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What is the elliptical editing in Breathless?

Published in Film Editing Techniques 4 mins read

Elliptical editing in Breathless refers to the film's revolutionary use of jump cuts and other unconventional editing techniques that deliberately omit small segments of time from continuous action, creating a jarring, discontinuous, and often accelerated sense of progression. This style was a hallmark of the French New Wave and profoundly influenced subsequent filmmaking.

Understanding Elliptical Editing

Elliptical editing is a post-production technique where the editor removes parts of a shot or sequence, thereby compressing time. Instead of showing every moment of an action, the film "jumps" ahead, omitting intermediate steps.

In traditional Hollywood cinema, continuity editing aims to make cuts invisible, creating a seamless flow of time and space. Elliptical editing, conversely, draws attention to the cut itself, breaking the illusion of continuous reality and prompting the audience to actively engage with the gaps.

Elliptical Editing in Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless

Breathless (original French title: À bout de souffle), directed by Jean-Luc Godard in 1960, is widely celebrated for its groundbreaking and provocative use of elliptical editing, particularly its famous jump cuts.

Here's how it manifests in the film:

  • Jump Cuts: The most prominent example is seen in scenes like Michel Poiccard's drive, where shots of him driving are abruptly cut to later moments in the same drive, making it appear as if parts of the journey have been skipped. This creates a restless, fragmented energy that mirrors the protagonist's impulsive nature.
  • Disrupting Continuity: Godard frequently violated established cinematic rules, such as the 180-degree rule and shot-reverse-shot conventions, to further disorient the viewer and emphasize the artifice of filmmaking.
  • Temporal Compression: The cuts often serve to speed up the narrative, making even mundane actions feel urgent and immediate, reflecting the characters' fast-paced and seemingly aimless lives.

Motivations Behind the Editing Style

The radical editing choices in Breathless were not merely stylistic whims but were motivated by several factors, including practical constraints and artistic intentions. According to explanations in film literature, some key reasons for the distinctive jump cuts include:

  1. Producer's Demand for Shortening: One prominent explanation suggests that Godard deliberately employed the jump cuts to shorten the film. A producer insisted that the film be shortened despite Godard's protests. As a defiant response, Godard chose to achieve the required runtime reduction by removing frames from within continuous shots, rather than cutting entire scenes, thereby intentionally "ruining" the traditional flow of the film in a provocative manner.
  2. Deviant Artistic Expression: Beyond the pragmatic need for shortening, the jump cuts also served as a means of breaking from conventional narrative structures and cinematic grammar. This deliberate disruption was part of the French New Wave's broader aim to challenge audience expectations and explore new forms of cinematic expression.

Impact and Legacy

The elliptical editing in Breathless had a profound and lasting impact on cinema:

  • New Wave Aesthetics: It became a defining characteristic of the French New Wave movement, inspiring other filmmakers to experiment with form and content.
  • Audience Engagement: By disrupting passive viewing, it forced audiences to become more active participants in constructing the film's meaning.
  • Realism and Modernity: Paradoxically, by being overtly artificial, the jump cuts created a sense of raw, unpolished reality, reflecting the chaotic nature of modern life.
  • Influence on Filmmaking: From Hollywood blockbusters to independent films, the techniques pioneered in Breathless are still echoed today, demonstrating its enduring legacy as a landmark in film editing and storytelling.
Aspect Traditional Editing (Continuity) Elliptical Editing (*Breathless*)
**Goal** Seamless flow, invisible cuts Disruption, noticeable cuts
**Time** Linear, continuous progression Compressed, fragmented, jumps
**Audience Experience** Passive immersion Active engagement, disorientation
**Effect** Realism, narrative clarity Urgency, artificiality, raw energy

Elliptical editing in Breathless was more than just a stylistic choice; it was a defiant artistic statement that reshaped the language of cinema and continues to be studied as a masterclass in film innovation.