Pierrot Le Fou

Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless may have changed film history forever, but among fans of the director’s work, this 1965 tale of lovers on the run is considered one of his undisputed masterpieces. The film is a brilliant exercise in non-linear storytelling, but it contains plenty of audience-pleasing elements: a knockout color palette, musical numbers, comic interludes, pop-culture citations and, of course, its two leads, New Wave icons Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina. This two-disc Criterion release contains the usual bumper crop of supplements, including vintage interviews, a doc about Godard and Karina’s marriage and collaborations, a guide to the film by Godard collaborator Jean-Pierre Gorin and a new interview with Karina.

Shelf Talk: Pierrot has been available on video since the ’80s, but the Criterion version is eagerly awaited by New Wave buffs and film students. As has been the case with all releases from theatrical distributor Rialto Pictures, the restored Pierrot had successful arthouse runs in New York, Los Angeles and other cities a few months before its DVD bow.