Review In A Nutshell:
Stolen Kisses is about a young man who was discharged from the army due to constantly being absent without permission, and has first taken up a job as a night watchmen before eventually delving into the profession of a private detective.
It was truly stupid of me to start off with this film, as I have found out after watching the film that this is the third film of a trilogy that started with The 400 Blows about the character, Antoine Doinel. This is the main reason why I felt kind of slightly detached with the character and not comprehensively understand the intentions that Truffaut was trying to push with this film. Luckily though, I still was able to enjoy this film as I found the protagonist and the adventures he goes on, to be highly fun and quirky. I loved watching him attempting to succeed in areas that are clearly not meant for him, and at the same time watch him becoming distracted by the women in his life, and how they affect his "career". The most interesting was definitely the relationship between him and Catherine, as they both don't seem to agree on their current feelings for one another that it becomes complicated to have things run smoothly for them. Truffaut doesn't romanticize the relationship though; he keeps it highly respectable but still retains that sense of quirkiness, which I also found in the previous film I have seen from the director, Jules and Jim. As I have said, the film's protagonist came off intriguing as Truffaut handled it in a very interesting way, and definitely someone I would love to explore more deeply.
One can justify that this film is a romantic comedy as those elements are definitely clear when watching this film, but I personally felt like there was more to it than just that. I felt that the film was trying to say something about "useless" men that have been ejected from the army, to show us how difficult it is to make a living for yourself and to feel incompetent to society, but it feels buried deep into the film that could be easily accessed if one has seen the two films that preceded this. The film also explores the idea of obsession, though not as dire as what Hitchcock presented in Vertigo, but in a comedic and slightly more realistic kind of way. I am not sure whether or not Truffaut was conscious when he has made the reference, but I do see some of the resemblance, then again this may just be me. Nevertheless, these themes don't interfere with the tone and style that Truffaut was going for, and can still be enjoyed at a superficial level.
The film's camera work was satisfying, creating that light and comedic mood that makes the film feel easily accessible and digestible. There were times, particularly during the shots that capture Antoine walking around the streets of Paris, where the filmmakers are trying to suggest that sense of monitoring; like as if someone is watching your every move. Even by the end of the film, a character who suddenly reveals he to be a watcher has shown us that one can't truly be safe. The film's score was quite pleasant to listen to, particularly the opening track as it creates this warm, sweet feeling that I haven't felt about in a song played during a film for a very long time. The orchestral score on the other hand plays out the same feelings in me as the opening track, light and sweet, doesn't try to play with your emotions but instead highlights the personality of the characters and the comedic tone of the film. One can't help but grin a little when little moments happen in the film and some of the commendation belongs to the film's music.
The acting in this film was wonderful, boasting a strong performance from Jean-Pierre Leaud. He played his character with such ease, that I can't help but feel impressed, as other actors who play characters like this try to come off as quirky and funny but end up either overwhelming or underwhelming in their performance. Leaud was able to incorporate comedy in almost all areas of his performance, physical and verbal, with some showing subtlety while others are plain obvious, but the lack of subtlety in some of his physical performance doesn't hurt his performance in the film, at times it actually makes it funnier that he has shown such commitment in making his movements look and feel hilarious. This is primarily Leaud's film so the other actors were only present to support our perceptions of the character, so I would leave my critique for the other actors in my second viewing of the film.
Stolen Kisses is a delightful film from Truffaut that definitely would have benefited me if I have seen the films that preceded it.
Stolen Kisses is about a young man who was discharged from the army due to constantly being absent without permission, and has first taken up a job as a night watchmen before eventually delving into the profession of a private detective.
It was truly stupid of me to start off with this film, as I have found out after watching the film that this is the third film of a trilogy that started with The 400 Blows about the character, Antoine Doinel. This is the main reason why I felt kind of slightly detached with the character and not comprehensively understand the intentions that Truffaut was trying to push with this film. Luckily though, I still was able to enjoy this film as I found the protagonist and the adventures he goes on, to be highly fun and quirky. I loved watching him attempting to succeed in areas that are clearly not meant for him, and at the same time watch him becoming distracted by the women in his life, and how they affect his "career". The most interesting was definitely the relationship between him and Catherine, as they both don't seem to agree on their current feelings for one another that it becomes complicated to have things run smoothly for them. Truffaut doesn't romanticize the relationship though; he keeps it highly respectable but still retains that sense of quirkiness, which I also found in the previous film I have seen from the director, Jules and Jim. As I have said, the film's protagonist came off intriguing as Truffaut handled it in a very interesting way, and definitely someone I would love to explore more deeply.
One can justify that this film is a romantic comedy as those elements are definitely clear when watching this film, but I personally felt like there was more to it than just that. I felt that the film was trying to say something about "useless" men that have been ejected from the army, to show us how difficult it is to make a living for yourself and to feel incompetent to society, but it feels buried deep into the film that could be easily accessed if one has seen the two films that preceded this. The film also explores the idea of obsession, though not as dire as what Hitchcock presented in Vertigo, but in a comedic and slightly more realistic kind of way. I am not sure whether or not Truffaut was conscious when he has made the reference, but I do see some of the resemblance, then again this may just be me. Nevertheless, these themes don't interfere with the tone and style that Truffaut was going for, and can still be enjoyed at a superficial level.
The film's camera work was satisfying, creating that light and comedic mood that makes the film feel easily accessible and digestible. There were times, particularly during the shots that capture Antoine walking around the streets of Paris, where the filmmakers are trying to suggest that sense of monitoring; like as if someone is watching your every move. Even by the end of the film, a character who suddenly reveals he to be a watcher has shown us that one can't truly be safe. The film's score was quite pleasant to listen to, particularly the opening track as it creates this warm, sweet feeling that I haven't felt about in a song played during a film for a very long time. The orchestral score on the other hand plays out the same feelings in me as the opening track, light and sweet, doesn't try to play with your emotions but instead highlights the personality of the characters and the comedic tone of the film. One can't help but grin a little when little moments happen in the film and some of the commendation belongs to the film's music.
The acting in this film was wonderful, boasting a strong performance from Jean-Pierre Leaud. He played his character with such ease, that I can't help but feel impressed, as other actors who play characters like this try to come off as quirky and funny but end up either overwhelming or underwhelming in their performance. Leaud was able to incorporate comedy in almost all areas of his performance, physical and verbal, with some showing subtlety while others are plain obvious, but the lack of subtlety in some of his physical performance doesn't hurt his performance in the film, at times it actually makes it funnier that he has shown such commitment in making his movements look and feel hilarious. This is primarily Leaud's film so the other actors were only present to support our perceptions of the character, so I would leave my critique for the other actors in my second viewing of the film.
Stolen Kisses is a delightful film from Truffaut that definitely would have benefited me if I have seen the films that preceded it.