In my review of Jean-Luc Godard’s King Lear I revealed how I became a French New Wave fan. Breathless isn’t even my favorite Godard. That would be Weekend but it is nevertheless a landmark. Therefore, Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, chronicling the making of Breathless as a pseudo-Godard film itself, is a delight.
You don’t have to know Breathless to enjoy it. Nouvelle Vague explains all the players and the status quo against which Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) was rebelling. It should make viewers want to explore more Godard, like Weekend did for me in school.
Criterion released the real Breathless too so Nouvelle Vague looks of a piece with the original. The black and white 35mm film really could be from 1960. Even in black and white, you can tell how bright the streets of Cannes and Paris are during the days.
There are two behind-the-scenes extras, one on the set and another with more formal interviews. A video essay identifies all the New Wave figures scattered throughout the film. Zoey Deutch, who plays Breathless star Jean Seberg in the film, reads and discusses Linklater’s New Wave manifesto to illustrate the technique with which he approached Nouvelle Vague.
The visual effects are so subtle you just think they redressed the street. But a bonus feature reveals how much digital work was employed to travel 65 years back in time. 12 New Wave trailers are included, but Weekend isn’t even one of them. There is a Criterion edition of it too.
Linklater’s feature length commentary addresses New Wave history and production secrets from visual effects to nailing obscure details.
So when Nouvelle Vague provokes curiosity about the French New Wave, this Criterion Collection edition is a good place to start your further exploration. And there is plenty more art to discover once you dive deep into the Nouvelle Vague.