MovieChat Forums > Jules et Jim (1962) Discussion > My thoughts after a first viewing

My thoughts after a first viewing

posted 16 years ago by FlatSixMan
23 replies | jump to latest

Tonight I decided to watch Jules et Jim for the first time. I recently bought a Truffaut boxset (two actually) featuring many of his films and decided that this film was the next one to see. All of his films that I've seen prior to this one made a connection with me and they stayed with me and this one will certainly stay with me too. It was astoundingly beautiful to watch, but on the other hand, I just couldn't comprehend all the things I was seeing, the emotions, I don't know... So, now this film has left me a bit confused, because it was beautiful to watch, but it's also too hard to understand everything in it. Somehow, the film didn't really connect with me, like the other Truffaut's I've seen. It's quite frustrating, because I've now got the feeling that I missed something. Perhaps a second viewing will clear things up a bit.
The other Truffaut films I've seen are: Les quatre cents coups, Tirez sur le pianiste, Fahrenheit 451, Baisers volés, Domicile conjugal, La nuit américaine and La chambre verte.

"Kid, the next time I say, "Let's go someplace like Bolivia", let's GO someplace like Bolivia."

[–] LudwigVanGoldfish 16 years ago

It's quite frustrating, because I've now got the feeling that I missed something. Perhaps a second viewing will clear things up a bit.

It looks like François Truffaut has yet another captive, you!

Welcome to the party!

Truffaut does indeed have something hidden in this movie and it has to do with -

***spoiler alert...spoiler alert...spoiler alert...spoiler alert...spoiler alert***

Catherine!

What's more, you might think the cremation at the end of the film was the last we'll ever see of her but that is not the case exactly.

She is still making seen or unseen appearences in films to this day such as Pulp Fiction, Vanilla Sky, Punch Drunk Love, Groundhog Day, Stranger Than Fiction, Buffalo 66 and others and even has a great grand daughter played by Audrey Tatou stirring things up in one particularly excellent French film directed by the mad genious Jeunet!

If you start to see the real story in that one things will start clearing up fast in a big way.

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/

Look where no one else is looking and see what no one else sees.

[–] FlatSixMan 16 years ago

It looks like François Truffaut has yet another captive, you!

That's the beauty of his films! They make you think days after you watched them and sometimes they just pop up weeks later and make you think about them again.
The film has settled down a bit now, but it's still not all clear to me. Doesn't really matter though... perhaps in time, after another viewing it will be. What you wrote didn't really enlighten me though.

"Kid, the next time I say, "Let's go someplace like Bolivia", let's GO someplace like Bolivia."

[–] UCHoodman 16 years ago

Great cinematography, a little exuberant on the ending(almost borderline Breathless randomness), good performances and not that bad. I liked it, but it was extremely depressing, I felt really bad after it.

[–] dudewherezbilly 16 years ago

i think she was saying the archtype of Catherine's character was so powerful, she lives on in other stories in cinema.

[–] devin-32 16 years ago

I actually hated the film, and watched it 3 times and the ending at least twice more... I have no idea why I keep regurgitating it mentally other than it is like a car wreck (lol... as it ended) and I am forced to recall it.

worth seeing if for no other reason than to wonder who are these people, and what world would they have lived in?

[–] aliza_tvito 16 years ago

I would recomment you The Soft Skin too.

[–] FlatSixMan 16 years ago

I saw La peau douce very recently. A great film, very moving. I also saw Les deux anglaises et le continent, which deals with some of the same themes as Jules et Jim. I really loved it.
Sometime in the future I will see Jules et Jim again and then hopefully I'll understand some more of it, especially since I have liked every Truffaut I have seen. Not to say I didn't like this one, I rated it 8/10, but I missed something, which is a bit curious.

"Kid, the next time I say, "Let's go someplace like Bolivia", let's go someplace like Bolivia."

[–] aliza_tvito 16 years ago

Jules et Jim is a multilayered, very rich film, which can't be fully appraised from the first "reading". I watched it more than ten times, any time exploring something new in it.

Thanks God, I'm an Atheist! - Luis Bunuel

[–] FlatSixMan 16 years ago

I have to watch it ten times before I will begin to understand it?! It will at least learn me the value of patience...
Alright, more seriously, it does indeed feel like a film which can be viewed a dozen times and still remain interesting. Most of Truffaut's films have this, although they don't need another viewing for a more basic comprehensing of what's onscreen, but they certainly contain many aspects of human life, so you can always get different things from them, with multiple viewings. This is my presumption though, since I have only seen Fahrenheit 451 two times. I don't want to view them again so closely after my first viewing, I think it's better to let them 'rest' for a while, for a more fresh second viewing.

"To learn how to find, one must first learn how to hide."

[–] ccmiller1492 14 years ago

First viewing....I found the 3 characters and their relationship extremely frustrating but not surprising that this most important study of a menage a trois was French, after all they invented the term. Also not surprising that the film was made in the mid-60's at time when youth in the Western industrialized nations were all questioning the accepted norms of society and experimenting with new forms of living and choice. Any choice has its pros and cons and this one in the film entailed ebbs and flows like all relationships do. The friendship of the two men was constant and enduring, but the woman's intermittent passions disrupted the harmony repeatedly. There was nothing judgemental about it, but very subtly observed. One has to draw one's own conclusions and probably that would depend a lot on your own experiences.

[–] FlatSixMan 15 years ago

Yesterday I had the feeling I that I had to rewatch this film, so I did. This time round, I was completely absorbed into the story, the characters and the emotions. It was a mesmerizing experience watching this film, it flows so beautifully.
The many layers present in the film were perhaps a bit too much to take in on a first viewing, or 'reading', as one of the repliers stated nicely. There are so many details and layers to this film, it felt so true, yet also fantastical. The beautiful shots, editing and the inventive useage of time made for this fantastical feel, yet the emotions present are brought in such a true to life manner... A masterpiece of film.

You said, "I love you, "I said, "Wait"
I was going to say, "Take me," you said, "Go away"

[–] safalmk86 15 years ago

I have only watched 'Jules..' only once but that's because I don't have my own DVD of it. Well, when I finished watching it, my reaction was OK, this is a very well made movie but not as great as people always say it's. But over the days that followed I found out that every scene of the movie was almost perfectly etched in my mind and the intensity of the feelings, of the movie, instead of waning, was growing on me. And that is yet to stop! A couple of hours ago, one friend of mine to whom I have been recommending this movie for a long time messaged me saying he had just seen it. That was when I realised that the story of Jules and Jim remains very much fresh and alive in my mind. I don't see any reason for the story to fade from my memory.

PS: I can't even hope to imagine, leave alone understand, being in the same emotional space as the characters or the director!

[–] FlatSixMan 15 years ago

Thanks for the reply.

Indeed, this is one of those films which stays with you for a long period and it will always have a warm place in my memory. After my first, and quite disappointing, viewing it also wouldn't leave my mind, so I had to revisit it. Especially since watching it for the first time, I had seen almost all of Truffaut's other films, thus I also wanted tp see this one again in relation to his other works. I found that many films from François Truffaut stay with you and keep growing on you in time.

You said, "I love you," I said, "Wait"
I was going to say, "Take me," you said, "Go away"

[–] grizzly228 13 years ago

I too want to see this movie again. I saw it really early one morning before work and was actually late to work so I could see how it ended. It was depressing and sad with characters that were hard to relate to, yet strangely beautiful. And very memorable.

While I was not able to take a specific lesson or moral from the story, I often think about the characters. How Jim and Jules both loved Catherine in different ways, expressing their love in completely different ways. How Jim and Jules could maintain a close friendship despite their feelings and Catherine's actions. How Catherine loved Jim and Jules in different ways and at different times. There is much to be diagnosed, alas upon one viewing several years ago, I am hardly in a position to do so.

The thing I remember most was how Jules' love for Catherine was so great, he was able to maintain relationships with both Jim and Catherine despite everything that had happened. He never allowed his bitterness or jealousy to show through because his love was a selfless, unconditional love. Whatever made Catherine happy is what he wanted her to have; even if it were another man, even if that man were his best friend. Catherine and Jim however, burned hot, and jealous. Their relationship was rocky and dramatic.

Some could argue that it is better to have the excitement and the drama, rather than be silently devoted to a love that is unrequited. But to me, the ending states the opposite. Jules remains. But like I said in the beginning, I need to watch it again.

[–] aliza_tvito 13 years ago

///...I need to watch it again///

I watched it more than 20 times, after purchasing the DVD. Believe me, with each viewing I did find something new and different. This movie is extremely rich and meaningful, like a good book, you can't explore it fully after one or two viewings.

Listen to your enemy, for God is talking

[–] captainadam 14 years ago

I had a somewhat similar reaction to Blade Runner. I watched it once, thought it was ok, but wanted to watch it again. After doing so with my friend, he had a similar reaction. He borrowed it from me and watched it with his sister. She had the exact same reaction. Strange, no?

Love Jules and Jim, by the way.

http://everythingyoualwayswantedtoknow.blogspot.com/

[–] ma_marcil 13 years ago

Wanting to explore Truffaut's movies for the first time, I watched that movie this week after seeing Mississipi Mermaid and The Last Metro before. It's very possible that I would appreciate it differently with subsequent viewings, but for now I can't say it really impressed me. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I didn't connect to the movie or the characters that well. The acting in general was fine, and the cinematography and editing were good, but somehow the story was lacking something for me. I felt a bit this way with Mississipi Mermaid (although the movie really made me fell in love with Deneuve as an actress and as a woman). I have to say that I was quite charmed by the The Last Metro, though, which had a simple yet captivating story with great characters and of course great acting. The next Truffaut's movie on my list now is The Man Who Loved Women, which I heard was very good. Then I guess I'll go with the 400 blows and perhaps Don't Shoot On The Pianist. I'm also looking forward to see more of Melville's movies (only saw The Samourai so far) and to begin exploring Godard and Chabrol.

Bill Foster: I'm the bad guy?...How did that happen?

[–] aliza_tvito 13 years ago

Concerning Melville, I would recommend you Bob le Flambeur, and Le Deuxieme Souffle. Enjoy.

Listen to your enemy, for God is talking

[–] ma_marcil 13 years ago

Thanks! I just got Breathless from Godard, which I will be seeing shortly and which I read is supposed to be one of his landmark films. But Bob Le Flambeur and Le Deuxieme Souffle are definitely next on my list. By the way,if I may ask, what did you think of Jules et Jim if you've seen it, and what Truffaut movie(s) did you like the most? Also, if you have seen movies from Chabrol, would you recommend specific movies for a beginner?

Cheers and hope to read your reply soon!

Bill Foster: I'm the bad guy?...How did that happen?

[–] aliza_tvito 13 years ago

Thank you for your kind reply, I'm glad to answer you, but, as you understand, it's all about my personal tastes I don't want to impose to anybody. Yet being asked, I would tell that I've watched Jules and Jim multiple times, IMO it's Truffault finest that contains all that is good in a New Wave. Sadly I haven't seen anything from Chabrol.

Hope you'll enjoy the movies of Melville.

Cheers!

Listen to your enemy, for God is talking

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] natacha5991 11 years ago

when I watched Jules et jim for the first time, at the age of 16 (I'm 18 now but anyways) It completely blew me away, its beauty moved me to tears, I realized that I may never admire someone in my life as i admire Truffaut.
François was in love with Moreau and jules et jim was created from this love, the magic about this movie is that you can clearly see how happy Truffaut is to be filming her.
Truffaut's voice-over is just so tender, so delicate, so passionate
I can't express with words how the beauty of the black-and-white touches my heart, such a distorted reality, so much beauty, so much passion was put into this piece of art.
let's not forget that war was to come, it was a jump into the future with love.
I must agree that it's quiet "depressing" also, Jules was convinced that Catherine was much better than he was, that she was some kind of goodness and he would never be enough to her, although, he would do anything just so he could at least see her. he would accept everything and anything, Obsession? love? for me it was both.
I understand that some people didn't connect to this movie the way i did, the way I still do, but it seems almost impossible to me that after you watch it, it won't stay with you for at least a few days.
p.s: look how beautiful Jeanne is, just look at her!!

"Through me, François learned about women, and through him, I learned about cinema" Jeanne Moreau, 1990

[–] kenmal-1 9 years ago

It's all quite simple really - Catherine is Bi-polar. If you have ever got to know a girl who is even remotely pretty and Bi-polar you will understand everything