Godard's "Breathless" Returns!

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in a scene from Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless." Image courtesy of Rialto Pictures/Photofest.

"Breathless," Jean-Luc Godard’s feature debut and a seminal film of the French New Wave, will return to theaters this May.

Rialto Pictures has acquired the U.S. theatrical rights to the 1960 film. To mark the 50th anniversary of its release, a new 35mm restoration, recently unveiled at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, will have its American premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, as part of the first-ever TCM Classic Film Festival (April 22-25). The theatrical release launches May 28 at New York’s Film Forum, followed by national roll-out.

Written by François Truffaut and shot by Raoul Coutard, Godard’s riff on American Film Noir stars Jean-Paul Belmondo, as the on-the-run Bogart-inspired small-time hood, and Jean Seberg as his American girlfriend.

“We’ve had some of our biggest hits with Godard’s amazing, innovative movies of the '60s. But 'Breathless' is in a class by itself," said Rialto founder and Co-President Bruce Goldstein in a statement. "It’s not only one of the most important films of the last half-century, still inspiring new generations of moviemakers, but it’s just as fun and audacious as it was fifty years ago.” Rialto’s other Godard titles include "Contempt," "Band of Outsiders," "Two or Three Things I Know About Her" and "Made in U.S.A.," a 1967 film given its U.S. premiere by Rialto only last year. Rialto acquired the rights to "Breathless" from Paris-based distributor Pretty Pictures.

The 50th anniversary restoration of "Breathless" - the first in the film’s history - has been supervised by Béatrice Valbin of StudioCanal. Rialto’s newly revised English subtitles for "Breathless" are by Lenny Borger, who will be working with Godard himself (who turns 80 this year) on the English subtitles of the director’s latest film, "Film Socialisme."