Overview
A reckless thief's desperate escape leads him into a dangerous romance with a captivating journalist.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- seductive
- classic cinema night
- film studies viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a landmark of the French New Wave whose jump-cut editing, handheld immediacy, performances, and self-conscious reinvention of crime cinema transformed film language.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Godard uses abrupt jump cuts and discontinuous motion to create a deliberately jagged rhythm.
Michel imitates American crime-film poses, aliases, gestures, and iconography throughout his flight.
Michel pursues Patricia as both lover and accomplice while their trust and motives remain unstable.
Handheld photography and location shooting turn Paris streets, cafés, apartments, and offices into active social spaces.
Films like Breathless, and why
The 400 Blows
shared french new wave innovation, romantic ambivalence, and morally disaffected young outsiders
Jules and Jim
shared french new wave experimentation, existential alienation, and fractured romantic relationships
Le Samouraï
shared romantic crime premise, american noir influence, and fatalistic outsider protagonists
Bande à part
shared playful formal experimentation, urban bohemian atmosphere, and unstable romantic intimacy
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Release Date
- 1960-03-16
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (2096)
Cast
- Jean-Paul Belmondo
- Jean Seberg
- Daniel Boulanger
- Henri-Jacques Huet
- Roger Hanin
- Van Doude
- Claude Mansard
- Liliane Dreyfus
- Michel Fabre
- Jean-Pierre Melville
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Darkroom, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Breathless about?
- A swaggering car thief races through Paris, romance, and self-invented movie mythology while the law closes around him.
- What is Breathless like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Breathless as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Breathless violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Breathless as mild.
- What did critics think of Breathless?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a landmark of the French New Wave whose jump-cut editing, handheld immediacy, performances, and self-conscious reinvention of crime cinema transformed film language.
- Which films are like Breathless?
- Films with a similar feel include The 400 Blows, Jules and Jim, Le Samouraï, and Bande à part.
- How long is Breathless?
- Breathless runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Breathless?
- In United States, Breathless streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Darkroom, HBO Max.
