One of the things I noticed about the film were the natural sounds throughout it. Unlike previous movies shot in studios, Breathless takes place in the "real world" where "real" street sounds are heard by the audience, as opposed to the unnaturally quiet film sets created indoors for other movies. The scene where this was most apparent was in Patricia's hotel room where the near-deafening sound of sirens going by outside drowns out the dialect going on between the two main characters.
By shooting the film in the outside world, instead of in a studio or on a set, Godard heightened the realism of the film; after all, it would be common to hear street noises through an open hotel window in a busy city such as Paris in the real world, only adding to the audience's sense of reality created by the way the film was shot.
This is different from what we are used to from traditional movies where the only background noises we hear are the ones the director or cinematographer wants us to hear. By allowing all the outside sounds, Godard is communicating a more natural, believable idea to his audience. The whole movie, the actors, the characters, and the setting are more believable as an actual real life story because they take place in a real life place. It makes it easier for the audience to relate the characters to real people, instead of just actors acting out a story created for a movie.
Interesting comments here, Jessica. Particularly given that the film seems to frustrate a number of our expectations of realism in film. What might it mean that a film that is so clearly constructed, that deliberately announces itself as a film, might be considered an advance in realism? What do we mean by realism or realistic? Also, to be clear, the cinematographer's responsibility is the image, so he or she has little to do with the sound. That would be the director primarily, though the editor may also contribute in post-production, particularly if sounds need to be designed. That involves a whole other group of folks!
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