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Movies / On DVD / Breathless
Breathless

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Breathless (1959)

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96 %
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Reviews Counted: 27

Fresh: 26

Rotten:1

Average Rating: 8.6/10

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: Former "Cahiers du Cinéma" critic Jean-Luc Godard threw everything he had learned from years of movie watching into his debut feature--creating an enormously influential film and a seminal study of existential longing and betrayal.... Former "Cahiers du Cinéma" critic Jean-Luc Godard threw everything he had learned from years of movie watching into his debut feature--creating an enormously influential film and a seminal study of existential longing and betrayal. Within the first few minutes, Michel (Belmondo), a foul-mouthed Parisian who idolizes Humphrey Bogart, shoots a police officer and immediately becomes a fugitive on the run. He visits an ex-girlfriend and while casually charming her, he steals her money. He then gallivants through the marvelous streets of 1940s Paris, pursuing Patricia (Seberg), a blond pixie-like American selling the New York Herald Tribune on the Champs-Elysees. Michel is childlike as he pouts and whines in his fruitless attempts to seduce Patricia, then turns cold as ice as he curses her out, racing off to steal a car or meet up with some other thugs. Meanwhile, Patricia seems to seduce everybody with her youth and naivety. She is just 20-years-old, possibly pregnant, and despite the few scattered assignments she does for the paper, she is dreamy and directionless. Even so, she does not refuse Michel, though she won't commit to him. As they follow each other in and out of cafes and boutiques, sailing past the Eiffel Tower and down the grand boulevards in gorgeous stolen cars, we await what is sure to be a tragic ending. [More]

Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg

Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg

Director: Jean-Luc Godard

Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Screenwriter: Jean-Luc Godard
Story: François Truffaut

[See More Credits]

DVD Info

 
 
 
 
Release:

Oct 9, 2001

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 0
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame - 1.33:1

Audio:

  • Stereo - French
  • Subtitles - English - Optional

Interactive Features:

  • Scene Access
  • Interactive Menus

DVD-ROM Features:

  • Web Links

Reviews for Breathless

  • T-Meter Critics
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
10/18/08
Screen International
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

A half-century has softened the impact, but 'Breathless' still holds its own.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/20/08
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
08/25/07
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

It's energy over substance.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/05/07
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/17/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Ratings Image

This film, a first pic by a film critic, shows the immediate influence of Yank actioners and socio-psycho thrillers but has its own personal style.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/17/07
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Regardless of how one feels about Jean-Luc Godard's later, less accessible works, it would be hard to find a more audacious debut feature.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
12/13/06
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Ratings Image

Beautiful.

comment Comment
11/21/05
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
Ratings Image

Even if some of Breathless remains inaccessibly arty and obtuse, it's nonetheless a film of watershed importance.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/28/05
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
06/25/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

A stunning classic.

comment Comment
07/29/04
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com
Ratings Image

Who doesn't like Breathless? It's some kind of free-wheeling comic experiment in cool, and it works the whole way.

comment Comment
04/20/04
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
03/27/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
11/13/03
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
11/07/03
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
Ratings Image

Godard's attention to nuance and detail makes this influential classic a must-see for any film lover.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
11/06/03
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
09/27/03
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
08/21/03
John Esther
Pasadena Weekly
Ratings Image

Modern movies begin here, with Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless in 1960. No debut film since Citizen Kane in 1942 has been as influential.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
08/05/03
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
06/19/03
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Breathless

October 23, 2007: RT on DVD: Hostel II Oozes Onto Shelves, and Criterion Serves Up Breathless!
It's a bit of a slow week for home video releases, led by Eli Roth's torture-for-hire gore fest (Hostel II). Thankfully, Criterion has another wave of beautifully restored... More...

See More Topics...

Related Forums for Breathless

REEL_REVIEWER
(1961/1960)-Godard's BREATHLESS - the Jean-Paul Belmondo fan club increases by one!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/28/07

REEL_REVIEWER
(1961/1960)-Godard's BREATHLESS - the Jean-Paul Belmondo fan club increases by one!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/28/07

REEL_REVIEWER
(1961/1960)-Godard's BREATHLESS - the Jean-Paul Belmondo fan club increases by one!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/28/07

REEL_REVIEWER
(1961/1960)-Godard's BREATHLESS - the Jean-Paul Belmondo fan club increases by one!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/28/07

François Truffaut's treatment for "Breathless"
by: jdcopp 10/18/06
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