OLIVER FLINT-WESTERN NEWS, JUNE 3rd 2015
PARIS, FRANCE- French
new wave cinema comes in many provocative and sometimes foreign forms of cinema
for non-French speakers.
The idea of sitting through a black and white French
film was daunting at first, but once you got past the initial boredom and lack
of attention grabbing graphics and colours, I found it easier to focus on what
the actors/characters were truly saying instead of being distracted through
symbols.
A
Bout De Souffle, or, in English, “Breathless” was a landmark film in late 50’s France;
a time known for its landmark cinema, bold filming techniques and its
exploitative actors.
The
film, filmed largely around the Paris region, tells the tale of a Parisian con-man (Jean Paul Belmondo) escaping the arm of the law following a car theft
gone-wrong in which he shoots and kills a police officer. Fleeing the police,
he turns to a young, innocent American girl living in Paris selling the “New
York Herald” in the streets of Paris.
The
real symbolic meaning in the film comes in the scenes following. It comes
apparent that Michel (Jean Paul Belmondo) is using Patrica (Jean Seberg) to
escape the law, and in turn, is using her as a woman. Perhaps a homage to how
we all use each-other.
Coming back to the review portion of the
piece, I found the element of black and white to really enforce what was truly
being said. No longer shielded by colour and indirect items in the shot,
everything was very simple in make. One thing that made this film such a poster
for the generation is the lack of emphasis on the scenes. Jean Luc Godard, in
breaking away from convention, had made the film on a staggering 500-Franc
budget. The scenes are simple and to the point.
One in which I remember
profusely is the one in the hotel room, in which Patrica and Michel are in
dialogue. The whole scene is separated by three shots, that is correct. In a
15-minute dialogue, the scene only changed three times. This forced both actors
to really penetrate there role, and due to it, really exemplfied true human emotion.
Along
with the incredible cinematography presented in the film, the depth and hidden
motifs riddled throughout the script are some seen no-where else in history.
The
final dialogue in the film between Michel and Patrica links the whole film
together but has stumped English, French and Film professors around the world
in an effort to uncover Godard’s true meaning. I’ll let you guess for yourself.
MICHEL:
Ch'uis vraiment dégueulasse.
PATRICIA:
Qu'est ce qu'il a dit?
VITAL: Il a dit que vous êtes vraiment "une
dégueulasse".
PATRICIA:
Qu'est-ce que c'est
"dégueulasse"?
This
movie liberated the cinema -- the stories you could tell and the ways you could
tell them -- as clearly and cleanly as Picasso freed painting and the Sex
Pistols rebooted rock. If you've never seen Breathless, see it
now -- but don't expect an easy ride. If you haven't seen it for ages, see it
again and be surprised at the fresh reactions it provokes.
10/10 Stars
-30-
