Band Of Outsiders

I am still educating myself on the films of the French New Wave and the godfather of that movement, Jean-Luc Godard is one of the directors that I am trying to learn more about. This time around I have watched Band of Outsiders (1964). It is a simple story about two low level hoods (Sami Frey and Claude Brasser) who coerce a young girl (Anna Karina) to help them pull off a robbery and as usual in these stories it goes wrong in the end. It is an adaptation of a American pulp crime novel and has many of the Godard quirks that are a trademark of his directing style: the minute of silence in the cafe punctuated by silence on the soundtrack as well, the Madison dance scene that was inspiration for Quentin Tarantino for the famous dance scene in Pulp Fiction, and the scene where they race through the Louvre. It is one of Godard's more accessible films and has the usual topnotch cinematography with Raol Coutard. The Criterion edition has: a visual glossary, including film clips and stills, detailing cultural references and wordplay employed by Godard throughout Band of Outsiders, exclusive video interviews with Raoul Coutard and actress Anna Karina, and interview excerpts with Godard from 1964 and rare behind-the-scenes footage of the director and his crew shooting Band of Outsiders.