10 Movies Every Film Buff Should Have Seen Already

7. A Bout De Souffle (1960)

Often identified with the French New Wave of the 1960's, Jean-Luc Godard is one of the most radical filmmakers of all time. While mainstream Hollywood kept churning out similar films in a bid to make money, Godard and his contemporaries challenged the conventions of American cinema, deliberately defying the boundaries set by previous filmmakers to create something bold and new. With a career spanning over six decades, Godard has created a number of important films, but none of them had the same impact as A Bout De Souffle. As the poster child for the French New Wave, A Bout De Souffle epitomized everything that set the movement apart from its contemporaries, shocking audiences with its unusual approach. Techniques previously associated with poor film making are deliberately used in A Bout De Souffle to startle viewers, including innovative jump cuts and broken eye-line matches. The story is of course important, but with A Bout De Souffle, Godard basically rewrote the rules on how to shoot a movie, influencing generations of directors with its revolutionary approach to film making. Drawing upon his extensive knowledge of film history, Godard also helped pioneer postmodern cinema, creating films that were self reflexive to the point where they actively acknowledged their own existence. Such practice may be commonplace now, but before A Bout De Souffle, these techniques were practically unprecedented in cinema. If you haven't seen A Bout De Souffle yet, don't expect an easy ride! Further Recommendations: Jules Et Jim (1962), Pulp Fiction (1994), Requiem For A Dream (2000)