Breathless, Speechless or Just Plain Ridiculous?
Every Sunday, the production crew screens a different movie, usually chosen by me, often foreign and always not “cookie cutter.” This week was Jean Luc Godard’s Breathless, a definite favorite of mine. The rest of the crew, however, weren’t so excited, one of them closing the screening with…
I have a new theory about foreign films. They try to pull off things that American films do well, but they just don’t get it or they just can’t do it right.
For the most part, I have been avoiding the more mainstream movies and opting instead to show movies that I appreciate that would likely have been ignored by most contemporary film-goers. We have watched:
- All That Jazz - one of my favorite movies of all time. I think the editing on this picture is nothing short of brilliant with well placed, rhythmic jump cuts used to reflect the main character’s unstable emotional state.
- Dancer in the Dark - another great movie, wrought with jump cuts, shakey handheld cameras and “odd” performance choices. The film uses untraditional techniques and cuts, giving the film an odd sense of realism.
- Goodfellas - by far the most mainstream movies we’ve watched and probably the most popular within the group. We were watching for Travis’ expression of a “successful” jumpcut and to a large degree I would agree that the jumpcuts used are effective in a transparent way - you don’t always notice them unless you pay attention.
- Breathless - a gorgeous film and one of the more relevant to our own project in that the film was shot under similar financial restraints. Grandfather of jumpcuts and dozens of other conventions seen regularly today.
I understand that taste is not universal. In fact, part of the purpose for these screenings is to push taste. The mood of the apartment post-screening, however, was that of shock that I would choose something so dull. Therefore, I feel it is my responsibility to defend my choice.
Breathless did what we are planning to do: shot an original, 90 minute feature on a bread and water budget. The filmmakers didn’t hide their limitations, they mastered them. Shot on location using 16mm film and natural light, Breathless is not a studio-produced, 35mm feature. It could never be. It doesn’t even try. Say what you will about the 1983 remake, it’s just not the same thing. Few “indies” accomplish this and instead come across as the scrawnier, uglier baby brother to the major motion picture version. A true “independent” movie should stand alone, owning those things that “limit” it.
For more information about the movie you can check out…
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Rotten Tomatoes
Senses of Cinema
Update 10/18/05 -
I just read the Senses of Cinema article and it’s pretty interesting.