Antoine and Colette

Though not as beautiful in it's direction as 400 Blows, I slightly prefer this short but wonderful continuation of Antoine Doinel's life. It's more concise, captures a part of life that is rarely well portrayed (as opposed to the dozens of great films about childhood) and has a wonderful musicality in it's editing as showcased by the show stealing (pun intended) moment when Antoine first sees Colette.

Truffaut made his grand entry into full length cinema at the young age of 28 with the classic masterpiece 400 Blows which is a semi-autobiographical tale of his childhood. Then, he went on to make three other movies in which he experimented with some humour(Tire-au-flanc 62 and Tirez sur le pianist) and then with crazy love (in Jules & Jim).

But all the while, he felt like he hadnt said enough about the story of Antoine in 400 Blows - that film ends quite enigmatically, leaving the viewer wondering how that kid turned out. So, Truffaut decides to make the short-film 'Anotine & Collette' to pacify the eager fans with news of Antoine, that he's OK, he's alive, he's now a young adult, independent, working at Phillips making records to earn his living and not stealing typewriters and the like. Maybe he had always this concept in mind - to use the same actor for the role of the same character which is why he had to patiently wait for Jean-Pierre Leaud to age, to play the role of Antoine.

And if you've loved/liked the 400 Blows, then you must also surely remember his best-friend René, the guy who Antoine stays with after being expelled from school, to play poker, drink wine and smoke cigars. He has a small role to play in this film too - they're still good friends, talking about the good old times (scenes from the 400 Blows) And, he is still played by the same actor, Patrick Auffay, which shows a kind of progression, a continuation. Well, René was always the more confident and self-assured person, with loads of money to help, so he gets along well in life, has a good relationship going with a girl, which is expressed in those few scenes where they compare their 'amours' and René gives advice to Antoine to progress from 'the chase' to 'the attack' and get the girl.

But Collette does not have any interest in Antoine despite all his attempts to woo her with regular visits, concert-dates, and other 'moves' which i wont disclose. Antoine even follows René's strategy of writing letters, but that doesn't seem to work either. Now, once again the viewer is left in the middle of a stage in Antoine's life. What will become of Antoine, will he get to be with Collette, or will he get over her, will he find somebody new and will he actually succeed with this somebody new??? Stay tuned to the same Truffaut-channel, Antoine Doinel-time, for, about six years hence, will come Baisers Volés!

(TRIVIA - Collette played by Marie-France Pisier, makes a reappearance in Amour en Fuite, the last film in the series)

Lastly, the song, 'Love at Twenty' played at the end with those scenes in different parts of Paris, along the Seine, in the parks, and on the streets, is just beautiful!!

"It could end badly, or it could end well... ...but thats Love at the age of Twenty!"

That's the second part of Truffaut pentalogy about his alter ego, Antoine Doinel. My opinion is controversial but i think it's better than THE 400 BLOWS, actually much better. It's a short film, its running time is 30 minutes, so you can't compare it with a full length film, but still, i enjoyed it and it's more coherent and well structured.

This is a coming of age dramedy/romance. A solid story about Doinel's love. I won't reveal what happened but viewers will empathize with the leading character, i sure did, this movie brought me memories from my young age. It's tremendously realistic, especially if you consider this is a 1962 movie. It depicts things as they are.

I think it's slightly better even than the following movie, STOLEN KISSES. I am gonna watch soon the last 2 parts of this pentalogy.

Truffaut's short film, made to pacify the curiosity eager fans of The 400 Blows as to the continuation of the lives of its disadvantaged characters, carries the same dry lack of emotion and still distances itself from us despite all its observation of and sympathy for the growing pains of Antoine Doinel. Though it is perhaps good that there is a distance kept because of its logical understanding of Antoine's experiences which leave him confused and painfully humbled.

Jean-Pierre Leaud, who played Antoine in The 400 Blows, experiences the seemingly apocalyptic feeling of rejection, as Collette, the fixed object of his desire, has no interest in him regardless of all his efforts to entice her with frequent stopovers, invitations to concerts, and other woos. He even follows his self-assured friend's approach of writing letters, but with what appears to be no avail. Just as with The 400 Blows, we are left to ponder this perplexing phase in this character's life, causing us to reflect on our own painful memories of growing pains and the humility and self-doubt that accompanies it.

I have been looking for a copy of "Stolen Kisses" for some time, and so I was glad I finally found it--or thought I'd found it. While my sole reason for wanting to see it was to see the Truffaut segment featuring the character "Antoine Doinel", I was VERY surprised to see a DVD with ONLY this 30 minute portion from the movie on it--along with a Truffaut short, Les Mistons! What about the segments from Love At Twenty by Ophuls and the other directors? They were nowhere to be seen on the FOX/Lorber DVD! The same can be said about the DVD extra for "The 400 Blows"--it has the Doinel short but none of the rest of the film. Quel dommage!

Now, in regard to the Antoine Doinel segment, I was VERY glad I saw it, as it was the most interesting and endearing I ever saw the character. Doinel appeared in several other Truffaut full-length films and this small segment was the final one I needed to see to complete them. It was lighter in tone and "cute" compared to the other incarnations--much lighter than 400 blows or the other films that have a more wistful edge to them. You see a hopeful Doinel just reaching adulthood--a decent guy--just REALLY awkward with the ladies.