Breathless - Parker Sealy

In Breathless, Godard seems to be veering away from traditional cinematic values by doing something that many classical editors dislike greatly. He uses Jump Cuts. These could have been used for many reasons. Some say that it was used to shorten the length of the film while others believe it to be a part of this “New Wave.” The best example of jump cutting is when they are in the car and Michel is describing Patricia by discussing her neck and her wrists, etc. As he describes each thing, there is a jump cut, which is very slight but still noticeable. This does indeed make the scene shorter but it also does something that traditional editing couldn’t do. It better draws your attention to the scene and gives you a new angle on what is being discussed (literally and figuratively). It seems to draw your attention to Patricia as well as highlights her in one cut while putting her in the shadow and better illuminating the background in another. It also just seems to better grow you accustomed to Patricia because you are stuck looking at her reaction rather than seeing Michel say these things to her. She becomes to main character in this scene and you are able to see her better because it cuts so you are forced to return your attention. It almost jolts you awake to better pay attention. While the thought of jump cutting may seem a bit awkward, it actually really works in this film.