Feel free to share any thoughts about Breathless as a comment below. For those who would like to learn more about Godard’s first film, in addition to the two required readings, I’d recommend essays by the New York Times film critic A.O. Scott, which attests to the historical impact and enduring legacy of Breathless, and scholar Dudley Andrew.

For further viewing, you may also want to check out some of the titles included in the “French New Wave Collection” on Kanopy. In particular, I’d recommend starting with The 400 Blows (Francois Truffaut, 1959), Cléo from 5 to 7 (Agnès Varda, 1962), and Weekend (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967).

Finally, anyone intrigued by auteur theory might also be interested in two additional sources: Andrew Sarris’s “Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962,” a piece which served to popularize the ideas Truffaut advanced in “La Politique des Auteurs” in the U.S.; and New Yorker critic Pauline Kael’s scathing rebuttal, “Circles and Squares”. As you’ll see, auteur theory ignited a highly contentious debate, which in many ways continues to this day! (Finally, here’s a recent piece by another New Yorker critic, Richard Brody, which reflects on the historical importance of “la politique des auteurs” in affirming the artistic achievements of none other than Nicholas Ray!)