Monday, 28 April 2008 03:42 pm
Film review: À bout de souffle (Breathless)
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deckardcanineFrom the DVD case description, I expected a Parisian Bonnie and Clyde. Adding the title, I half-expected a 1960 equivalent of Run Lola Run. It's really neither. The female lead is neither strong enough nor amoral enough for Bonnie or Lola. More importantly, for a so-called thriller, it's very low on suspense. European films have a habit of not conforming to American genre standards, I know, but it still surprised me. I suspect that the title refers more to the rocky romance, given the amount of time the couple spends just talking in the bedroom.
In little ways, it reminds me of Elevator to the Gallows, what with the prominence of mid-century Paris and the despicability of the young male lover. Personally, I like that movie better overall. But this one has the advantage of being significantly more credible, partly because the plot is less contrived, and partly because the actors had their lines fed to them during the shoot for a conveyance of spontaneity. Nice idea, Jean-Luc Godard. There are even ways it seems slightly ahead of its time, tho I find it difficult to say how.
In little ways, it reminds me of Elevator to the Gallows, what with the prominence of mid-century Paris and the despicability of the young male lover. Personally, I like that movie better overall. But this one has the advantage of being significantly more credible, partly because the plot is less contrived, and partly because the actors had their lines fed to them during the shoot for a conveyance of spontaneity. Nice idea, Jean-Luc Godard. There are even ways it seems slightly ahead of its time, tho I find it difficult to say how.