Breathless (A bout de souffle) was Jean Luc Godard’s first feature length film and an iconic film in the Nouvelle Vague, helping to bring attention to French cinema in the 60s. In many ways Breathless has come to define the French New Wave for many people and the film has also been an influence on many filmmakers since its release in 1960.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of the film, Optimum are bringing Breathless back to cinemas with a new restored print. The restoration was supervised by Beatrice Valbin at Studio Canal and the film’s cinematographer, Raoul Coutard.
I love Breathless and relish the opportunity to reconnect with this film on the big screen. The new restoration is also being released on DVD and Blu-Ray on the 13th of September and I also look forward to this as I am sure it will be a wonderfully presented release.
If you’ve never seen the film this is the perfect time to see it for the first time. Wim Wenders puts it very nicely:
50 years later, Godard’s first is still breathtaking, and Belmondo and Seberg are younger than they ever were.
Embedded below is the new trailer for the restored print which is a homage to the original trailer (embedded below it). The new trailer was written and directed by Rialto co-president Bruce Goldstein and edited by Arthur Carlson.
