"Humphrey Bogart (cover story)." Time Magazine, June 7, 1954.

This cover story for Time Magazine, published in 1954, discusses the actor Humphrey Bogart's massive success and gives a brief autobiography of his career.  Bogart, who had an incredible influence on French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo (Michel Poiccard, in Breathless), had made 68 motion pictures at the time of the article's publishing, and had developed (somewhat), as the article describes, beyond the "one dimensional" gangster character of his early career - the very character that Belmondo epitomized in Breathless. The article discusses how "in a sense, his [Bogart] talent is narrow" - he never gets "out of Bogart and into the character." Yet the actor still manages to achieve a surprising range of depth while remaining the figure familiar to millions of box office viewers.

The character of Michel Poiccard in Breathless screams references to Humphrey Bogart, from the classic thumb rub across the face gesture, to the reflexive scene in which Michel stands contemplatingly in front of a larger-than-life poster of Bogart outside a movie theater, and his own reflection, dwarfed in comparison, is revealed in the glass.

Sheer, Miriam. "The Godard/Beethoven Connection: On the Use of Beethoven's Quartets in Godard's Films." The Journal of Musicology, 18.1 170-188.

This article by Miriam Sheer discusses Godard's artistic use of Beethoven's string quartert in four of his films, and how this use reflects his sensitivity to the social differentiation of musical styles. His specific mixing of musical styles in certain films emphasizes their respective social connotations, and complements the situations and personalities of the characters whom they accompany. Sheer quotes an interview with Abraham Segal in which Godard said, "I try to use music like another picture which isn't a picture, like another element. Like another sound, but in a different form."

The description of Godard's use of Beethoven in many of his films parallels a commentary on his use of jazz in Breathless. His use of jazz references the classic American crime drama, in which jazz is used to insinuate impending moments of danger.  In Breathless, jazz is used in countless situations such as when Michel picks up newspapers, which warn of his imminent arrest, and in a crescendo just before he murders a cop. The rhythmic structure of jazz as a musical genre echoes the spontaneity and improvisational nature of the film and its protagonist (Michel). In contrast to Michel's jazzy motif, Patricia is often accompanied by more orchestral, dreamy and romantical music, which is more representative of her character.

Naremore, James. "American Film Noir: The History of an Idea." Film Quarterly, 49.2 (1995) 12-28.

This article by James Naremore gives an extensive history of the genre of film noir, a term coined by the French to describe Hollywood crime dramas that emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual motivation.  Naremore comments upon the fact that noir is almost entirely a creation of postmodern culture - "a belated reading of classic Hollywood that was popularized by the cinéastes of the French New Wave." The writings of the existentialist film critic Andre Bazin (among others) on film noir are discussed, as is his influence on the up-and-coming critics for Cahiers that became the prominent New Wave film directors.

Just when the chronological history of film noir comes to an end, Godard's Breathless and Truffaut's The Piano Player appear on the scene - representing an art cinema based on the transformation of the film noir. As Naremore describes it, Breathless was a "fusion of Bazinian neorealism and surrealist disjunctions." Breathless is "littered" with references to American westerns, most notably Humphrey Bogart, the infamous star of the crime drama whom Michel Poiccard seemingly aspires to be.

Turner, Dennis. "Breathless: Mirror Stage of the Nouvelle Vague." SubStance, 12.4.41 (1983) 50-63.

Turner's article describes an economic context in which imitation by French New Wave filmmakers came to take place - a stance he claims is largely ignored by much of scholarly and critical work on New Wave films, who "choose to read the Continental 'homage' to Hollywood as a matter of taste." Turner describes how Breathless, in particular, articulates the troubled relationship between Hollywood and the European film market. Pre-New Wave era, Hollywood producers were seen as oppressors, cultural colonizers whose power stemmed from manipulation of the film distribution system. The Franco-American credit agreement led to a domination of American films in France. As a result, many younger filmmakers who didn't arise until after WWII, especially those who worked at Cahiers du Cinema, grew up with a sense that American film was superior, both thematically as well as technically.

Turner argues that the subject matter, dialogue and characterizations of Breathless oscillate between a "worshipful endorsement of the narrative conventions and archetypes of American  movies" and a simultaneous "recognition that a French hero cannot attain the mythical status of the American."  In Breathless, Michel steals American cars, courts an American girl, and dresses like a "Warner Brothers gangster." But unlike American heroes, these rants get him into trouble, and his American girl betrays him. The film consequently ends its "flirtation with the gangster drama" when Michel is shot down by police, the inevitable ending of all gangster films.

Feinstein, Herbert. "Interview with Jean-Luc Godard." Film Quarterly, 17.3 (1964) 8-10.

This interview with Godard begins with Feinstein's keen opening question, inquiring as to why Godard really dedicated Breathless to Monogram Pictures - an early American studio known for its turning out of "B" gangster films, and consequently unknown for any sort of critical acclaim.  Godard's answer is simple - he says it was to prove that you can do pictures that are both interesting and cheap. He says that in America, a cheap picture is not considered interesting - an assumption based simply on the size of the film's budget.   

The focus of the interview, however, concerns his situation in 1964 when he was unsure whether or not his name would appear on all versions of the film Le Mepris.  Godard discusses his issues with the producer, Joseph Levine, and the fact that they don't mean the same thing when they say "picture." Godard complains that Levine doesn't know the way pictures are done - "He doesn't know it has to go through cameras and through laboratories - nothing about it." This complaint, while directed at the American business of moviemaking and its lack of artistic appreciation, also reflects the techniques Godard employs in Breathless and his other movies to continually make the viewer aware of the technical and artistic aspects of filmmaking. 

Oxenhandler, Neal.  "The Dialectic of Emotion in New Wave Cinema" Film Quarterly, 27.3 (1974) 10-19. 

Oxenhandler's article describes the use of emotion in New Wave cinema. New Wave Directors often dealt with the precariousness of emotion  and the "substitutes and disguises for authentical emotional life that arise out of human interaction." The films often questioned the validity of emotion by portrayals of characters that force the viewer to evaluate his/her own immediate critical response to the film. One resounding theme in New Wave film is that of the struggle between intimacy and distance.  Intimacy is always threatened by negative emotions such as hatred, suspicion, or contempt.  Characters, frustrated in the impulse that draws them together, consequently recoil or are forced apart, and the relationship loses itself in the fragmentation of urban life or in some form of destructive violence.

This theme of intimacy versus distance is especially apparent in Godard's Breathless.  Michel and Patricia constantly struggle with their urge to be intimate with one another and the simultaneous distance between them created by their misunderstandings of each other. The result is Patricia's withdrawal from Michel and ultimate betrayal, which leads to his untimely death. Godard also employs aesthetic distancing devices with shots framed by gunfire, characters who turn their backs to the viewer, and his explicit renunciation of psychological cinema - forcing the spectator to become critically conscious rather than emotionally involved.

In this interview, published in Volume 138 of Cahiers du Cinéma in December 1962, Godard addresses various topics related to his filming of Breathless, among many other films. Specifically, he addresses the idea of improvisation attached to his name and the technique  and methods of editing that he employed.  It is a common-held belief by many that the filming of Breathless was largely improvisational.  Indeed, it comes off that way in many of its scenes, most notably the famous one of Michel and Patricia lounging about in her room and talking about various issues. Godard describes his process not as improvisation, but as "last-minute focusing."  For Breathless, he claims  he began with carefully prepared shorts for the first beginning scenes, and for everything else had a pile of notes, which were not turned into comprehensive ideas until the day of filming. Regarding improvisation on the actors' part, Godard clarifies that the actors never invented their own dialogue - it was written, but the actors didn't learn it. Film was shot and Godard cued the lines.

Godard comments upon a story of Decoin (a veteran director) going to his editor and saying "I have just seen A Bout de Souffle; from now on, continuity shots are out."  Godard admits that his processes were a reaction against "a certain kind of filmmaking," but goes on to say that it should not be a rule, and there are films in which they [techniques such as continuity editing] are necessary.  As for  his employment of  a handheld camera for the filming, Godard states that it was simply for speed, and "shouldn't be made a rule either: the method of shooting should match the subject."

Crowther, Bosley. "Screen: Sordid View of French Life." New York Times 8 Feb. 1961. Pro-Quest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2004).

This article by Bosley Crowther, published in the New York Times in February of 1961, gives a brief review of Godard's Breathless, revealing his (and undoubtedly many other Americans') impressions of the New Wave film. Crowther describes the film as "sordid," filled with "a pile-up of gross indecencies...withal a fascinating communication of the savage ways and moods of some of the rootless people of Europe (and America)" at the time. His warnings that it is not a movie for the kids, or the "easily shockable individual," along with descriptions of the characters as "alarmingly amoral" are reminiscent of the American era of censorship.

Despite these name callings and description of the editing as creating a "pictorial cacaphony," Crowther does portray a hint of appreciation for the eccentric techniques of the film, however, with his concluding description of the film as "a chunk of raw drama, graphically and artfully torn with the appropriately ragged edges out of the tough underbelly of the modern metropolitan life." His biggest misinterpretation (or perhaps a better term would be lack of appreciation) is in his account of the film's ending, in which he states that the hoodlum protagonist Michel Poiccard "can only muster a bit of bravado and label his girl with a filthy name." A common misinterpretation, Crowther has mistaken the policeman's interpretation of Michel's last utterance with what Michel actually said to Patricia, his lover (who also does not understand). Michel's last words were "C'est vraiment degueulasse" (translation: it is very disgusting), but the policeman, when asked by Patricia to repeat it, alters the message "vous etes vraiment degueulasse" (you are very disgusting). As Michel is (arguably) not calling Patricia disgusting, but rather referring to the shattering of the imaginary roles which they have been playing (see Turner), this misinterpretation demonstrates a lack of appreciation for and grasping of the deeper underlying psychological and existentialist themes of the film.