Truffaut's segment of this anthology is a worthy sequel to The 400 Blows. The impact may not be as great as the first film, but this short shows that sequels can be more than just retreads. Doinel's story becomes more universal as it is embellished, fleshed out. But this does not make it less interesting.
5 Reviews
Truffaut's most charming
alanjj9 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The IFC center in NYC is showing all the Antoine Doinel movies, starring Jean-Pierre Leaud. This 30-minute segment of Love at Twenty was shown before Stolen Kisses. It was much more accessible and enjoyable than either The 400 Blows or Stolen Kisses. It had a wonderful arc encompassing Antoine's desire, pursuit and disappointment. The story was straightforward and funny, and Leaud was at his handsomest--he was actually only 18 years old at the time of this film, and loaded with youthful exuberance. The movie also serves as a reminder of a bygone craft: Antoine works at place where LPs are manufactured, and Truffaut films the entire, non-mechanized process of producing a long-playing album. The movie is interspersed with beautiful classical music, as both lead characters frequently attend concerts, as well as lectures about music. The attraction of the leads to each other, the overt and enthusiastic approval of the girl's parents, and common interests, all should lead to them coming together. And maybe it will, sometime after the movie ends.
Uneven but interesting.
Jeremy_Urquhart18 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
An anthology film made up of five segments, each dealing with early adulthood love. As I like to do with most anthology films, I'll review each one by one.
Antoine and Colette Directed by François Truffaut Rating: 7/10
I'd seen this one before without realizing it was part of an anthology film. It's a solid sequel (of sorts) to The 400 Blows.
Warsaw Directed by Andrzej Wajda Rating: 6.5/10
This one's odd. It starts with a man pulling off a daring rescue at a zoo, then there's suddenly a party, and then suddenly we're dealing with PTSD. It's strange and uneven, but compelling.
Rome Directed by Renzo Rossellini Rating: 4/10
A boring melodrama about an older woman confronting her man's mistress. It's the shortest and easily the most disposable of the lot.
Tokyo Directed by Shintaro Ishihara Rating: 6/10
Outdoes Warsaw to become the strangest film of the entire anthology. It's more about obsession and stalking than love in the traditional sense, but I appreciated how different it was from the others here. I don't think it came together into something great, but it adds value to the overall film.
Munich Directed by Marcel Ophüls Rating: 6/10
I was only familiar with Marcel Ophüls as a director of long and very serious documentaries, so the idea of seeing a short film about romance by him was intriguing. Munich was just okay though, but at least it didn't drag things down like the Rome segment (interestingly, both Rome and Munich were directed by sons of famous directors; Roberto Rossellini and Max Ophüls respectively).
Antoine and Colette Directed by François Truffaut Rating: 7/10
I'd seen this one before without realizing it was part of an anthology film. It's a solid sequel (of sorts) to The 400 Blows.
Warsaw Directed by Andrzej Wajda Rating: 6.5/10
This one's odd. It starts with a man pulling off a daring rescue at a zoo, then there's suddenly a party, and then suddenly we're dealing with PTSD. It's strange and uneven, but compelling.
Rome Directed by Renzo Rossellini Rating: 4/10
A boring melodrama about an older woman confronting her man's mistress. It's the shortest and easily the most disposable of the lot.
Tokyo Directed by Shintaro Ishihara Rating: 6/10
Outdoes Warsaw to become the strangest film of the entire anthology. It's more about obsession and stalking than love in the traditional sense, but I appreciated how different it was from the others here. I don't think it came together into something great, but it adds value to the overall film.
Munich Directed by Marcel Ophüls Rating: 6/10
I was only familiar with Marcel Ophüls as a director of long and very serious documentaries, so the idea of seeing a short film about romance by him was intriguing. Munich was just okay though, but at least it didn't drag things down like the Rome segment (interestingly, both Rome and Munich were directed by sons of famous directors; Roberto Rossellini and Max Ophüls respectively).
Be aware--an abbreviated version of this movie is out there!
planktonrules3 January 2006
I have been looking for a copy of Stolen Kisses for some time, and so I was glad I finally found it--or thought I'd found it. While my sole reason for wanting to see it was to see the Truffaut segment featuring the character "Antoine Doinel", I was VERY surprised to see a DVD with ONLY this 30 minute portion from the movie on it--along with a Truffaut short, Les Mistons! What about the segments from Love At Twenty by Ophuls and the other directors? They were nowhere to be seen on the FOX/Lorber DVD! Quel dommage!
Now, in regard to the Antoine Doinel segment, I was VERY glad I saw it, as it was the most interesting and endearing I ever saw the character. Doinel appeared in several other Truffaut full-length films and this small segment was the final one I needed to see to complete them. It was lighter in tone and "cute" compared to the other incarnations--much lighter than 400 blows or the other films that have a more wistful edge to them. You see a hopeful Doinel just reaching adulthood--a decent guy--just REALLY awkward with the ladies.
Now, in regard to the Antoine Doinel segment, I was VERY glad I saw it, as it was the most interesting and endearing I ever saw the character. Doinel appeared in several other Truffaut full-length films and this small segment was the final one I needed to see to complete them. It was lighter in tone and "cute" compared to the other incarnations--much lighter than 400 blows or the other films that have a more wistful edge to them. You see a hopeful Doinel just reaching adulthood--a decent guy--just REALLY awkward with the ladies.
Great
Daniel Karlsson14 January 2002
This picture is worth watching just for Truffaut's terrific episode...it's too great for words. What a wonderful time that most have been back then when teenagers went to Mussorgsky recitals... not very common today, unfortunately. Anyway. Unlike American films which often show love in a artificial way, Truffaut and the other directors of the New Wave show realistic love, how it can be in real life. I love the way they film. The next episode (in Rome) is not quite as good as Truffaut's. In fact, it's real horrible. It almost ruins in otherwise a great film. The Japanese part is very good, but weird. I can't see why there must always be someone who dies in every Japanese film. The final episode in Poland is the 2nd best in the set. To conclude, I liked this movie a lot. It's the sort of film that makes you happy afterwards. And it's funny too. 5 out of 5?
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