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Special Features
1.33 Full Screen
French
Region 2
An A To Z Guide
Video Interview With Anna Karina
Quentin Tarantino On The Dance Sequence And Pulp Fiction
Commentary By Roland Francois Lack
Interview With Cinematographer Raoul Coutard
Original Theatrical Trailer
Directors Biography
English
French
Region 2
An A To Z Guide
Video Interview With Anna Karina
Quentin Tarantino On The Dance Sequence And Pulp Fiction
Commentary By Roland Francois Lack
Interview With Cinematographer Raoul Coutard
Original Theatrical Trailer
Directors Biography
English
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Biographies, Black & White, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: One of pioneering director Jean-Luc Godard's most accessible films is this French spin on Dolores Hitchens' novel Fool's Gold. It tells the tale of three disaffected youths who plan a burglary, leading to deadly results. The alienated young trio is marvelous, particularly Anna Karina, and the early scenes of their clearly overdeveloped fantasy lives are splendidly handled. Something of a companion piece to Godard's classic À Bout de Souffle, its young characters have the same odd mixture of fatalism and starry-eyed naïveté that is, by turns, appealing and tragic. Trivia buffs should note that the film gave its name to Quentin Tarantino's production company (A Band Apart), and several of its scenes are echoed in his Pulp Fiction. ...The Outsiders (1964) ( Bande à part ) ( Band of Outsiders (The Out siders) )
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
'Bande a Part' is fantastic- up there with 'A Bout de Souffle' and Truffaut's 'Tirez sur la Pianiste'...As with 'Breathless', it takes American noir conventions. And then some...There are references to philosphy, to America- and there is a sleazy- Cain/McCoy undertone; albeit, relocated to a black & white Paris...The male-male-female triad is perplexing- and reminiscent of the one in 'Jules et Jim'. Godard undercuts the 'expected' conventions- the end seems low-key and ultra-ironic. You can see Godard tiring of the expected rules of cinema- as Beckett tired of language- in the end where Godard the narrator deadpans the characters outcome. The best scenes are where the threesome decide to beat the record set for going round the Louvre, set by an American (the time is, yawn, the same as it takes Harvey Keitel's character to get to QT's house in 'Pulp Fiction'). Oh, and the dance scene here is as great as ever- surely it influenced other films beside the obligatory 'Pulp Fiction'? (Hal Hartley shorts come to mind)...This is one of the best Godard films, along with 'Breathless', 'Weekend', 'Alphaville' & 'Masculin-Feminin' (avoid 'Eloge de l'amour' however!). A classic!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Godard made this film after the high production values of Le Mepris.You feel he's unwinding,having a good time.A tribute to Hollywood pulp crime movies of the 40s and the love affair with his wife,Anna Karina.The plot is taken from Fool's Gold,a crime novel,by Dolores Hitchens.Godard uses a basic plot,Odile meets Franz(Frey)in an English language class and with his friend,Arthur(Brasseur),forming a semi-love triangle,embark on a plan to rob her aunt of some laundered cash in a cupboard.This is at least up there with Breathless and Pierre Le Fou.There is no narrative.There is a string of inconsequential set-pieces,sly cross-references,literary allusions and quotations.
These range from Rimbaud,Kafka,Poe,Novalis,Shakespeare,Jack London,Aragon and Queneau.Arthur and Franz act out the shooting of Billy the Kid by Pat Garrett,prior to their inept criminal adventure.This is a suburban western, replete with suburban boredom and banality.The men's stamping ground is drab streets,dingy cafes and builders' yards on the city's outskirts,along the Marne,in pre-war type settings.Their car is another character,driving round in circles,expressing their freedom and ebullience.Misfits even with each other,they remain isolated and
self-absorbed.'Isn't it strange',Franz muses.'how people never form a whole?'Even in the iconic Madison dance sequence, and the 9 minute record-breaking run through the Louvre, though in sync,their disconnection is their cool.The men read out from newspapers about local petty murders,crimes,world news on a riverbank.Karina,Godard's muse,has never been better,gauche,naïve,giddy and starry-eyed, drifting helplessly between the two men,making love with her eyes.Godard at his most experimental,plays with the conventions of cinema,with voice-over narrations, commenting upon the character's thoughts;mocking the banality of the story:'the robbery must wait until nightfall,
thus respecting the tradition of bad B-pictures'.Godard charms us breaking all the rules of cinema,eg,observing a minute's silence by cutting off the soundtrack,speaking to camera,letting you know you're watching a film,mingling real deaths with fake deaths.Under the comedy is a painful sense of suburban drabness and boredom, unemployment, frustration, and disillusionment -- reflected in Raoul Coutard's superb capturing of overcast weather and polluted river vistas in varying shades of grey, as well as in the sad and wistful waltzes of Michel Legrand's score.Summarising for 'latecomers':"a pile of money, a home by the river, a romantic girl."Godard keeps us in touch with his process.
These range from Rimbaud,Kafka,Poe,Novalis,Shakespeare,Jack London,Aragon and Queneau.Arthur and Franz act out the shooting of Billy the Kid by Pat Garrett,prior to their inept criminal adventure.This is a suburban western, replete with suburban boredom and banality.The men's stamping ground is drab streets,dingy cafes and builders' yards on the city's outskirts,along the Marne,in pre-war type settings.Their car is another character,driving round in circles,expressing their freedom and ebullience.Misfits even with each other,they remain isolated and
self-absorbed.'Isn't it strange',Franz muses.'how people never form a whole?'Even in the iconic Madison dance sequence, and the 9 minute record-breaking run through the Louvre, though in sync,their disconnection is their cool.The men read out from newspapers about local petty murders,crimes,world news on a riverbank.Karina,Godard's muse,has never been better,gauche,naïve,giddy and starry-eyed, drifting helplessly between the two men,making love with her eyes.Godard at his most experimental,plays with the conventions of cinema,with voice-over narrations, commenting upon the character's thoughts;mocking the banality of the story:'the robbery must wait until nightfall,
thus respecting the tradition of bad B-pictures'.Godard charms us breaking all the rules of cinema,eg,observing a minute's silence by cutting off the soundtrack,speaking to camera,letting you know you're watching a film,mingling real deaths with fake deaths.Under the comedy is a painful sense of suburban drabness and boredom, unemployment, frustration, and disillusionment -- reflected in Raoul Coutard's superb capturing of overcast weather and polluted river vistas in varying shades of grey, as well as in the sad and wistful waltzes of Michel Legrand's score.Summarising for 'latecomers':"a pile of money, a home by the river, a romantic girl."Godard keeps us in touch with his process.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
The film Bande a Part (The Outsiders) is widely considered Jean-Luc Godard’s best and most influential film. It was innovative in editing techniques and the use of narration in film and for these reasons, it appears on many film critics top 100 film lists. It is also commonly known that Quentin Tarintino has expressed his like for this film and named his production company (A Band Apart) after the film. He also makes reference to this films famous dance scene in ‘Pulp Fiction’ and he supposedly showed the scene to Uma Thurman and John Travolta so that they could be inspired.
All of these reasons inspired me to watch this movie and I was slightly disapointed with what I saw. The film is relatively short at 97 minutes but it feels as if it has gone on too long by the time you are finished. The characters are not very intriguing to the viewer, although it is possible that viewers might be inhibited by the use of subtitles. The plot is also hard to follow and many scenes seem to have little relevance to the story as a whole. However, there are some truly inspired scenes that help to redeem some of the more negative aspects. One other great point to the film is the stylish use of narration which has been copied in mass by other film makers and most notably in another French film, Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amélie).
Overall, this film is not for an average viewer looking for a night of entertainment. I suggest that this is an essential for a student of film because it was so revolutionary but the problem with revolutionary films is that they aren’t revolutionary any more and their techniques are over used.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
That Dance Sequence
Band a part is typical of its period. Not quite as vague as some French movies of the time, it benefits
from some set pieces - outstanding of which is the scene in the cafe,... Read more
from some set pieces - outstanding of which is the scene in the cafe,... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. B. Bendel
Karina is unbelievable....
Dodgy, somewhat pointless experiimental film, but Anna Karina is simply breathtaking.
If you want to experience Godard at his best, try Alphaville.
If you want to experience Godard at his best, try Alphaville.
Published on 23 Oct 2007 by J. Lock
Light, playful with a gray undertone
Even though I haven't gotten around to finish watching Jean-Luc Godard's celebrated Breathless (1960) despite trying a couple of times, I'm pretty sure I like Band of Outsiders... Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2007 by Dennis Littrell
Bande A Part
From the opening sequence of Bande A Part, the Benny Hillesque music set to a flashing montage of the protagonists portraits, the viewer is bombarded with a visual feast. Read more
Published on 21 May 2006 by Rene 68
Not unlike "Au Bout De Souffle" ...
"Bande A Part" (The Outsiders) is another stylish 1960's Godard film that is rich in characterisation and features some memorable scenes, but for me falls short of the quality... Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2005 by L. Davidson
'Bande A Part'
"Bande à part" was Jean-Luc Godard's seventh feature film, both shot and released in 1964. This is the story, set in the hustle and bustle of Paris, of two would-be... Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2004
Ah, Godard was the best.
Truffaut - what a nice man. Chabrol - a bon viveur. Good bloke.
Godard - genius - and Anna Karina (totally different in each film with Godard) is the face of the nouvelle... Read more
Godard - genius - and Anna Karina (totally different in each film with Godard) is the face of the nouvelle... Read more
Published on 24 Sep 2004 by Andrew Baker
BFI - you should know better!
One of the cool things about DVD is the ability to make subtitles optional. Over in the US, the Criterion release of "Bande A Part" allows you to dispense with the subtitles,... Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2004
New Wave classic from 1964
Like many films of the French New Wave (Tirez Sur La Pianiste, Lift to the Scaffold), Bande a Part (aka The Outsiders) takes its story from pulp origins and sets itself in the... Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2003 by Jason Parkes
The Best film Godard ever made (so far)
I usually find Godard overly-wordy and embarrassingly naive but in this film he seems to lose all his inhibitions and lets go - the dance scene is one of the best scenes in cinema. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2001 by a.barnes@ed.sac.ac.uk
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