Blu-ray Review: New Wave Cool Defined in ‘Band of Outsiders’

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CHICAGO – “Band of Outsiders,” recently released in a newly-restored Criterion Blu-ray edition, was one of the most influential films of its era and made waves not only when it was released but continues to influence international cinema today. From Quentin Tarantino’s love for the film (reflected both in “Pulp Fiction” and the name of his production company, A Band Apart) to the numerous ways that the fashion and dancing resonate from Paris to “Saturday Night Live,” “Band of Outsiders” is mesmerizingly cool. It’s Godard’s most accessible film and yet it is also a deconstruction of the very genre that he’s presenting. It’s a crime flick in which the crime doesn’t really matter. It’s the people, the love triangle, and, most of all, the attitude that makes it memorable.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

There are few films, maybe none, cooler than “Band of Outsiders”. It is one of the most definitive French New Wave films of the movement and what’s so remarkable about it, at least on this viewing for this viewer, is how completely aware of that fact Godard was while making it (he even puts a sign that says “Nouvelle Vague” in the film). The way he plays with sound, narration, storytelling, dance, jazz, setting — it truly feels like he did something nearly impossible here in that he made a film that set out to be “cool” and worked. Most people who try for this kind of attitude and this kind of suave disenchantment from the norm come off pretentious and forced but “Band of Outsiders” is Godard’s most accessible film. It’s timeless.

Criterion gave “Band” the lavish treatment years ago and so the special features on this Blu-ray upgrade are previously available but the transfer comes from a 2010 restoration and the picture quality is notably superior to past “Band” reissues. The movie looks incredible with that perfect balance of polish and remaining film artifacts like grain that allow the film to not look overly plastic or wrong. It’s actually still looks like FILM, which is something a lot of HD transfers forget to do. The special features are a joy for Godard fans.

Band of Outsiders was released on Blu-ray on May 7, 2013
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

Synopsis:
Four years after Breathless, Jean-Luc Godard reimagined the gangster film even more radically with Band of Outsiders (Bande A Part). In it, two restless young men (Sami Frey and Claude Brasseur) enlist the object of both of their fancies (Anna Karina) to help them commit a robbery - in her own home. This audacious and wildly entertaining French New Wave gem is at once sentimental and insouciant, effervescently romantic and melancholy, and it features some of Godard’s most memorable set pieces, including the headlong race through the Louvre and the unshakably cool Madison dance sequence.

Special Features:
Visual Glossary Of References And Quotations Found In The Film
Exclusive Interviews With Cinematographer Raoul Coutard and Actor Anna Karina
Excerpts From The Documentary La Nouvelle Vague Par Elle-Meme, Featuring Director Jean-Luc Godard Discussing The New Wave And Rare Behind The Scenes Footage From Band Of Outsiders
Filmmaker Agnes Varda’s 1961 Silent Short Les Fiances Du Pont Mac Donald, Featuring Godard, Karina, and Other Members Of The Band Of Outsiders Cast
Godard’s Original Trailer And The 2001 U.S. Rerelease Trailer
Booklet Featuring An Essay By Poet And Critic Joshua Clover, Character Descriptions Created By Godard For The Film’s Original Press Book, And A 1964 Interview With The Director

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com