Breathless Essay Questions

Identify some of the allusions in the film and explain their significance.

The very first reference to the B-movies of the past that inspired Godard’s film comes in the title card dedicating the movie to Monogram Pictures. Monogram Pictures is a very significant pop culture reference because it was one of the studios collectively known as Poverty Row, which were responsible for the bulk of those low-budget film noirs that inspired the French New Wave. There are also references to big budget film noir such as the Humphrey Bogart film The Harder They Fall, which serves as an inspiration for both this film and for the character of Michel. Breathless takes many of its cues from film noir, and Michel is a character who fancies himself a kind of cinematic hero, even when circumstances are not quite as lustrous as Hollywood would have us believe. The suggestion to Michel that silk socks do not go with a tweed jacket is actually a direct reference to a Dashiell Hammett novel from the noir period, The Glass Key.

Additionally, the literary references are significant. Patricia's favorite book by William Faulkner, The Wild Palms, tells a noir-esque story of two ill-fated lovers, and her love of Romeo and Juliet, the Shakespeare play about two lovers who die for one another, foreshadows Michel's eventual tragic death.

Godard was instructed to cut the running time of Breathless for it to have any chance at becoming a commercial success. Rather than cutting out entire scenes, Godard’s solution was to trim individual scenes, thus solidifying the “jump cut” as one of the defining cinematic techniques of the New Wave. Describe the way that the editing effects contribute to the narrative.

The time slips that result from the jump cuts enhances the overall feeling of being disoriented, and turns the film into more of a psychological meditation than a linear, plot-based one. That strange hiccup in time and space is not a camera effect associated with traditional Hollywood filmmaking, so it has the effect of disorienting the viewer from what is normally expected. That disconnection from convention forces the viewer to experience the interruptions in a more visceral, psychological way, which aligns one more strongly with the characters than standard filmmaking techniques might.

Identify another way that Godard rejects traditional Hollywood filmmaking and explain how it helps to situate the narrative of Breathless within an ideological framework.

The basic foundation for the construction of a scene in all Hollywood films before Breathless (and many after)—whether low budget or big studio production—is the shot/reverse shot, in which the first character to speak is filmed from one point in space, and then the person to whom they are speaking is filmed from the opposite point, so that they are seen to be in direct conversation. In Breathless, Godard steadfastly rejects this conventional approach, thus creating what technically would be considered lapses in continuity. However, since it is done purposely, the continuity issues are not actual cases of oversight, but intentional stylistic choices meant to disorient the viewer and privilege the psychological narrative over a clear sense of narrative fluidity. Thus, what would be considered a “film flub” in a traditional Hollywood movie actually becomes part of Godard's conscious rejection of Hollywood technique. Since Hollywood technique in Godard’s philosophy is actually synonymous with control of the artistic process and confinement, the rejection of something as simple as expectations of continuity within a shot serves as a critique of traditional views and a celebration of freedom.

Breathless was a breath of fresh air in its day and considered a revolutionary moment in the history of filmmaking. Does the revolutionary aspect of the film still hold up today?

The revolutionary and innovative spirit of Breathless can still be felt today, although of course that would likely depend on the viewer's experience. Ironically enough, many of the avant-garde styles that Godard developed as a rejection of conventional Hollywood fare have in the decades since been adopted and standardized by many Hollywood filmmakers such as John Cassavetes or Quentin Tarantino. Thus, while modern viewers can see that Breathless breaks with convention, a number of its tricks might seem familiar given the broader influence it has had on film technique.

What is the struggle between Patricia and Michel?

While their conflict and their inability to commit to one another romantically is left somewhat ambiguous, some clues lead the viewer to see their incompatibility more clearly. Michel is impulsive, instinctive, and listens to his body before his brain in most scenarios. He justifies his love for Patricia by pointing to the fact that he keeps wanting to sleep with her, in spite of having bedded her several times already. This bodily loyalty is evidence enough for him of his devotion. Patricia, on the other hand, is more cerebral and wants to understand Michel and for them to explore each other's minds. She asks him questions and wants him to profess his loyalty in words and gestures, while he approaches love as something almost unintentional, accidental. This difference in philosophy leads them to share very little of themselves with each other, and is what ultimately disconnects them enough that Patricia feels compelled to betray him.