Jules and Jim
(The Criterion Collection)

One of the most beloved films in Francois Truffaut’s canon, Jules and Jim shocked many after its release in 1962, for its unbiased portrayal of a three-way love affair. Set in Paris, several years before the beginning of WWI, Jules and Jim are two bohemian types who meet and become fast friends, spending their days in cafes discussing literature and art. While watching a slide show at a friend’s apartment, they’re overwhelmed by the image of a Greek statue with a woman’s face and beatific smile. A short time later, they meet Catherine (Jeanne Moreau) who appears to be the personification of this statue and they soon become obsessed and awakened by her free spirit. They’ve shared women before, but when Jules falls in love with Catherine, he pleads with his friend to leave this one alone. Both men eventually go off to fight the war for their respective sides (Jules is German) and are not reunited until years later. Jim learns that Jules’ marriage is on the rocks and before long becomes Catherine’s lover. The three continue to spend most of their days together, but when Jim begins to doubt Catherine’s sincerity, tragic results ensue.

Truffaut moves his story along at a rapid pace with the use of narration and quick edits that abruptly leap ahead months and sometime years. The tone of the film is warm and idyllic, up until the war sequences and the later years, when it becomes darker and less optimistic. Catherine is the connective thread that holds the characters together and they rise and fall depending on her whim at any given moment. As the years go on, her independent spirit begins to go a little insane and it reaches the point where she destroys anything she’s unable to control. Revenge becomes a motivational force and fuels her madness further. Overall, Jules and Jim is a sweet film and a landmark of French New Wave cinema that deserves to be seen by a new generation of movie-goers. Criterion has packed this double disc set with commentaries, video interviews, Truffaut’s interviews and speeches and plenty of other goodies.- David Bassin