Bande à part (Band of Outsiders) (1964)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jan Marc M

  
  Band Of Outsiders is an influential French New Wave classic by Jean-Luc Godard that features a relaxed and youthful band of three scheming an inside robbery. Endearing. Appealing.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"A few clues for latecomers: Several weeks ago... A pile of money... An English class... A house by the river... A romantic young girl..."</i> Two crooks with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies convince a languages student to help them commit a robbery.… More
  <i>"A few clues for latecomers: Several weeks ago... A pile of money... An English class... A house by the river... A romantic young girl..."</i> Two crooks with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies convince a languages student to help them commit a robbery. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Very much in the same vein as his break-out hit Breathless, Band of Outsiders works just the way it is supposed to, an homage to the pulp crime novels and B- movies of America. Here, however, it is all set to the gorgeous and timeless scenery of Paris along with three very bright and engaging people. Sami Frey and Claude Brasseur play Franz and Arthur, two young men who seem to be going nowhere in life except the occasional English class and cruising around in their speedy black, American car. They meet up with a girl they both admire, Odile, played wonderfully by the beautiful Anna Karina, and soon are setting up a plot to steal money from her aunt's boarding house. This is about all the plot there is and about all the plot there needs to be. Since this is based on a dime-store novel by Dolores Hitchens, Godard knew that the climax would be the actual crime. However, what to fill the rest of the time with? Perhaps a fantastic dance number right in the middle of a Parisian restaurant, or the famous scene of the three characters running through the great halls of the Louvre. There are also some very interesting dialog scenes, such as when Arthur and Odile discuss why they like each other, or Arthur and Franz exchanging morbid stories from the newspaper. Like most of Godard's other work, many people will be turned off by his eccentric, offbeat cinematic version of the human condition. Indeed, although he was heavily inspired by American crime tales such as Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, there is a definite French twist here which is all the more entertaining for us. Still, this is certainly one of Godard's best work; completely original and thought-provoking as well as shot in beautiful, stark black-and-white cinematography that captures the rough and rugged era of Paris. Keep your mind open to the possibilities and you may just learn something... or nothing.

• danny d

  
  godards cool and sleek robbery film is a unique addition to the genre. its hard to call this a heist film since the actual robbery is poorly planned and takes very little running time, but the circumstances surrounding the robbery make for a very interesting film. the dance sequence… More
  godards cool and sleek robbery film is a unique addition to the genre. its hard to call this a heist film since the actual robbery is poorly planned and takes very little running time, but the circumstances surrounding the robbery make for a very interesting film. the dance sequence in the cafe had charm and the characters were so flawed that i couldnt help but wonder how things would turn out for all of them. karina played her character with a great blend of sex appeal and innocence, and the "real time" layout of the events made for a very realistic experience. with the solid dialogue as the main feature, godards most melvillian film is a good one.

• Tim S

  
  I liked the style of the film, but it didn't blow me away. It's a fairly simple story and I liked the narrator aspect making it feel like a novel. Yes, the dance sequence in the cafe is cool.I just think the fact that there are some breaking of the rules by Godard just to be… More
  I liked the style of the film, but it didn't blow me away. It's a fairly simple story and I liked the narrator aspect making it feel like a novel. Yes, the dance sequence in the cafe is cool.I just think the fact that there are some breaking of the rules by Godard just to be different kind of takes away from the simplicity of the story and takes away from the movie. I understand that half the point of French New Wave was to add to modern day cinema by deconstructing it, but this had a couple of things that I felt were unnecessary. Either way, the acting is good and I have always been a Truffaut guy over Godart. I really don't get why everyone loves Breathless either. It's really just a shitty crime film with a scene in a hotel that lasts forever. This is kind of the same, but at least it's actors make it charming.

• Michael G

  
  Worth it alone for the dance scene. A fun movie.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Band of Outsiders" is a movie directed by Jean Luc Godard about a trio of young adults. Odile(Anna Karina) meets and becomes quite friendly with two wannabe gangsters, Arthur(Claude Brasseur) and Franz(Sami Frey), in an English class. Odile is living… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Band of Outsiders" is a movie directed by Jean Luc Godard about a trio of young adults. Odile(Anna Karina) meets and becomes quite friendly with two wannabe gangsters, Arthur(Claude Brasseur) and Franz(Sami Frey), in an English class. Odile is living a cloistered existence with her aunt who is living with a very wealthy man, Mr. Stolz. Together, Odile, Arthur and Franz plan to rob Stolz.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Band of Outsiders" is an aimless movie about the aimless lives that young people live. This is an improvement over most other Godard movies I have seen because it is actually about something - the influence that America has on France, specifically Coca Cola, B-Movies and the need to learn English. The definite highlight of the movie is a dancing number in a cafe.[/font]

• Grant B

  
  This film is not your standard film, even compared to Godard's other work (at least what I have seen of it). Compared to films like "Breathless" or "A Woman Is A Woman", this film does not have as well of a developed plot, but it is quite fun to watch.… More
  This film is not your standard film, even compared to Godard's other work (at least what I have seen of it). Compared to films like "Breathless" or "A Woman Is A Woman", this film does not have as well of a developed plot, but it is quite fun to watch. Jean-Luc Godard would write pieces of the script every night during production and then reveal the next piece of the plot to the cast and crew the next morning, and that method of work itself may have definitely been what made the film feel as if it were bouncing about, but at the same time it made it feel like life. A lot of the film dabbles with concepts of Americanization, and poverty which is pretty interesting. The entire film is narrated quite poetically, and sometimes it feels out of place, but at the same time, the narration is one of the best parts of the movie. The film relied upon sound and editing (or the lack of) for a lot of its humor, and the actors were sensational. Sure, the story could have been stronger, but it was a lot of fun. Godard's influence on several of today's directors (Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson) is quite clear through this film as well.

• alan j

  
  this movie was suposedly wai's inspiration for chungking express, my fave all time movie..however this movie jut is not all that...its watchable yes..just not that interesting...Karina is alluring to say the least..but overall the movie just so-so

• Tom S

  
  Doesn't force aesthetic distance as much as many of Godard's other works. By the time the heist goes down, I'm right there with the characters.

• matt s

  
  There are scenes that are great, but the narrator takes away from the subtlety of this film. The dancing scene is great, and the comedy of the table scene is also nice, but the way it unfolds seems forced. And the "the end" type ending really seems half-assed, even for a… More
  There are scenes that are great, but the narrator takes away from the subtlety of this film. The dancing scene is great, and the comedy of the table scene is also nice, but the way it unfolds seems forced. And the "the end" type ending really seems half-assed, even for a 1966 film.

• Emily B

  
  Cool, sophisticated, charming, amusing. No one captures the streets of Paris quite like Godard. The storyline is relatively simple and straight out of an American pulp novel, but it's the three leads who are the real delight. It's influence on other filmmakers is obvious… More
  Cool, sophisticated, charming, amusing. No one captures the streets of Paris quite like Godard. The storyline is relatively simple and straight out of an American pulp novel, but it's the three leads who are the real delight. It's influence on other filmmakers is obvious and it's arguably one of the best of the "Nouvelle Vague". A must for all film fans. P.S If anyone fancies trying to attempt to run through the Louvre in under 9 minutes 45 secs or learning the Madison let me know!

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