October 7th: JULES AND JIM (François Truffaut, 1962)

A look at the friendship between two men from different countries; in love with the same woman and separated by war.

François Truffaut is one of the founders of the French New Wave, a confrontational critic for the publication Cahiers du Cinema who began making his own films in the late 1950s. His debut The 400 Blows was an international success, recognized at the Cannes Film Festival, by American critics, and at the Academy Awards.

After the gangster comedy Shoot The Piano Player, Truffaut embarked on an ambitious production, a story set around World War I, adapted from a semi-autobiographical novel by French author Henri-Pierre Roché. Roché personally approved the production and lent Truffaut his old diaries to be used as additional material for the film.

Truffaut's cast features Jeanne Moreau, who at 23 was already a star and had worked with directors Louis Malle, Orson Welles and Jacques Becker. The title roles are played by German-Austrian actor Oskar Werner and French actor Henri Serre.

Behind the camera is Raoul Coutard, now the go-to cameraman for both Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard who helped to develop fresh techniques that would help define the New Wave. Coutard utilized a pre-steadicam lightweight support for his camera to streamline tracking shots.

Other visual devices implemented by Truffaut include still photos, newsreel footage, background projection, freeze-frames, and an arch voiceover commentating on the characters.

Jules And Jim was a modest box office success, and while not a major festival player, it is now widely regarded as the director's greatest achievement, as well as one of the high points of the New Wave. It has influenced many international films with its ménage a trois scenario and freewheeling style.

Running time is 1 hr, 45 min.