Saturday, June 11, 2005
Thanks again to Criterion for a superior R1 DVD release of François Truffaut’s 1962 film, Jules and Jim. After watching this again for the first time in far too many years, it has risen quite a bit higher into my personal ranks of perfect films. Truffaut manages to bring a surprisingly light (and very French) touch to a fairly dark subject - the impossibility of the successful traditional male / female relationship and the equal impossibility of a truly successful non-traditional relationship - and makes a fast moving, fun, beautiful and serious movie that works on every level. Typical of Criterion the DVD comes packed with tons of excellent archival interviews with Truffaut and others - including Jean Moreau and Jean Renoir talking about Truffaut from a 1965 TV show - and a twenty minute interview with cinematographer Raoul Coutard. There’s also a nice 42 page booklet that includes essays by Truffaut, John Powers and Pauline Kael’s review of Jules and Jim.
