'Breathless' gets the DVD treatment it deserves

(Criterion, 1960, Not Rated): For once the hype is warranted. In terms of cinema, there was a Before "Breathless" and an After "Breathless," as few films short of "Citizen Kane" made such a radical impact on the way movies were made. With "Breathless," Jean-Luc Godard rewrote the rules of filmmaking with his inventive cuts, breaking of the fourth wall and spontaneous, subversive script. And if the results are subtle by today's standards, it's only because Godard's innovations long since have been absorbed by even the most unambitious of filmmakers. The image quality alone is reason enough to recommend this much-in-demand new edition of the film. The supplements clinch it, even though the elusive, disgruntled Godard doesn't participate.

Also new this week

"Warner Directors' Series: Stanley Kubrick" (Warner Bros., 2007, R): Stanley Kubrick was a notorious control freak whose reach extended even to home video, where the notorious recluse insisted most of his films be transferred in the then TV-friendly square aspect ratio. Times have changed, however, and so have television sets, so the finicky filmmaker's icy classics now are being made available in their original theatrical aspect ratios, the way most fans prefer them, with all the bells and whistles an artist of Kubrick's stature deserves. Inexplicably missing from this collection are the director's underappreciated masterpieces "Lolita" and "Barry Lyndon." They're being sold separately, as is "Dr. Strangelove" and a handful of other Kubrick classics (like "The Killing," and "Paths of Glory") released by other studios. It's a conspicuous set-up for a boxed set sequel, but for the time being this set really can't be beat.