Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Breathless Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 16, 2020

Jean-Luc Godard's "A bout de souffle" a.k.a. "Breathless" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include restoration trailer; vintage introduction by Colin MacCabe; documentary film; and more. Also included with the release is a 12" vinyl soundtrack. In French or German, with optional English, German, and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The criminal

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The 4K content below also appears in our review of the 4K Blu-ray release of Breathless. It is reposted here because it is relevant to the 1080p presentation of the film's recent 4K restoration.

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration that was completed on behalf of StudioCanal. The laboratory that carried out the restoration is L'image Retrouvee. (See screencaptures for complete details).

4K BLU-RAY DISC

I did a number of direct comparisons with StudioCanal's previous release of Breathless and I think that the most obvious improvements actually come from the transition to native 4K. Indeed, a direct comparison between the 1080p presentation of the old 2K restoration and the 1080p presentation of the new 4K restoration does not reveal any significant improvements in terms of delineation, clarity, and density. In fact, because of the manner in which the new 4K restoration is graded, in 1080p the old 2K restoration often looks stronger. In native 4K, however, the 4K restoration reveals wider and much more subtle ranges of grays, white, and blacks, and as a result there are areas of the film where it is very easy to see improved delineation and depth. Also, density levels are marginally stronger, though I am quite certain that viewers who, like me, appreciate superior density will not be overly impressed. Why? Because the old 2K restoration is already quite nice, and because there are some inherited source limitations that make it virtually impossible to get superior visuals even in native 4K. Contrast levels are better managed in native 4K, but in 1080p there are again some unusual trade-offs. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks very healthy as well.

BLU-RAY DISC

When viewed in 1080p, as opposed to native 4K, the new 4K restoration can look somewhat underwhelming at times. For example, in a lot of darker areas the elevated blacks actually flatten some existing detail. Grain exposure can be a tad loose as well. Additionally, in select darker areas I noticed light macroblocking patterns that easily could have been avoided with superior encoding. (You can see an example in the right corner of screencapture #7). Density levels are good, but on a larger screen I think that the old 2K restoration frequently looks superior. I also think that it is easy to argue that the grading job on the old 2K restoration is more convincing. To sum it all up, I would recommend the 4K restoration as the definitive presentation of the film only if viewed in native 4K. In 1080p, the old 2K restoration seems like the better option. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Breathless Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French: LPCM 2.0 and German: LPCM 2.0. Optional English, French SDH, and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless French track sounds terrific. I felt that it was marginally fuller now and perhaps better rounded as well. Also, it is definitely cleaner, which does not surprise me at all because it was extensively restored. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Breathless Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - trailer for the new 4K restoration of Breathless. In French, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Introduction by Colin MacCabe - film critic and Godard expert Colin MacCabe introduces Breathless and points out what makes it such an important and unique film. In English. (5 min).

• Introduction by Jefferson Hack - Jefferson Hack, creator and publisher of Dazed & Confused, discusses some of the cool features and identity of Breathless. In English. (9 min).

• Room 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).

• Tempo - Godard Episode - originally broadcast in 1965, this retrieved archival footage of the Jean-Luc Godard Tempo profile does contain some segments in which footage has been lost or removed due to legal constraints. In English. (17 min).

• Still Not... Breathless - a documentary film that examines the lasting appeal and historic significance of Breathless. It features clips from archival interviews with Jean-Paul Belmondo as well as clips from new interviews with Albert Dupontel (Irreversible), Christophe Lambert (Highlander), Cedric Klapisch (The Spanish Apartment), and Guillaume Canet (Farewell), amongst others. The documentary was produced by Jeff Domenech. In French, with optional English subtitles. (35 min).

Breathless Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The new 4K restoration of Breathless is the best presentation of the film, but only if viewed in native 4K. So, if you decide to upgrade you will need to pick up the 4K Blu-ray release. If you do not have the equipment to view 4K Blu-ray discs at the moment, my advice to you is to stay with the previous release of the film which was sourced from a pretty good 2K restoration.