stolen kisses (1968)

after the relatively out of character piece fahrenheit 451 and the film that would later go on to inspire quentin tarantino's kill bill series the bride wore black, francois truffaut returned to the antoine doinel series in 1968 with stolen kisses.

we pick up with antoine freshy discharged (dishonorably) from the army, and on the lookout for his sweetheart (although not colette from the previous antoine and colette). through a series of events antoine ends up working for a private detective agency, fall for the boss's wife and finally end up working as a tv repairman. its all very scattershot but works incredibly well on screen.

i found the use of the private detective agency of particular interest, seeing as truffaut was so keen on the hollywood cinema that was largely dominated by such figures. it was a nice tribute i thought, and didnt seem to falter as parody too much, which is one of my complaints with his shoot the pianist. the use of tv repair man as an occupation seemed to me to be a sly nod to the television industry too, courtesy of the cinema world. as a result this film seemed to fit in with the whole ethos of the new wave much stronger than the earlier films in the series. the nod to laurel and hardy is blatent too, another example of the sort of thing i would expect of the nouvelle vague.

the film is perhaps the best shot work of truffaut's career, with the lingering camerawork an obvious inspiration to the aesthetics of modern american independent cinema and the like. the scene of the letter tubes is outstanding, genuinely one of the all time great scenes.

antoine and colette (1962)

this follow up to the 400 blows is a wonderful tale of young love. antoine and colette is the second in director francois truffaut's antoine doinel series of five films. while this film is only a short it still manages to fit plenty of story into its brief running time.

we learn in the opening minutes that antoine was captured after the escape attempt that brought with it the close of the previous film in the series the 400 blows, and that in the years since antoine has somehow made it through the reform system and is now living the life he aspired to as a boy and is fending for himself.

thematically the film insnt particularly disimiliar to its predecessor, with antoine dealing with the familiar tomes of rejection and the seemingly impossible pursuit, for him at least, of attaining some kind of stability in his life (with regards to relationships at least). his plight with the young colette, a girl he meets at a concert hall is one of the strongest realisations of what it feels to be a young man in love that i have ever seen. the hope and the rejection are born out of genuinely universal themes, that we can all relate to. the comparison between that of antoine's attempts at stealing a kiss from colette and the journey that a skiier makes down a treacherous hill is a particularly wonderful moment, and the final scene of antoine sat (emotionally) alone with colette's parents captures a scenario that is all too uncomfortable, even as a viewer.

the 400 blows (1959)

i took in a repeat viewing of truffaut's masterpiece this afternoon in aid of the poll being conducted over at empireonline, in which a group of fifty must choose the ten films that they deem to be the greatest of all time, before the results are colated and put into a hopefully definitive "best ever" type list. as a rule, im making an effort to rewatch each of the 20 or so films that have made my shortlist, before deciding upon my final ten.

"the 400 blows" was one of the films that shaped the way in which i look at and appreciate the "art" of cinema. while topically it wasnt literally relevant to the 16 year old boy that was watching it, visually it felt incredibly fresh, especially compared to the hollywood and mainstream cinema that i had only been exposed to at the point in which i saw "the 400 blows" for the first time. alongside jean-luc godard's "a bout de souffle" my interest in film was formed. i was sold on the notion that film as art was a viable concept.

having spent time in paris since last seeing the film i can suddenly appreciate just why the film and the city are so closely associated. obviously the very fact that the film is set in the city dictates that a close association comes fitted as standard, there is a deeper connection. the opening credits, still an all time favourite, captures the love/hate relationship that the city has with the concept of the tourist, or the outsider. while attractions like the eiffel tower may not have been intended as the "attraction" that i have just deemed it, that is exactly what it is, and i feel that, based upon personal experiences, the opening credits of the film are almost claiming back the tower to the city. throughout the remainder of the film areas regularly associated with tourists (the champs elysees, the basilica, etc) are shown in a light expected more of bresson than the 'nouvelle vague'.

despite having seen the film inumerable times ''the 400 blows" remains as watchable as ever. the charm of the character of antoine doinel remains as affable as ever, with jean-pierre léaud playing the character that would become his most popular for the first time.

the final shot fo the film still manages to be staggering in its existence. one of my oldest memories of the film is just how haunting i found this final shot to be, and can confirm that this is still the case. a beautiful shot that leaves the viewer with more questions than ones it answers throughout rest of the running time of the film. this is cinema, this is film, this is art.

pickpocket (1959)

robert bresson's unconventional love story treads over familiar bresson territory in getting to its revelatory climax. while i say revelatory, the climax to the film is outlined in its opening declaration, at least hinting at the conclusion we are going to arrive at. this opening is incredibly bold, which is something i found to be against type for a bresson picture. reassuringly we are soon back in the usual bresson areas of subtle, slow paced but assured filmmaking. the film follows michel, a small time hoodlum seemingly unwilling to conform to the expected ideals of society. instead he chooses to steal, in a manner he deems to be more worthy than common theft.

like his previous "a man escaped" the narrative (and in turn narration) follows the lead character completely. we never see anything beyond his standpoint, nor are we privy to anything around him that he isnt (see his final arrest for a great example). the irony that michel is at his happiest when behind bars, at least internally upon realisation of jeanne's love for him, obviously stands against the entire plot of "a man escaped". the fact that this is yet another film that revolves around jail from bresson serves only to fuel the reasoning behind his obsession. there are obvious metaphorical connotations of jail (freedom perhaps being the most obvious, and hardly a metaphor), but i must admit to being very curious as to why these institutions are so prevailant throughout his work.

the "crimes" commited throughout the film are exhibited in a very unique manner, and one that is highly reminiscent of bresson's other work. at times they appear in a kind of 'real-time-slow motion', showing the high level of detail in each "job", abeit in a poetic and almost beautiful moment. the scene in the train station wherein many a con are carried out is almost comparable to the way in which a dance may be shot and cut. the fluidity is magnificent. similiarly the way in which the first and final 'jobs' are shot in real-time from a restricted point of view heighten the tension to a high level.

the relationship between michel and the head police officer is a rather fascinating one. their relationship is one of the key thematic points throughout the picture, and certain connotations being turned upside down convey to the audience a confusing yet comfortable notion. for example as i have already mentioned 'michel', the lowly criminal and stereotypical bad guy is the protagonist of the film, thanks to the dawn of the anti-hero, yet traditionally the hero in this type of story would be that of the police officer. instead he is seen to be a dated and negative concept. when michel waxes lyrical with the chief of police about a highly controversial subject; the concept of the super-man, the audience is structurally led to believe that michel is right, with the policeman's view being that of an irrelevent and corrupt institution. with fascism rife throughout europe at the time, and especially as it was a major part of the nazi-manifesto, the very idea of a protagonist ably supporting the legitimacy ofsomething like the super-man notion is revolutionary in itself, even moreso when his message is projected upon the viewer (and successfully to boot). likewise the exploration of stealing as a legitimate enterprise, although ultimately villified is at times teased with (see the scene wherein michel deposits his legitimate wage into his pocket, in an identical manner to the way in which he places the money he has stolen in there).

the use of editing as a tool within which to invisibly move time forward is utilised greatly in "pickpocket". so much so that months and years pass by, with only the use of the basic narrative structure and key events passing by for explanation (see the birth of jeanne's baby).

its an interesting coincidence that "pickpocket" was released in the same year as jean-luc godard's "a bout de souffle", if not for more than the simple fact that both lead characters are named 'michel'. both films deal with the architypical anti-hero, yet while godard's film encouraged possibly the most important film movement of the 20th century, bresson's film maintained the still and restricted style expected of his work, although that is not a comment inspired by negativity. in fact i would like to point out just how surprised i have been by how much i have enjoyed bresson's work so much, especially considering just how much i love the work of the 'nouvelle vague'. the fact that bresson's incredibly unique style survived throughout the upheaval of french cinema is a testament to just how unique and important his style was.

pierrot le fou (1965)

for me, jean-luc godard's "pierrot le fou" not only represents the best example of the french new wave (despite some purists attaining that its not actually an example of the nouvelle vague at all...) but is, in my opinion the greatest film ever made.

''pierrot le fou'' is a film about regret, even down to the final scene. the story of an ad-man who one day, out of work and disillusioned with the route his life has taken decides to flee with his children's babysitter, a girl with whom he has a past. in turn it is discovered that the girl, marianne, has a couple of unresolved issues revolving around algerian gangsters, and so begins a journey to the south of france. the synopsis just outlined does very little to describe the film, as plot is, in a similiar manner to that of ''a bout de souffle'', almost irrelevent. the film is more concerned with the emotions of the semi-eponymous character (who actually goes by the name of ferdinand, yet marianne insists on calling him 'pierrot'), and his journey into decay, as outlined fairly explicitly in the early party conversation scene with samuel fuller.

half way through the picture, marianne tells a story concerning a man that decided to escape death (as in "death" the being. ala bengt ekerot in ''the seventh seal", as opposed to the actual act) by leaving paris and then heading to the south of france, only to hit a truck after driving all night. this analogy rings true for ferdinand, our hero, and could be seen as a nod to the audience, whom by this point in the movement, would have grown accustomed to the distinctive wit and wryness of the sort of humour expressed.

its worth pointing out just how important anna karina, and indeed her relationship with godard was on the final state of the film. in the years since its release, ''pierrot le fou'' has been regarded as one of the all time great examples of a piece of work created through heartbreak. anna karina and jean-luc godard's marriage fell apart during work on "pierrot", with the couple divorced by the time the camera's rolled. this personal situation is evident on the screen, with "pierrot" actually turning into a rather more biographical piece of work than im sure godard originally envisioned. the treatment of marianne as a character, and the way in which she treats ferdinand steadily declines, commenting perhaps on the relationship between godard and karina. and while it may seem like rather a light hearted role when all told, try comparing the diet-femme fetale of marianne with korina's odile in ''bande a part", to see how such similiar characters are handled differently. im under no illusion that the break up of his marriage and the nature of his work following "pierrot" are no doubt linked, i would actually be inclined to say that such a dramatic change in style and tone has never been seen in the arts before or since.

jean-paul belmondo, godard's often used performer returns in "pierrot le fou", in a role that i feel bookends incredibly well with belmondo's work in "a bout de souffle", and in turn, performances that bookend the entire nouvelle vague movement. one could almost view pierrot le fou's 'ferdinand' as the grown up michel poiccard, a loose end that has grown up to be all that he despises.

godard's political tongue changes with "pierrot le fou", and signs of the work that was to follow are becoming. gone are the loving references to american popular culture, as seen in ''a bout de souffle'' with belmondo's 'michel' and his aspirations for bogard, and the almost status symbol-like nature of the coca cola bottles in "bande a part", and in are the sly (and at times blatant) swipes at american culture, be it the satirical verse of the party scene, told in taglines from advertisements, or the attack at the texaco petrol station.

and those are just a few of the reasons as to why "pierrot le fou" is the greatest film ever made.