Breathless 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Breathless 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 17, 2023

Jean-Luc Godard's "A bout de souffle" a.k.a "Breathless" (1960) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include video interviews with cinematographer Raoul Coutard, assistant director Pierre Rissient, and filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker; archival interviews with director Jean-Luc Godard, actors Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, and director Jean-Pierre Melville; video essay by film historian and author Jonathan Rosenbaum; "Chambre 12, Hotel de suede", a documentary by director and popular French television host Claude Venture; "Charlotte et son Jules", a short film by Jean-Luc Godard; the film's original theatrical trailer; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless is the film that changed everything -- perceptions, expectations, the way films were made. After it, cinema was no longer the same. The rules were broken. Or to be perfectly clear, there were no more rules to be followed.

Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo, Pierrot le fou), a tough-looking criminal who worships Humphrey Bogart, steals a car, kills a cop, and heads to Paris where he meets Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg, Bonjour tristesse), a beautiful American girl who sells the Herald Tribune in the Champs-Elysees. He falls in love with her and asks that she comes with him to Rome.

While Patricia is trying to make up her mind, Michel wanders around Paris, meeting people who own him money. Occasionally, he also steals from people who do not own him anything. Patricia follows him around, clueless about his dealings.

Michel smokes a lot but Patricia does not mind. The two spend plenty of time together talking about love, money, and happiness. Occasionally, they also make love. When Patricia works, Michel runs around stealing. Then they meet again, talk and make love.

The cops begin looking for Michel. They also question Patricia. She wants to stay with Michel but gradually realizes that there is no future for the two of them. After spending the night with Michel in a chic private photo studio, Patricia calls the cops to let them know where her lover is hiding.

Arguably the most influential of the Nouvelle Vague films, Breathless is brash, raw, and unpretentious yet remarkably elegant piece of cinema. It is hilarious, at times strikingly offensive, and though suggesting otherwise incredibly serious about everything it shows. It is the coolest film ever made.

Godard’s great innovation lies in the distinctive camerawork -- jump cuts, fast zooms, and unusual close-ups -- and unorthodox treatment of his characters. The plot of Breathless is hardly original but observing Michel and Patricia is fascinating; time and space are handled in a very unique manner and create something that could be best described as a sense of three-dimensionality.

Then there is the sense of freedom that permeates Breathless. The improvisations are wild and strange but also rejuvenating. Many of the lines Michel and Patricia utter make little sense but it is incredibly easy to tell what is on their minds. He wants to love her. She wants to be loved. That is all that matters. This is the entire story that Breathless tells.

Godard dedicated Breathless to Monogram Pictures, the famous Hollywood studio that specialized in the production of B-movies, in an attempt to prove that interesting films do not have to be expensive films. He was assisted by legendary cinematographer Raoul Coutard, who collaborated with him on many of his most renowned films, including Une femme est une femme (1961), Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962), Le mepris (1963), Bande a part (1964), Pierrot le fou (1965), 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle (1967), etc.

*In 1960, Breathless won Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 1961, the film won the Critics Award for Best Film granted by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics.

Breathless 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Breathless is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

At the moment, I only have the 4K Blu-ray disc and all screencaptures that are included with this release are taken from it. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc. I will update the review with comments about the Blu-ray disc when I receive a market copy of the release.

The release introduces StudioCanal's recent 4K restoration of Breathless. In the United Kingdom, the 4K restoration was made available on 4K Blu-ray in 2020. (You can see our listing and review of this release here). On this release, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision.

I like the 4K restoration a lot. I think that it is done right and gives the film an overall very attractive organic appearance. On a large screen, the film often looks striking, almost brand new. However, I still think that the previous release looks wonderful, too. Frankly, I do not think that there are any sizeable improvements in terms of delineation, clarity, and depth. There are areas where the 4K master clearly produces superior visuals, but the improvements are in the overall dynamic range of the visuals and/or surface health. Also, there are areas of the film with very particular limitations that some viewers may conclude are slightly exaggerated in 4K. (The exchange in English with the printed French subtitles is a great example). Density levels are excellent but they were impressive on the previous release as well. The Dolby Vision grade is subtle yet effective. Grays, whites, and blacks appear superior, healthier, and better balanced, as they should given that 4K must convey visuals with a superior dynamic range. I think that this is the key improvement that convincingly elevates the 4K presentation and ensures a more satisfying viewing experience. The entire film looks very healthy. One last thing. I did some comparisons between the previous 4K Blu-ray release and this 4K Blu-ray release and think that in a couple of darker areas the latter performs marginally better. My score is 4.75/5.00.

Breathless 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any anomalies to report. As mentioned previously, I think that this track is just a tiny bit better than the track that was included on the previous release of Breathless. Despite inherited fluctuations, on my system, it sounds slightly better rounded.

Breathless 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Bonus Featurres - there are no bonus features on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Interviews - a collage of excerpts from interviews with director Jean-Luc Godard, actors Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg, and director Jean-Pierre Melville, recorded for French television between 1960 and 1964. The interviewees address a variety of different subjects, from the film's production history and reception by the critics to its unique characters. Jean Seberg's comments about her troubled relationship with director Otto Preminger and encounter with Marlon Brando are very interesting. In French, with optional English subtitles. (28 min):
  
  1. Jean-Luc Godard X 2
  2. Jean-Paul Belmondo
  3. Jean Seberg
  4. Jean-Pierre Melville

• Coutard and Rissient - in this interview, recorded for Criterion in 2007, cinematographer Raoul Coutard and cinephile Pierre Rissient, the assistant director on Breathless, recall specific details from the production history of Godard's film. In French and English, with optional English subtitles. (23 min, 1080i):
  
  1. Learning his trade
  2. Dialogue and casting
  3. Shooting tricks
  4. Locations and lighting
  5. Godard's influence

• Pennebaker on Breathless - in this interview, recorded for Criterion in 2007, documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker discusses Jean-Luc Godard's famous description of his film as "a documentary about Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg". In English, not sibtitled. (11 min).

• Jean Seberg - a wonderful video essay, created for Criterion by Mark Rappaport, director of the 1995 film From the Journals of Jean Seberg, focusing on Jean Seberg's life and career. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Breathless as Criticism - a video essay in which film historian and author Jonathan Rosenbaum analyzes Jean-Luc Godard's film and its message. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Chambre 12, Hotel de suede - a lengthy documentary, from 1993, in which director and popular French television host Claude Venture interviews different people who were involved with the production of Breathless. Amongst the interviewees are director Claude Chabrol, Jean-Paul Belmondo, cinematographer Raoul Coutard, assistant director Pierre Rissient, editor Cecile Decugis, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (79 min).
  
  Day 1: Godard
  Day 2: Chabrol
  Day 3: Coutard/Rissient
  Day 4: Moreuil
  Day 5. Decugis
  Day 6. David
  Day 7. Belmondo
  Day 8. Tolmachoff
  Days 8 and 9: Rue Campagne-Premiere

• Charlotte et son Jules (1959) - a short film by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anne Collette, courtesy of Les Films du Jeudi. In French, with optional English subtitles. (12 min).

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for the film. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Booklet - an 80-page illustrated booklet including Dudley Andrew's essay "Breathless Then and Now" (the author is Professor of Film and Comparative Literature at Yale); writings from Jean-Luc Godard, his scenario, and Francois Truffaut's original treatment.

Breathless 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Breathless is one of your favorite films, I think that you should consider acquiring this upcoming 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. After it was fully restored in 4K, Breathless looks gorgeous, though I must mention that I still like the previous presentation of the film a lot. The 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack retains all of the excellent bonus features that were included on the previous release. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.