The Cinematheque

François Truffaut’s much-loved third feature is a lyrical, nostalgia-suffused exploration of the impossibility of living à trois and, like much of his work, a fond hommage to cinema itself. The film charts the shifting fortunes of a romantic triangle over the course of two decades. It begins in Paris in 1912, where bohemian buddies Jules (Oskar Werner) and Jim (Henri Serre) both fall in love with free spirit Catherine (the radiant Jeanne Moreau). WWI finds the two men fighting on opposite sides; after the armistice, they resume their friendship and continue their shared interest in Catherine. ​“The idea of the film,” Truffaut said, ​“is that the couple is not really satisfactory, but there is no alternative.” Raoul Coutard’s beautiful CinemaScope compositions, Georges Delerue’s memorable score, and Truffaut’s nouvelle vague panache make for a multitude of pleasures. For many, this is Truffaut’s best film.