Out of breath

‘The crook Michel wants to drive to Italy in a stolen car, but after murdering a policeman, he is forced to go into hiding in Paris. There, he harasses an American student whom he knows from the past. Godard’s brilliant feature-length debut, which instantly made the Nouvelle Vague world-famous and whose impact on film history is well known. ‘Quelle est votre plus grande ambition dans la vie?’ – ‘Devenir immortel et puis mourir.’” (pm)

‘Jean-Luc Godard’s instructions to Martial Solal are minimal; he is given considerable freedom: in the choice of an orchestra and the musicians for a jazz soundtrack. He composes two main themes, each consisting of five notes, which allow the music to adapt to the film’s various moods. One is oppressive, whilst the other is extremely relaxed. Yet Godard improvises more than Solal. If the film’s soundtrack gives the impression of being improvised, this is down to the editing: as soon as the composition was finished, Godard arranged the pieces of music freely within the film (…). Through this approach, Godard himself becomes a musical improviser.” (Thierry Jousse, Radio France, Dec 2020)