Breathless (1961)
94%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Breathless rewrote the rules of cinema — and more than 50 years after its arrival, Jean-Luc Godard’s paradigm-shifting classic remains every bit as vital.
Breathless is a film that’s so cool, it’s practically wearing sunglasses indoors. With its hip, jokey tone and stylish flourishes, it’s like a French New Wave take on a classic American gangster movie. The plot may be a bit sketchy, but who cares when you’re having this much fun? Godard’s freewheeling approach to filmmaking is on full display here, and it’s easy to see why this movie was such a game-changer when it first came out. Even 50 years later, Breathless still feels fresh and exciting, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of stylish, offbeat cinema.
Production Company(ies)
Les Films, Impéria Les Productions, Georges de Beauregard Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
11 rue Campagne Première, Paris 14, Paris, France
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1961
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.33 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):French, English
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Country of origin:France
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 7, 1961 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 7, 2003
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, Jean-Pierre Melville, Henri-Jacques Huet, Van Doude, directed by Jean-Luc Godard, written by Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, crime, drama, box office gross $47.1K, reviewed by Jake Wilson, Stanley Kauffmann, Adam Nayman, Chris Vognar, Jonathan F Richards, MPAA rating, produced by Georges de Beauregard, French New Wave, jump cuts, improvisational dialogue, Paris, police investigation, on the lam, aspiring journalist, suave bad guy, Humphrey Bogart, murder, Italy, loyalty, stylistic flourishes, philosophical asides, paradigm-shifting, vital, fresh, exciting, game-changer, unconventional, landmark, revolutionary editing techniques, pop culture references, intellectualism
Worldwide gross: $593,302
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,677,786
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,087
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 728,221
US/Canada gross: $414,173
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,661,637
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,827
US/Canada opening weekend: $32,424
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $364,942
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,481
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): FRF 400,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jean Seberg – Patricia Franchini
Daniel Boulanger – Police Inspector
Jean-Pierre Melville – Parvulesco
Henri-Jacques Huet – Antonio Berrutti
Van Doude – The Journalist
Director(s)
Jean-Luc Godard
Writer(s)
Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut
Producer(s)
Georges de Beauregard
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (71) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (69) | Rotten (2)
A hip, jokey thriller in which the sketchy plot serves as an excuse for stylistic flourishes and philosophical asides.
October 5, 2018
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
With the appearance of Breathless, we have a film that is new, aesthetically and morally.
December 3, 2015
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
January 14, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY
TOP CRITIC
Breathless jumps to its own rhythm and pokes holes in its idols even as it worships them.
August 20, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
TOP CRITIC
On its fiftieth birthday Breathless remains fresh and exciting, although its revolutionary approach has long since been absorbed into the mainstream, and the years do show on it a bit.
August 4, 2010
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
Even 50 years later, it’s easy feel how vivid a game-changer Breathless must have been when it arrived.
July 16, 2010
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
TOP CRITIC
Godard’s breezy vision and freestyle execution marked a generation. Always on the move and fun, Breathless’s magic is still shining. [Full review in Spanish]
October 15, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
Make no mistake about it, this film still deserves its place in the canon of cinema.
October 13, 2021
Neely Swanson
Easy Reader (California)
Breathless made my world when I first encountered it. Decades later, I still love it.
May 11, 2021 | Rating: 10/10
Sabina Dana Plasse
Film Threat
Despite its unlikable characters, Breathless doesn’t lack feeling. It is a compelling story to watch with a satisfying ending.
March 24, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
An irreverent French spin on Godard’s affection for American gangster movies…
November 11, 2020
Lisa Nesselson
France24
It’s an upbeat, jazzy, cops-and-robbers crime drama with the tone of a romantic comedy and the plot progression of an unfocused documentary.
August 24, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
Michel Poiccard, an irresponsible sociopath and small-time thief, steals a car and impulsively murders the motorcycle policeman who pursues him. Now wanted by the authorities, he renews his relationship with Patricia Franchini, a hip American girl studying journalism at the Sorbonne, whom he had met in Nice a few weeks earlier. Before leaving Paris, he plans to collect a debt from an underworld acquaintance and expects her to accompany him on his planned getaway to Italy. Even with his face in the local papers and media, Poiccard seems oblivious to the dragnet that is slowly closing around him as he recklessly pursues his love of American movies and libidinous interest in the beautiful American.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jean-Paul Belmondo’s character in Breathless considers himself a suave bad guy in the manner of Humphrey Bogart.
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