Movie #114 Bande a Part *1964*

Anna Karina - Odile
Claude Brasseur - Arthur
Sami Frey - Franz
Jean-Luc Godard (Director)


Bande a Part or Band of Outsiders is a mainstay of the French New Wave movement.  I first saw this film when I was going crazy for everything Tarintino.  He loved this movie so much he named his production company after it.  The first time I rented this movie it was from the Circus Video store here in town.  They had a foreign and college video section. 

The movie is about two young wanna be crooks who seduce a young woman Odile into helping them rob her Aunt.  The plot of the movie is really not the main focus of the film.  It is a style over substance film.  This was not an uncommon practice in the French New Wave.  One of the mandates is that all the "rules" of film making had to be discarded.  One of the rules was films had to be narratively driven. 

This film is famous for a few scenes.  First there is the impromptu dance sequence (that Tarintino admittedly ripped off for Pulp Fiction).  Then there is the minute of silence (also referenced at the Jack Rabbit Slims scene in Pulp).  There is also a great opening credit sequence and a few other shots that are near iconic.

This the the second film in so many days that has been totally shot on location.  I think The Naked City did a much better job of showcasing New York than Bande a Part did of Paris, but they are comparable. 

There is one other thing that really stands out in this movie for me and that is Anna Karina.  She is a beauty and a fresh breath of an actress.  I think she is extraordinarily natural.  I ended up getting lucky when it came to naming my second daughter.  I was thinking of naming her Anna after Mrs Karina, and sorta got my wish.  Also Sami Frey as Franz was good and reminded me a little of Alain Delon.  If you don't know Delon he was like a French George Clooney and Steve McQueen rolled into one.  

Over all this is a solid element of the French New Wave.  I still prefer Godard's Breathless and Pierrot le Fou over this film, but I will give it a 3.5/5 stars.  If you are a new comer to the movement, this isn't the best place to start but it certainly captures all the concepts. This film is available through the Criterion Collection.