10 Great Filmmakers Best Remembered For The Wrong Films

3. Jean-Luc Godard

Best Remembered For: Breathless (1960) Should Be Remembered For: Bande A Part (1964) (Or Any Number Of Other Films Made Post-Breathless) Breathless heralded in a kind of rebellion of form in cinema, the effects of which can still be seen today. Yet it's not just Breathless that inspired a change in film, but the entirety of Godard's 60s period - accepting Breathless as 'the one' would require you to ignore the 14 other films he made in that period, all of which make an attempt to revolutionise cinema and some of which are ultimately better than his most famous movie. Truth is, for any fan of Godard, a whole host of films could take Breathless' place (Contempt, Pierrot Le Fou, Masculin Feminin, Alphaville and Weekend all have their fans). It's not that Breathless is a bad movie - far from it - but it's an influential first effort, and assuming Breathless is Godard's most overwhelmingly outstanding among his films is to assume his career ended with his debut. In reality, a filmmaking career of five decades and counting began there. As for Bande a Part itself, it's here because it's Godard's most accessible and enjoyable work, and has been just as influential as any other Godard movie. Bertolucci's The Dreamers outright steals one of its scenes, while Tarantino has paid homage to the film throughout his career, borrowing its dance scene for Pulp Fiction and naming his production company after the film.