Jules et Jim
Written by: Henri-Pierre Roché (novel), François Truffaut &Jean Gruault (adaptation)
Directed by: François Truffaut
Starring: Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, Henri Serre
Rated:--
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!
Plot
A love triangle between Jules, Jim, and Catherine lasts decades.
Verdict
What can I say about this movie? It's a highly praised and influential movie, but it just didn't connect with me. It seems like a movie you have to watch a few times to begin getting it, as it became more interesting as I started writing my review. The movie is as much about what you bring to the experience as what's on the screen.It depends.
Review
It's contributions to cinema are robust. This is a French New Wave film that impacted film makers for years to come. The editing and style, while revolutionary at the time, have since been mimicked many times over.
Friends Jules and Jim both like Catherine. They regard her as a goddess, resembling a statue they saw. Since Jim already has a girlfriend, Jules marries Catherine ahead of the Great War.
After the war Jules gives his blessing for Catherine to marry Jim at the threat she might leave him. Jim eventually leaves Catherine. Jim later runs into Jules and Catherine, sparking a tragic ending.
That's the summary of what happens, but this also explores the depths one goes for 'love.' Jules is willing to do anything to keep Catherine, even giving her away. Jules wants to keep what he has so fiercely, that he never questions whether it's a benefit. He won this trophy wife, but can't see the harm it does him. He's not in a fulfilling relationship.
Catherine came between two friends. Once Jules and Catherine marry, Jim doesn't see them much. While he later ends up with Catherine, it's only short lived. Jim is a contrast to Jules. While Jim finally gets the prize, he realizes it's not worth the cost.
Romance is a tangled web. It snares Jules, Jim, and Catherine. It changes them and even scars them.
You can explore many different avenues of this movie, and maybe that's how it begins developing more meaning after subsequent rewatches. That may also be its power. Your mindset and feelings at the time dictate what the movie imbues to you.
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