific meaning: Transliterated, it means "at end of breath," and is used for very specific situations:

A runner collapsing at the finish line is "à bout de souffle."

A terminally ill patient drawing their last breath is "à bout de souffle."

Someone seeing the best-looking person they've ever seen, and gasping, is *not* "à bout de souffle" (unless, of course, they wanted to take poetic license). As I think about it more, I've really only heard it used at the end of exhausting situations; not for the dying taking their last gasp - that may fall under the "poetic license" category as well, but I'm not sure.

*** SPOILERS FOLLOW ***

If you think about the general theme of the film - running endlessly - and also about Michel's death run, where he finally collapses, the original, French title is much more appropriate, and really, the only one that makes any sense, as the phrase literally connotes a type of "ending," or a complete "depletion."

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15 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Don't click on this unless you want to spend the next half-hour in front of a computer ...

Apr 24, 2007 - "'Breathless' - Jean Luc Godard" on onscenes.com

I found what is arguably the single-funniest typo I've ever seen in this article.

It's in the paragraph that begins, "Still, as busy as France was ...."

You might think it's a comical title instead of a typo, but it's a typo, and that's what makes it all the more hilarious.

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3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I found what is arguably the single-funniest typo I've ever seen in this article.

It's in the paragraph that begins, "Still, as busy as France was ...."

You might think it's a comical title instead of a typo, but it's a typo, and that's what makes it all the more hilarious.

Ahhh. I thought it was a comical title!

3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

One other thing which you, DIShGo, have probably picked up on by now:

Most people agree that "Breathless" is a snappy translation for "À Bout de Souffle," but the phrase "à bout de souffle" has a very specific meaning: Transliterated, it means "at end of breath," and is used for very specific situations:

A runner collapsing at the finish line is "à bout de souffle."

A terminally ill patient drawing their last breath is "à bout de souffle."

Someone seeing the best-looking person they've ever seen, and gasping, is *not* "à bout de souffle" (unless, of course, they wanted to take poetic license). As I think about it more, I've really only heard it used at the end of exhausting situations; not for the dying taking their last gasp - that may fall under the "poetic license" category as well, but I'm not sure.

*** SPOILERS FOLLOW ***

If you think about the general theme of the film - running endlessly - and also about Michel's death run, where he finally collapses, the original, French title is much more appropriate, and really, the only one that makes any sense, as the phrase literally connotes a type of "ending," or a complete "depletion."

Yes, the French title is perfect for this film. The English translation falls short.

I am reading "Night" by Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. There is a preface in the book, explaining the new translation (by his wife) 45 years after the first version was published. Some extremely beautiful passages, written originally in Yiddish, were lost in the earlier translation.

The same can be said for "The Tin Drum," which was also retranslated many years after its release, capturing beautiful, song-like prose that was lost in the earlier version.

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