Remembering Jean Luc-Godard (1930-2022): Five essential films to watch of the iconic filmmaker

Made in 1960, 'Breathless' remains iconic till date and continues to inspire filmmakers worldwide. You may have seen shots in other films which resemble some portion from this film. Most feel, it is with 'Breathless' that  Godard rewrote the rules of cinema. So there are plenty of jump cuts, shots taken from handheld cameras and upbeat jazziness. The film starred Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. 
 

You would have seen in the iconic Madison dance scene from this film. 'Band Of Outsiders' featured Anna Karina (a frequent collaborator with Godard) along with Sami Frey and Claude Brasseur. The film had them playing slackers who plan a robbery. The film remains one of the most popular and accessible works of Godard and also feature a scene where the leads sprints across Louvre. Iconic, indeed. 
 

Starring his wife and actress Anna Karina, 'Vivre Sa Vive' featured the actress as a sex worker who gets into the profession due to dire need of money. The film's story was split into 12 characters, each separated with intertitles- a style that Godard made his trademark in the subsequent years. 
 

Brigitte Bardot played a femme fatale of sorts in the film which talked of conflict of interest between art and business in the industry. The film also featured iconic director Fritz Lang- someone Godard respected. The film's plot centers around a troubled film production (an adaptation of the Odyssey) and a troubled marriage of the producer. 
 

'Pierrot Le Fou' featured Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina as star crossed lovers who are on the run thanks to a brush with gangsters. The film had characters breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the camera- a style that Godard had used in many of his films. A dark story of love and deceit, 'Pierrot Le Fou' may have had a lot of colour on screen but was a twisted, dark  take of love gone wrong.