An early masterpiece from Godard, trail-blazing, involving and charmingly enjoyable.
Band of Outsiders (1964)
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Reviews Counted: 39
Fresh: 37
Rotten:2
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: French New Wave master Jean-Luc Godard continues his fascination with dime store novels and American crime films with 1964's BAND OF OUTSIDERS, a free-spirited romp in the same vein as the director's breakthrough smash, BREATHLESS.... French New Wave master Jean-Luc Godard continues his fascination with dime store novels and American crime films with 1964's BAND OF OUTSIDERS, a free-spirited romp in the same vein as the director's breakthrough smash, BREATHLESS. More traditional than BREATHLESS in its technical execution, BAND OF OUTSIDERS sparkles with freshness and originality--it uses comical, poetic narration by Godard himself, and has a bouncy musical score by Michel Legrand. The performances from Claude Brasseur, Sami Frey, and especially Anna Karina combine satirical melodrama, overflowing hipness, and moving sincerity, giving the film plenty of heart. An irreplaceable contribution to 1960s film, this movie is much more than a mere genre reworking. The story follows two friends, Arthur (Claude Brasseur) and Franz (Sami Frey), who are searching for a way to make a big score. When Franz meets the beautiful Odile (Anna Karina) and she informs him of a large chunk of cash her aunt keeps hidden in her house, the duo are convinced that this is their lucky break. Odile is a sensitive young woman who, out of fear and guilt, opposes their plan, but Arthur and Franz coax her to go along with the idea. When the time comes to pull off the heist, a miscalculation delays the seemingly perfect plan, resulting in a confrontation that has dire consequences. [More]
Starring: Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Claude Brasseur, Ernest Menzer
Starring: Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Claude Brasseur, Ernest Menzer, Chantal Darget
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Screenwriter: Jean-Luc Godard
Composer: Michel Legrand
Get This Movie
Release:
Jan 7, 2003
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Full Frame - 1.33
- Single Side - Dual Layer
Audio:
- Mono - English
Additional Release Material:
- Interviews - 1. Raoul Coutard - Director of Photography
- 2. Anna Karina - Star
- 3. Jean-Luc Godard - Star
- Additional Footage - 1. Behind the Scenes
- Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer (by Jean-Luc Godard)
- 2. Original Theatrical Trailer (by the Studio)
Text/Galleries:
- Glossary (Visual Glossary Detailing Cultural References, Wordplay, etc.)
Reviews for Band of Outsiders
This 1964 feature remains one of Godard's most appealing and underrated films, relatively relaxed and strangely optimistic.
One of Godard’s most accessible pictures. A good place to learn how much of a debt modern cinema owes him.
One must remember that even a lesser Godard is likely to be much more stimulating than another director's better films.
A pair of set pieces -- the trio dancing in unison in a bar and their famous 9-minute, 43-second run through the Louvre -- make the movie worthwhile alone, but the disjointed, meandering, and somewhat random narrative isn't anything to write home about.
In an era where poor heist films...and spoofs of heist films (such as Snatch) are the primary contributors to the genre, it's refreshing how well Band of Outsiders holds up today.
This great film is ultimately only gently reproachful of the corrosive effects of American pop culture on our sensibilities
As an exhilarating challenge to familiar filmmaking, it stands alongside Breathless, Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux, Masculin, féminin, and Weekend, as Godard's finest work.
I find the plot of Band of Outsiders uninteresting, the characters Arthur and Franz interchangeable, the innovations pointless and the overall experience unsatisfying.
It's been a while since I have left a theater so jazzed up about a movie.
As charming as seasoned film buffs remember and as refreshing as initiates expect.
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