French New Wave films can be seen as a contrast of Hollywood film which most of the elements apply in the film is opposite. However, some elements are still similar to Hollywood films, yet, has a different style as Hollywood films. Such mise-en-scene expression are most common style uses in both of the period. And Breathless, as an example film during the French New Wave, which directed by Jean-Luc Godard is one of the most influential film utilizing editing, mise-en-scene and cinematography to convey the information to the audience in the period.
The mise-en-scene uses in the film establish the character’s personality, also, creates the mood through spaces. The male protagonist Michel’s relationship between the young female character Patricia become the main content through the use of mise-en-scene. Here we will discuss about how the lightings, gestures, and location which are the mise-en-scene key aspect that surround the characters tell the story. Lighting To begin with, the lighting use in the film is odd from other style of films. Because of the low budget film, also, to create the realism of the film, the entire film applies natural lighting.
During 1950s to 1960s, although Hollywood had already added technicolors to the films, the French New Wave directors whose style were somewhat inspired by Hollywood’s films, decided to make film noirs which they believe it creates the realism of the film. Also, handheld camera shot on the characters to create the illusion of audiences themselves were in the film watching the characters. Thus, in order to create the realism, they chose not to use lighting technique, but any natural lights that was available on the location.
In Breathless, most of the scene take places outdoors. Despite some scenes were shot indoors, the lights alway come from outside through the window. Unlike the other gangster films, which usually either shoot at night or shoot in the alley, using road lights as the lighting. To take an example of lighting from Breathless, in the beginning of the film, which Michel sits in the car and be chased after the police officers, a shot shoot from the back sit to the front, the light only comes from two of the side where the car’s windows are set.
Another example is when Michel stays in Patricia’s room, the light inside the room is completely come from the huge windows on the side of the bed. Furthermore in the entire film, uses sunlight on the character, like what we usually see in reality. The use of natural lights give a feeling of the film is not a Hollywood movie, but a film that pay attention to create realism and emotions. Character’s Costume The characters in the film is first established by their wearings. Such jump cuts in the movie confuses the audience of what the character is doing.
However, the clothes help us creates the notion of their jobs. Three occupations are shown in the movie, the gangster, a young journalist woman, and the police. From the beginning to the end, Michel mostly wears a shirt and tie with a big coat and a hat while he is outside of the street. Also, the typical equipments to a gangster character, gun and sunglasses are equipped. On the other hand, the police officer who chase after Michel in the whole film wears a hat and a big coat like Michel does, but no guns and sunglasses are wore.
Normally in other series of police films or detective films, main characters often wear a big coat and a hat. Besides, to the female protagonist, Patricia, in the beginning when she meets Michel, wearing a T-shirt and jeans when she hands out newspapers. Later on, she changes her clothes into a French style clothing, which is a shirt of stripe lines and a high waist skirt. Although in the film she mentions that she came from America, we do not see her as an American. No matter the language she speak mostly in the film or the wearings she dress, are all be seen as a French young woman.
Otherwise, it is not important at the moment whether she is an American. Location To the most important key aspect of using mise-en-scene of the film- the locations. The film take place in French as we know from the streets and the construction. The entire French view is displayed perfectly in the film, either from the top view or the horizontal view. The location where Michel is chased, is the countryside of France. This location makes the sense of Michel is not worry about the policeman chasing behind; he in that moment slowly takes out his gun, play it for a while and shoot at a spot.
The people that pass by Michel’s car do not even know the car and the person are wanted. They waves to Michel while he is driving. Michel then turns his way and stop his car beside. Some of the police officer do not notice he has driven to another side until a police officer finds him. However, Michel kills him easily. He then runs away to a prairie, but no one chases behind. As the location present, countryside is not as striking as the metropolis is. Therefore, Michel escape from the police officer easily. Another scene where uses a lot of mise-en-scene expression is when Michel stays in Patricia’s room.
Lots of the objects are shown in her room to establish Patricia’s occupation, a journalist. For instance, magazines, posters, and books; perhaps she likes to read as the objects display. When Michel stays in her room, Patricia continuously picking up books, magazine and posters on the table. These actions most likely to be she is searching or uncertain about something, perhaps is uncertain about Michel himself. She asks Michel many kinds of questions, such as, whether he knows an author in order to know this person better, also to express herself.
However, Michel on the other side cannot leave of the word ‘sleep’. From the camera movements, he mostly stays in the bed, or reading the naked women magazine, and sometimes go to the bathroom, we understand his thoughts about Patricia. Such as, in the bathroom, we always see Michel’s front side through the mirror, it is interesting to view that he is looking of himself; his personality is probably all stand aside himself. Moreover, perhaps he looks Patricia as he wants to look, not even asking her more about herself or care about what she is reading, holding and her room’s decoration.
To Patricia perspective, by not knowing Michel well, Patricia wants to know whether or not she loves Michel. She points out several times of the poster of Romeo and Juliet, which she believes this story is her idea of love and relationship. The contrast of two different view by the object they select, creates the feeling of conflict of two of the characters. Gestures The most significant gesture that show in the entire film is when Michel touches his lips from one to another side. Not all the audience will understand it is a signature of respectfulness to the actor Humphrey Bogart, just like Patricia, not knowing the meaning of the gesture.
The reason of Godard applies the gesture here is an iconography of Bogart and the gangster films that associate with him. In the film, Patricia is testing Michel to know if she loves him, she accept most of his action and even help him escape from the police officer initially. But all Michel believes is he likes Patricia and wants to take her to Italy. He may also believe Patricia is loving him gradually. The misunderstanding of the gestures make the man and the young woman have a different feeling about each other. And at last, Patricia asks if that means that gesture mean that she makes Michel puke.
The use of mise-en-scene from different aspect build up a full emotional story. Despite mise-en-scene is used in both Hollywood and French New Wave films, the style uses in French New Wave period is exaggerative. As Hollywood films use props in the studio to create the emotion, on the contrary of French New Wave Film uses natural settings, acting or cheap, simple props(which can be easily found) on the stage. Breathless is an important film during the French New Wave period, it is also mile-stone film that uses many elements, including editing and mise-en-scene in the film history.
