Through the use of “jump cuts,” abrupt transitions from one scene to another, Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" is one of the most influential films of la nouvelle vague, New Wave cinema, which rejected the "well-made traditional French cinema and embraced a rougher, more experimental personal style" (Ebert). “Breathless” is a film that dared to break away from the conventions of traditional cinema, which consisted of characteristics such as “invisible editing”, three-point lighting that enhances clarity and visibility of subjects, and the notion that the film “had to be inhabited by psychologically-consistent ‘characters’” (Connolly). These techniques were used to reduce the audience’s awareness that they are watching a film, maintaining the illusion that reality is …show more content…
In contrast, Godard’s erratic use of editing “adds charm” (Ebert) to the scene where Michel Poiccard and Patricia Franchini are driving a stolen convertible and Michel is describing Patricia. There is a series of close up cuts over Patricia’s shoulder, where there are discontinuities from one shot to the next with respect to the position of the actress’s head, the varying degree of direct sunlight or shade, and the streets and cars seen in the background, that make this “one of the best examples in the film of Godard’s jump cuts” (“Five”). This spontaneous editing style constantly engages the viewer in the “profoundly self-aware and unapologetically artificial movie” (“Breathless”). Most critics agree that the jump cuts reflect the characters’ attitudes and personalities. For example, in the scene where Michel shoots the policeman, this series of famous jump cuts shows Michel reaching for the gun in the car, then holding the gun, and suddenly the policeman is falling into the bushes and Michel is running through a field. This disjointed scene is representative of Michel’s