‘Nouvelle Vague’ Review: Richard Linklater’s Movie About the Making of Godard’s ‘Breathless’ Is an Enchanting Ode to the Rapture of Cinema

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In “Nouvelle Vague,” Richard Linklater’s creative and captivating documentary about the production of “Breathless,” the 29-year-old Jean-Luc Godard (portrayed by Guillaume Marbeck) consistently keeps his sunglasses on. He dons them on set, in offices, during meals at restaurants, and even while watching movies at the cinema. (The film lacks a bedroom scene, but if one existed, he likely would have worn his sunglasses there as well.)

The ubiquitous round dark glasses hold multiple roles. Primarily, they’re genuine – Jean-Luc Godard, during the late ’50s and early ’60s, actually wore sunglasses most of the time, almost as a symbol of his identity. They contributed significantly to his enigma: that of an intellectually cool artist who maintained a distance, harboring thoughts too sophisticated to reveal. However, the glasses serve another purpose. In a biographical film, no actor perfectly resembles the person they portray. But the little-known French actor Guillaume Marbeck, with his bushy widow’s peak and chiseled, expressionless face, bears an incredible resemblance to Godard, and without his eyes, the similarity is almost perfect. Additionally, I was struck by how accurately Marbeck mimicked Godard’s voice – thoughtful and nasal, yet musically so, with a subtle tremor hinting at nervousness.

Viewing “Nouvelle Vague,” it’s hard not to feel like we’re watching a reincarnation of Jean-Luc Godard himself. The film seems almost as if it has brought Godard back to life, and this eerie similarity pervades the entire production. The movie transports us to Paris in 1959, placing us on the same streets, boulevards, cafés, and hotel rooms where “Breathless” was filmed. The film is in French with English subtitles, and it employs striking high-contrast black-and-white cinematography (by David Chambille) to mimic the visual style of “Breathless,” making us feel as though we’ve traveled back in time via a time machine and are rubbing shoulders with Godard, Truffaut, Chabrol, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, and Jean-Pierre Melville.

In the initial 30 minutes of “Nouvelle Vague,” we get acquainted with Godard and his peers within the French new wave movement. This segment showcases Godard trying to take charge of his first film, a role he feels has been delayed unjustly, as he and his fellow critics from Cahiers du Cinéma had collectively pledged to transition into filmmaking. Already, the sharp-eyed Chabrol has completed two films, while the suave Truffaut has wrapped up “The 400 Blows.” When funds are needed, Godard, known for his cunning, takes money from the Cahiers cash register and uses it to attend the premiere of “The 400 Blows” at Cannes Film Festival. The film is met with immense enthusiasm, as everyone recognizes they’re witnessing the emergence of the next wave of French cinema.

Next up is Jean-Luc Godard’s opportunity, should he manage an agreement with producer Georges de Beauregard (Bruno Freyfürst). If successful, Godard plans to produce a film blending gangster themes with a female lead, inspired by a script by Truffaut. He promises to complete the project within 20 days. To cast this production, he enlists Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin), a rising movie star known for his chiseled features and sly expressions, to portray a rebellious small-time gangster. Godard then approaches Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch), an American actress fresh from a challenging collaboration with Otto Preminger in “Bonjour Tristesse,” to play the American female character who becomes entangled with this character. As for the film crew, it’s straightforward: Godard brings on board Raoul Coutard (Matthieu Penchinat) as his cinematographer, given Coutard’s experience shooting documentary footage of the French Indochina War, and Godard aims to give “Breathless” a raw, documentarian feel.

Jean-Luc Godard decided to create “Breathless” in a unique fashion, and one of his clever tactics is to execute it without explicitly stating it. While the movie does have specific locations and costumes, and there’s indeed a script, Godard intends to improvise “Breathless” as he progresses through the filmmaking process.

Upon “Nouvelle Vague’s” arrival at the set of “Breathless,” the remainder of the film unfolds, focusing on events as they transpired during filming. The captivating aspect of this portrayal – unlike many films about movie production – is that there’s minimal distinction between the movie Godard is creating and the happenings off-screen.

Contrary to popular belief, ‘Nouvelle Vague’ isn’t a comedy, but it carries a dry, comedic tone. This is due in part to the astonishingly simple method of filming ‘Breathless’, and the audacity it required for Godard to pull off such an unconventional approach. On the first day of shooting, when Godard shouts ‘Action,’ we’re initially taken aback because all we see is a few casual people standing on the street, with a small camera facing a phone booth. There are no lights (since the film will be shot using natural light) and no initial sound (as it would be added later). It seemed like a student project for a college film class, compared to this production.

Following Jean-Luc Godard’s unique approach, I find myself embracing spontaneity in my creative process. Rather than adhering to a fixed schedule, I might spend hours filming and then choose to take a break for the remainder of the day. Every morning at Dupont Montparnasse, I jot down approximations of the lines my actors will deliver that day, providing them with these cues as we progress. At first glance, it may appear that I’m crafting low-budget independent films. However, this is far from the truth.

1957 marked the year before Jean-Luc Godard released “Breathless” (which premiered in January 1960), but it was John Cassavetes who took his first steps into filmmaking with “Shadows,” effectively pioneering the concept of independent cinema as we understand it today. While there were similarities between their work and that of Godard, “Shadows” stood apart from the traditional Hollywood mold.

What makes “Breathless” remarkable is its free-flowing, semi-improvisational style reminiscent of bebop jazz, yet it remains grounded in the essence of Hollywood: stardom, gangster and femme fatale tropes, and the grandeur of Bogart. In a brilliant stroke of genius, Godard was creating a streamlined, contemporary take on classic cinema, which made the production of “Breathless” an intricate balancing act.

In the “New Wave,” Godard was known for his persuasive skills. He constantly had to reassure his actors, like Seberg, that their choices weren’t career-threatening, and he needed to assure his producer that his projects were genuine films. A significant aspect of Godard’s appeal is his ability to schmooze effectively. He would go to great lengths, such as jumping rope with Belmondo or walking on his hands. However, his defining trait was always striving to be the most intelligent person in any given situation, a quality he exuded with biting wit that left those around him feeling delightfully bewildered (they didn’t see it coming).

He consistently meets renowned older directors, and it’s here where he displays respectfulness, as they appear to be his friends: Roberto Rossellini (Laurent Mothe), who frequents the Cahiers du Cinema offices; Jean-Pierre Melville (Tom Novembre), whom Godard enlists for a cameo in “Breathless”; or Robert Bresson (Aurélien Lorgnier), whom he crosses paths with during the filming of “Pickpocket” in the subway. These movie makers offer him suggestions, revealing their techniques, but the common thread is that they’re essentially inviting Godard into an exclusive club of spiritual investigators. They comprehend that the enigmatic aspect of filmmaking is its immense, unruly, and unforeseeable nature, making it impossible for a director to fully command the process. All he can do is steer it.

It’s this perspective that makes “Nouvelle Vague” a deeply personal film for Linklater, marking one of his most impressive accomplishments since “Boyhood.” The connection between Linklater and Jean-Luc Godard, portrayed as a mischievous and cunning leader, is evident. He delivers his thoughts in succinct phrases such as, “You should never adapt a book to the cinema, you should adapt the cinema to a book,” or “A filmmaker is either a plagiarist or a revolutionary.” He also performs unconventional actions like demanding that an object remain in frame even if it disrupts continuity. At times, it seems as though they are inventing the very first motion picture – attaching the camera to a car for an impromptu tracking shot, or placing it inside a cart that Coutard squeezes himself into, allowing them to use Paris pedestrians as unpaid extras. The creativity displayed in “Breathless” was astonishing, and Linklater reflects this ingenuity through the free-spirited manner in which he recreates it.

However, “Nouvelle Vague” isn’t only characterized by its unique style, but also by a profound theme. Godard, the mastermind behind this movement, has a clear vision guiding his approach, which he often makes explicit: eliminate dialogues, limit takes to one or two, shoot at will and not just to stick to a schedule, discover the visual poetry in real settings. What he keeps hidden within his intellectual wit is the secret that binds it all together – the revelation that if successful, he would capture the essence of reality in a container, which could potentially reshape the very nature of cinema. The jump-cut technique that became synonymous with “Breathless” was not arbitrary; it was due to an abundance of footage. Godard instructed his editors: “Don’t remove scenes, just condense each scene to its most significant moments.” (A person expressing the perspective of a postmodern cinema pioneer, or perhaps someone with early signs of ADHD, or both.)

Most actors in the film “Nouvelle Vague” are perfectly cast for their roles. Aubry Dullin brings out Belmondo’s charming rogue side, while Zoey Deutsch as Seberg exudes power. Linklater introduces each character by displaying their names on screen (there’s a hint of ’50s Paris cinema trivia), and although it would be nice to see more of some characters like Agnès Varda, immersing oneself in this time machine and enjoying the company of people who saw films as the essence of life is delightful. “Nouvelle Vague” is a treasure by Linklater, and its release at this moment feels fitting. In an era dominated by blockbusters that supposedly revive cinema, it serves as a reminder that the true salvation of cinema lies in those who believe that making a movie should be a spellbinding illusion that even the magician himself cannot resist.

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2025-05-17 20:47