Antoine and Colette (Francois Truffaut, 1962): France

Reviewed by Byron Potau. Viewed on DVD.

Using his autobiographical character, Antoine Doinel, from The 400 Blows, Francois Truffaut added his contribution, Antoine and Colette, to the vignette feature film Love at Twenty, which also boasted contributions from directors Shintaro Ishihara, Marcel Ophuls, Renzo Rossellini, and Andrzej Wajda. Truffaut once again puts his fictional self through the wringer as he brilliantly explores the pains of unrequited first love in a short film that may be all too familiar for some of its audience.

Antoine (Jean-Pierre Leaud) is now seventeen and living on his own, supporting himself by working at Phillips record factory. He still sees his childhood friend Rene (Patrick Auffay) and goes to concerts and lectures of which he often gets free tickets from his work. At one of the concerts he sees Colette (Marie-France Pisier) and is smitten with her. After seeing her several more times at the concerts he manages to strike up a conversation. They become good friends, but nothing more. Antoine accepts this for the time being but eventually pushes for more. Colette’s parents take a liking to Antoine inviting him over often, but Colette feelings remain unchanged.

Made in 1962 after Jules and Jim, Truffaut was at the height of his powers. Shot in the streets of Paris in Place Clichy, the film has a vibrant realism. The sidewalks, the traffic, the cramped rooms lend an authenticity to the film. One of my favorite scenes of the film is when we see Antoine press his first record. Truffaut does not hamper the scene with unnecessary cuts or flashy angles, or try to expedite the scene to quickly move on to something else. He simply lets the scene play out and if you ever wondered how a record is pressed you need not wonder anymore.

Truffaut does not spare his character the embarrassment of first love gone all wrong. We watch as Antoine misreads the signs, makes bad decisions, and ultimately has his heart broken. It is painful to watch because it is so easy to relate to it. Antoine is at first not bold enough settling for friendship for the time being, then too bold as he impetuously moves across the street from Colette. It is easy to sympathize with Antoine as he is so lost in love he does not know what to do.

Jean-Pierre Leaud is once again magnificent as Antoine, proving his previous portrayal of Antoine was no fluke. He conveys Antoine’s love, shyness, jealousy, frustration, and awkwardness brilliantly and really shows a growth and depth of the character from the previous film to this one. Marie-France Pisier is very good as the beautiful, coquettish Colette and is able to tease us into liking her too.

Though only thirty minutes long, this is one of the real gems in the filmography of Truffaut and a small example of everything that was right with the French New Wave. Few films have treated the subject of young love with quite so much honesty.