Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15081 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-03-19
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, German
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish
• Dubbed in: French, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Breathless, Jim McBride's 1983 remake of Au Bout de Souffle rewrites Godard's existential hipster as a vain, style-obsessed hood and in the process loses some of the point. Godard's hero was a translation and productive misunderstanding of a quintessentially American sort of delinquent; because it is a retranslation, Gere's intelligent, nervy performance as Jesse Lujack suffers by comparison, however admirable it is taken in itself. McBride's direction strokes Gere's face and body lovingly--his every foxy smile, or glance at himself in a mirror, is played for passionate significance. This is also a good-looking film: the back alleys of LA and sunset over the Mojave desert have rarely looked as good. Valerie Kaprisky's Monica is inevitably given secondary importance; the decision to make the woman who goes along with Jesse's wild final ride on a whim an exchange student makes her at once more and less like her equivalent in the Godard--she has a touching exoticism that is at the same time somehow beside the point. The DVD includes the original theatrical trailer. --Roz Kaveney

Special Features
4:3
1.85 Wide Screen
DVD 9
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English\German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Mono English French German Italian Spanish
Dolby Digital Mono
Interactive Menu Screens And Chapter Selection
Original Theatrical Trailer
Danish\Dutch\English\Finnish\French\German\Italian\Norwegian\Spanish\Swedish

Synopsis
A remake of the Jean-Luc Godard's 1959 classic, BREATHLESS features Richard Gere as Jesse Lujack, a cocky two-bit hood on the lam for accidentally killing a cop. During this time, he begins an affair with Monica Poiccard (Valerie Kaprisky), a brilliant French college student. Despite being wanted by the law, Jesse continues to commit petty crimes. Eventually, his past indiscretions catch up to him....

Customer Reviews

Love it
This is a class film and one that I have been watching for many years now. (although my boyfriend doesn't like it)!!

I know people compare it to the original all the time which I find boring after a while but this is a film in it's own right with a great soundtrack. Infact, I'm still in love with the music and although there is no soundtrack to it, If you like the background music like myself, it's Philip Glass (openings).

A film, not an exercise in film
Whether fair or not, all copies are compared to the original. Godard's original film 'A Bout de Souffle' is a classic example of French new wave cinema, while McBride's film is a Hollywood remake. So, why bother with this remake rather than the original?

Firstly, it's worth considering how enjoyable and absorbing the original film is. Belmondo and Seberg spend a great deal of time engaged in banal conversation , while Godard shakes the camera around to let us know it's just a movie. If this is your idea of film heaven, you probably won't like the remake.

Secondly, the remake has a genuinely satisfying narrative and, rather than having the bland bad boy perfomance of Belmondo, has Gere giving an energtic portrayal that also has psychological complexity; as well as being engagingly manic, he demonstrates the central character's lack of any self-awareness (the reason he gets into all sorts of trouble). McBride's film also gives Los Angeles an unusual look, and uses music to good effect, particularly Elvis' 'Suspicious Minds' .

For what it's worth Tarantino is great fan of this film, and was strongly influenced by it (the projected backdrop when Bruce Willis is in the taxi in 'Pulp Fiction' echos the projected backdrop of the desert when Gere is in the Porsche). So, if like his films, you might very well like this one.

When Cheese Goes Bad
This may actually be the most completely vapid film I have endured to date. Based on the famous French film of the same name, BREATHLESS offers the story of a wannabe rebel and petty criminal who accidentally kills a police officer--and promptly goes on the run with the aid of his unsuspecting girlfriend. But where the original constantly surprised, the remake is uninspired, insipid, and about as enjoyable as a root canal.

The big problem with the film is Richard Gere. To give him his due, Gere knocks himself out to inject some life into the predictable plot and mindless script, but there's no way around it: he's incredibly miscast, and his high-energy attempt to bring it off simply adds to the embarassment. Ultimately, the best thing that can be said for him is that he looks good naked. Valerie Kaprisky operates at much the same level: she too looks good naked, and that's about all one can say for her one way or another.

That aside, the whole thing has the look and feel of a group of people trying desperately to do something "different" and "artistic" and failing miserably at every turn. The film looks glossy and expensive, but the production designs are never quite on target and the costuming is some of the worst I've ever seen; the cinematography is jumpy, but never to any actual point; and director Jim McBride either doesn't know what statement he is trying to make or simply doesn't have the skill with which to communicate it. At best, it is all pretentious; at worst, you won't be able to decide between a stiff drink, a pain-killer, or just simply gouging out your eyes so you won't have to watch any more. Life is too short as it is; don't waste your hours on this one.