Review of Breathless (1983) by Bryan T — 28 Feb 2009

It doesn't really own up to its virtues, and that's understandable. It's not like Godard *planned* on forging the most infamous European movement in the history of cinema with this one tiny film.

So, while it's justified as the purest of the French New Wave films, it also feels like the hokiest. You really get a sense as you watch it that Godard wanted to use Paris like a playground; a bunch of friends getting together and running around the city.

And the movie lives under that same kind of fever as you watch it. But the dialogue is a bit of a one-trick pony that crumbles after the first half. I much prefer the later FNW films. This one's fun, but definitely fleeting.