Bande à part (Band Of Outsiders)

Any good lover of film knows the name Jean-Luc Godard. One of the most famous French filmmakers of all time, Godard is known for his influence on the French New Wave movement that dominated 1960s French cinema. Godard is known for his unique filmmaking style and for his films to reference other films. One of Godard’s most famous works, and most approachable, is Bande à part. This 1964 film was an adaptation of Dolores Hitchens’ Fool’s Gold. The film is a clear and obvious influence on filmmakers everywhere including today and one of Godard’s best.

The film’s plot is simple. Two guys like one girl and they all want to rob the girl’s aunt. The film follows the trio as they go on misadventures and plan to make the robbery that is the film’s climax. While the plot is simple, it is the filmmaking that is outstanding to watch. Godard’s films have a specific and creative feel to them that makes them exclusively Godard. The cinematography and camerawork are fluid and still to this day unique and stand out from the majority of films that come out. The different camera styles, the looks into the camera, and even the subtle glances and looks throughout the  film stand out. In fact one of the funniest, and coolest, parts of the film comes at the end as it promises a sequel in Brazil; this sequel was never made and its obviously a joke played by Godard.

What makes Bande à part stand out from the lot of Godard’s films are three specific scenes that have been referenced to and have influenced film for all time. The first and my personal favorite is the dance scene titled “the Madison dance.” The group gets up in a café and starts doing a little organized dance to the music in the café. It comes out of no where but its absolutely delightful. The biggest influence of this dance lands on Quentin Tarantino who used similar random dance scenes in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. The nest scene is the moment of silence, which happens right before the dance scene. The trio is just sitting in the café and decides to have a moment of silence. When they start the sound of the film goes silent and the audience can literally hear nothing. A clear style that reflects the New Wave moments but I really enjoyed it when the film came to that point. The last scene is the Louvre scene where the trio races through the Louvre to beat the world record.

Overall these three scenes and the spectacular filmmaking by Godard make this an instant classic. A highly enjoyable film and any respectable film lover should watch it as they will see its imprint on cinema easily.
4/4