We’ve all seen black and white movies with our parents or grandparents, or while searching Netlfix’s hidden gems. However, Jean-Luc Godard’s Á bout de souffle (“breathless” in French) is like no other classic, black and white flick to date. Released in 1960, the film was in fact quite groundbreaking. It was a perfect embodiment of what French filmmakers of the 1950s and 1960s coined as “New Wave” (a label that essentially characterized films as spontaneous, realistic, and most importantly, sincere). Such filmmaking was simlpistic and honest, thus shaping the underground, indie films we know today on many levels. You know how minimalist, striped shirts are suddenly in? You can thank the French New Wave for that.
And in the spirit of keeping Paris in our hearts, Á bout de souffle paints a beautiful and realistic Parisian story for viewers. I will warn you, though, there is no room for that Happily Ever After Under the Eiffel Tour fluff. This classic is simply badass, trust me.
Here’s a preview: Patricia walks through the Champs-Élysées and Michel joins her in a sly strut. (We have here an American journalism student and a French bad-boy. Cute, I know.) He just stole a car and is probably wanted by the fuzz. He flirts with her, she flirts back, and immediately there are some Bonnie and Clyde vibes. “So you’re in danger,” she asks. He replies: “Yeah. Will you come to Rome with me?” Zero spoilrers here, but guys: stolen cars, a police chase (or two), and passionate lovers in the streets of Paris. What more could you need in a film?
If I still haven’t convinced you to watch it, the aesthetic factor of this film is on point. Shots are playful and crafty as Godard uses jump cuts to keep viewers at the edge of their seats. For example, one second you’re watching Michel light a cigarette, you blink, and suddenly he’s back to being his charismatic self. In addition, dialogue is delivered in an easy, genuine matter. Fun fact: a majority of the script is improvised, therefore, the actor’s words are essentially their own. These few aspects of Á bout de souffle classify the film as the masterpiece it is known as. It is Godard’s stamp of creative authorship that can perhaps inspire you to tell a story of your own.
Convertible car rides and cobblestone strolls with Patricia and Michel will charm you, make you smile, and leave you a little winded by the last few scenes; but everything comes together in the end.
[Title image via]