MovieChat Forums > Breathless (1983) Discussion > Anyone see this in theaters in 1983?

Anyone see this in theaters in 1983?

posted 14 years ago by mscalici
8 replies | jump to latest

Hey guys, I've got a project I've been working on called Back to the Movies in which I'm examining the top 50 films of 1983 in order from 50 to 1. It's been an interesting journey so far and I just finished Breathless which finished 38th at the box office in 1983.

I've posted a link to my review below and would love to hear some reactions from anyone who actually saw the film on its initial theatrical run in 1983. The movie strikes me as a bit odd and uneven today but I'd love to hear what it looked like to the average moviegoer in 1983 (I unfortunately can't give an opinion seeing as I was born in October of '83).

http://filmnerds.com/blog/2010/07/13/no-38-breathless/

Thanks in advance for your input!

[–] jojyjohn007 14 years ago

Nice review. I liked Richard Gere's acting in this movie though. I consider it to be among his best performances.

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[–] DanLeeD 14 years ago

I saw it in a theater in 1983. I actually took my 10 year old brother with me! I think I warped him for life! LOL!

[–] hitchcock_blonde 13 years ago

I saw it in 1983 with my then boyfriend. We were both in film school at the time and I remember we both liked it. The ending remains one of my all-time favorite endings!

No Louis, you're mistaken. It's not me.

[–] jrcjohnny99 13 years ago

I also saw in back in 83, It was rated 'X' in the UK (dont think '18' had come in yet)but you had to be over 18, I was pretty tall and looked older than I was (14) so managed to get in;
I loved it at the time and thought Gere was godlike and like the above poster, I LOVED the ending...and I loved the use of Philip Glass' music.
not sure it has dated too well tho.

[–] elitist 11 years ago

I was 21 when I saw it in 1983. I and my friends were a bit cynical - how we wondered, did Richard's 'gear' stay so flaccid with a hot young French girl on top of him? But deep down we knew that this tearaway was exactly the sort of guy hot women go for. After dropping one of them off at his house I jokingly did a loud and careless U-turn of the same type Gere does often in the movie - but on a deserted street late at night, not a busy street in the middle of the day.

One bit I laughed out loud at - the escape from the car park dance party, where the cops follow them backwards down the spiral ramp. It was the feeling of total abandon. (Plus I've always been a Pretenders fan and 'Message of Love' was playing in the background.)

The best thing about it was its cinematography, capturing the real LA. You could feel the heat. The music by Philip Glass complemented it perfectly.

Some months later I saw those red plastic flashing heart pendants on sale in a Club Med gift shop - 'The hot new gift idea from the hot new movie.'

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ABetterDay 10 years ago

16 people in total, likely all female, saw it at the theatre in 1983. The rest of us count ourselves fortunate that we did not. What a completely lame, pointless American remake of a very good film.

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[–] TheHungryAndAngryShow 9 years ago

I was very into Valerie Kaprinsky back in the day, so even though I had relatively negative feelings for Richard Gere and his movies I decided that watching her would be worth it. I was right about her being a joy to watch, but the movie was pretty bad, at least from my point of view, and I am pretty sure my date felt the same way.

Richard Gere was laughable and idiotic, and I could not take him seriously at all. Valerie was fine to look at, and her acting wasn't bad at all. The story was terrible, the behavior of the characters was ridiculous, and I do not remember anyone taking this movie serious at the time.

Now before you go and brand me a snob, I don't remember liking the original all that much either. It has been may years but I am pretty sure I found it boring and pretentious.

Oddly enough, I just saw it AGAIN in the theater in Brooklyn at BAM, and the audience was filled with 20something hipsters who laughed at how cheesy the movie was. But they were right, it was cheesy, and pretty damned funny at times, though completely unintentional. The one scene I thought that looked great and really held up was the very brief party scene, where he is talking with his friend and watching her dance with the tall girl. The cops show up, she cuts herself, the light is on her face and then they are down the elevator thing while The Pretenders song kicks in hard. It all works so perfectly, if only the rest of the movie could look or feel like that scene.

I am glad I saw it again if only to laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing was, and how hot Valerie was.