★ 7 / 10
Jeanne Moreau is superb here with her portrayal
CinemaSerf
Jeanne Moreau is superb here with her portrayal of "Catherine", a rather selfish and erratic woman who manipulates two men - "Julius/Jules" (Oskar Werner) and…
Jeanne Moreau is superb here with her portrayal of "Catherine", a rather selfish and erratic woman who manipulates two men - "Julius/Jules" (Oskar Werner) and "Jim" (Henri Serre). Sometimes married to one, but in love with them both - or with neither, or maybe even not with herself - Truffaut juggles these three balls terrifically well. The pace changes frequently - hectic then glacial; the dialogue is sparing - especially from "Jim", and the style of the film evolves effortlessly with a narrative that starts before WWI and continues long after. The photography is frequently intimate and potent and we are invited to follow these flawed individuals as they age pretty gracelessly trying to find some solution to their predicament - who gets the girl; who does the girl want; what does the girl want? As ever with this director, there is humour and glamour - and if you get an opportunity, try and see it on a big screen to immerse yourself in the detail of this quality production. It sags a little in the third quarter and I have to say that I didn't much like any of their characters - but otherwise an entertaining look at life when the norms don't apply - and well worth a watch.
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★ 9 / 10
Truffaut's "Hymn to Life"
marissas75
Although "Jules and Jim" was made over 40 years ago and takes place 40 to 50 years before that, the amazing thing is that it barely seems to have dated.…
Although "Jules and Jim" was made over 40 years ago and takes place 40 to 50 years before that, the amazing thing is that it barely seems to have dated. Because it focuses on the universal human relationships between its characters, rather than the specific time in which they live, it's the rare film set in the past that doesn't feel like a "period film." And, especially in the first half of the movie, Truffaut's New Wave techniques lend a remarkable energy and freshness.
The movie explores friendship and love among three semi-bohemian types: Parisian Jim (Henri Serre), Austrian Jules (Oskar Werner), and Catherine (Jeanne Moreau), the beautiful, free-spirited woman whom they both love. She's the most vibrant character in the movie, and impossible to pin down. It's never clear who she lovesshe contradicts herself repeatedly, and perhaps loves no one but herselfor whether she's diabolical or simply misunderstood. Moreau nearly steals the movie, if not for the fact that the title reminds us to focus on the relationship between the two men, and that Serre and Werner give good performances too. Even if Jim and Jules aren't as mysterious as Catherine, they're complex and interesting characters in their own right.
The story plays out rather episodically, which means "Jules and Jim" is full of wonderful little moments, often involving the crazy things Catherine does. Some of my favorites include her dressing up as a man and racing Jules and Jim across a bridge; her jumping into the Seine in frustration; and her singing the movie's charming theme song, "The Whirlpool of Life." The episodes are linked together by surprisingly unobtrusive off-screen narration, which keeps the film moving along rather than slowing it down.
"Jules and Jim" does get a little tiresome toward the end, with Catherine continually vacillating between the men in her life, Jim vacillating between Catherine and his old girlfriend Gilberte, and Jules remaining loyally devoted to Catherine despite how foolish this may seem. However, the movie is redeemed by its tragic final scenes, which poignantly contrast with the carefree gaiety of the beginning. Jules, Jim, and Catherine are caught in a destructive spiral, tossed and defeated by the whirlpool of life. Still, the tone of the movie is gentle and human, not pessimistic. Truffaut considered "Jules and Jim" a "hymn to life," and it is most memorable as a vivid celebration of friendship and youthful possibility, even as it acknowledges how those things can sour.
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Guys I went to that takiart . It's shit. Don't go there.