Breathless

Jean Luc Goddards film Breathless is regarded as somewhat of a reflection of a Hollywood gangster film. One of the main characters, Michel Poiccard, is influenced by Humphrey Bogart, a famous figure of the American B films that Goddard admired. Poiccard is constantly rubbing his lips the same way that Bogart once did. Throughout the film, Poiccard continually shows interest in all things American. He chases an American girl, steals American cars, and imitates a popular American celebrity. On the other hand, Patricia Franchini, an American who works for the New York Herald Tribune in Paris, submerges herself in the French culture. She works in Paris, speaks broken French, admires French artwork and music as well as French clothing designers. In two scenes of the film, both characters compare themselves to symbols of each other's native culture. Poiccards, who stares at a picture of Bogart in front of the cinema, and Patricia, who compares herself to the woman in the Renoir painting.
Aside from the characters, the film is famously known for Goddard's New Wave filming techniques. Goddard shot the film with a natural style. His use of sound during the scene where Patricia and Michel are in the apartment help create a more believeable scenario between the characters. Their conversation seems to be improvised and is drowned out by sirens and noise pollution from the street. Goddard deliberate use of jump cuts also make this film stand out in the French New Wave era. His use of a hand held camera allow the viewer to focus on exactly what Goddard intends to show. Goddard's Breathless will forever be a revolutionary film from the French New Wave era.