Band of Outsiders [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

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 A Bout de Souffle, its young characters have the same odd mixture of fatalism and starry-eyed naivete 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. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Black and White
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • New high-definition digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Raoul Coutard
  • Visual glossary of references and wordplay found throughout Band of Outsiders
  • Interview excerpts with director Jean-Luc Godard and rare behind-the-scenes footage of Band of Outsiders from the 1964 documentary La Nouvelle Vague par Elle-meme
  • Exclusive interviews with Raoul Coutard and actress Anna Karina
  • Agnes Varda's silent comedy Les Fiances du Port Mac Donald, featuring Godard and members of the cast of Band of Outsiders
  • Two theatrical trailers, including Godard original
  • Sixteen-page booklet including an essay by poet Joshua Clover, character descriptions by Godard, and a reprinted 1964 interview with the director
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Jean-Luc Godard

• Producer:

  Philippe Dussart

• Screenwriter:

  Jean-Luc Godard

• Book Author:

  Dolores Hitchens

• Cinematographer:

  Raoul Coutard

• Composer (Music Score):

  Michel Legrand

• Editor:

  Francoise Collin, Agnès Guillemot

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Antoine Bonfanti, René Levert

• Production Manager:

  Philippe Dussart

REVIEW:

• Bande à part is the story of three alienated French youths (Odile, Arthur, and Franz) who attempt an ill-fated burglary. Bande à Part is one of the easiest Godard films to follow because its story is presented linearly and without disruptive montage. Although the film does not generate much narrative tension, it does capture the atmosphere among Odile, Arthur, and Franz. Bande à part contains two of the most memorable and exciting scenes of the French New Wave: a scene in which Odile, Arthur, and Franz run through a museum, and a scene in which they dance to a jukebox in a cafe. The dance scene has been borrowed in many films, including Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Rio Das Mortes and Hal Hartley's Simple Men. Bande à part is driven by its actors and the chemistry among them. It uses their interactions to document the feeling of being young and French in the early 1960s. ~ Louis Schwartz, Rovi