Breathless is about a petty thief that shoots a motorcycle cop and has to go into hiding. He returns to Paris where he coaxes his American girlfriend to come to Italy and collect money from someone that owes it to him. The basic story and editing techniques of the movie differs from the current execution of classic films. The film, by Jean-Luc Godard, makes use of several cinematographic techniques such as sound, editing, lighting, and mise-en-scene to create thrill in the movie.
The beginning of the film starts with an alternating close-up of Michael and of a woman signaling Michael as she nods at him. The use of close-up between the two characters causes the viewer to think that the characters are close. However, on viewing the wider shots of the surrounding area, we get to learn that they are not. The use of close-up shots at other instances of the film confuses the viewer. The song that plays in the background in the first scene is “All Blues” by Miles Davis. This gives the audience a playful and gangster-like mood.
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Breathless has been famous for the unique style of editing by Godard who first made jump cuts acceptable and popular. Jump cuts is a filming technique that occurs where one shot moves to another in unrelated shots. The first minutes of the film makes use of a jump cut. Michel plays a pretty crook who views himself as a master criminal. At the first scene, he steals a car from the Paris in broad daylight and he escapes into the countryside. He tries to make himself hidden and rushes through the narrow country at top speeds. The director makes use of a jump cut when Michael passes several cars on the road.
Through the jump cut, we are given a shot from Michel’s view on the street as he quickly passes car after car. Godard shows a similar action over and over without any polish or fluidity. This throws in the audience into a disjointed chaos. This creates a thrill in the movie and also expounds on the character of Michel. He may not be the mastermind that he appears to be. Instead, he is reckless and has a likely chance of being arrested before reaching the height of crime. The scene plays a big part in being more of an introduction and a foreshadow of the movie.
Elliptic editing is another film technique that leaves the audience with surprise. As the owner of the American car sees Michel trying to steal the car, he crosses the street and in the next shot, he is trying to steal another car. The effect of this elliptical editing has an apparent effect on the audience. They are forced to think keenly about the plot instead of just following it blindly. It also leaves the audience with an element of freshness and surprise. The scene is also very important because it shows the relationship and atmosphere between Michel and Patricia, an important element in the film.
Breathless makes use of natural lighting and mise-en-scene to indicate the idea of art that represents people in their real lives. Direct sounds from the environment are commonly found in the movie. Such a kind of cinematography was used to make filming budgets small and to create a cinematic style that is unique. One scene that clearly depicts this is when Patricia is sitting at the side of the streets as he waits for Michael to get into his car. The filming of this scene represented real natural lighting, direct sound, and mise-en-scene. The director did not even clear up the shooting area, there are thus several people looking at the protagonist in the scene.
The use of several cinematic techniques like editing, lighting, and sounds was not common at the release of the film. The movie thus stood out as it was more distinct compared to other films. Breathless thus offers today a historical perspective of the course of cinematic expression.
