No, they don't make them like they used to - by that I mean visually stunning, romantic, emotional dramas like this one. It is one of Truffaut's masterpieces - a fascinating and moving period piece. The story focuses on two close friends, a Frenchman and a German, who meet in Paris not long before World War I. Jim is a suave bon vivant and Jules is more sensitive and quiet. Both appear to be writers. Over a period of time, they both fall in love with the same woman - the mercurial, moody, essentially female Catherine (embodied perfectly by Moreau.) After the war, they see each other again, and the psychodrama begins to escalate.
Truffaut must have had some money to make this, since it has a charming, prewar look to it, with great costumes and locations. There is a bit of distance, and comic touches in this, which was intentional. Truffaut said he wanted the film to look like an old photo album - and it does. The story behind the story is fascinating as well - Criterion includes some info on this in the DVD. Apparently Truffaut discovered the little-known novel the book is based on at a used book shop along the Seine, and decided to film it, much to author's delight. It was the first novel by a 73 year-old art collector, and it was based on incidents in his life.
Truffaut must have had some money to make this, since it has a charming, prewar look to it, with great costumes and locations. There is a bit of distance, and comic touches in this, which was intentional. Truffaut said he wanted the film to look like an old photo album - and it does. The story behind the story is fascinating as well - Criterion includes some info on this in the DVD. Apparently Truffaut discovered the little-known novel the book is based on at a used book shop along the Seine, and decided to film it, much to author's delight. It was the first novel by a 73 year-old art collector, and it was based on incidents in his life.