Stolen Kisses

Starring:Jean-Pierre LÃ©aud, Delphine Seyrig, Claude Jade, Michael Lonsdale, Harry-Max, AndrÃ© Falcon, Daniel Ceccaldi, Claire Duhamel, Catherine Lutz, Martine FerriÃ¨re, Jacques Rispal, Serge Rousseau, Paul Pavel, FranÃ§ois Darbon, Albert Simono, Jacques Delord, Annick Asty, Joseph MÃ©riau, Roger Trapp, Karine Jeantet
Director: FranÃ§ois Truffaut
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The Adventures of Antoine Doinel captures François Truffaut's alter ego (played by Jean-Pierre Léaud) over the span of five films and 20 years. Truffaut's first feature was The 400 Blows (1959), in which Doinel is a boy who turns to petty crime in the face of neglect at home and hard times at a reform school. The film helped usher in the heady spirit of the French new wave and introduced the Doinel character. Poignant, exhilarating, and fun (there's a parade of cameo appearances from some of the essential icons and directors from the movement), this film is an important classic.

The second film to feature Doinel, "Antoine and Collette" (1962) was originally made for the omnibus film Love at Twenty but has outlived its companion shorts. As romantic and gently ironic as The 400 Blows is harsh and haunting, this modest 20-minute lark finds a teenage Antoine pursuing the lovely, lithe 20-year-old Colette (Marie-France Pisier) like a lovesick puppy. The comic sweetness of this episode sets the tone for all future Doinel films, and Léaud, who matured into the poster boy for the French new wave, displays the lanky charm and self-effacing egotism that propelled him through some of the greatest films of the next two decades.

Stolen Kisses (1968) opens with the now-grown Doinel sprung from military prison with a dishonorable discharge. He woos the perky but unresponsive object of his affections, Christine (Claude Jade), while he engages in a series of professions--hotel night watchman, private investigator, TV repairman--with mixed success and comic entanglements. But when he falls in love with the elegant wife of his client (Delphine Seyrig), Christine realizes she misses Antoine's persistence and clumsy passes, so she embarks on a seductive plan of her own.

Bed and Board (1970) finds Doinel married to Christine and still plugging away at odd jobs. He learns of his impending fatherhood, but then throws a monkey wrench into his new happiness when he becomes obsessed with a beautiful young Japanese woman (Hiroku Berghauer). Truffaut enlivens Doinel's courtyard apartment with the bustle and business of neighbors and pays homage to comic auteur Jacques Tati. However, he tempers the giddy screwball kookiness with a less forgiving disposition toward Antoine's passionate irresponsibility and emotional impulsiveness.

Love on the Run (1979) was Truffaut's last film in the series. Here, our compulsive liar and general scamp is found out time and time again, but, as the women of the film find, it's impossible to blame him entirely. The film stands on its own as a light comedy but carries much more resonance if watched in its proper place in the series.

Description

The release of François Truffaut's The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups) in 1959 shook world cinema to its foundations. The now-classic portrait of troubled adolescence introduced a major new director in the cinematic landscape and was an inaugural gesture of the revolutionary French New Wave. But The 400 Blows did not only introduce the world to its precocious director—it also unveiled his indelible creation: Antoine Doinel. Initially patterned closely after Truffaut himself, the Doinel character (played by the irrepressible and iconic Jean-Pierre Léaud) reappeared in four subsequent films that knowingly portrayed his myriad frustrations and romantic entanglements from his stormy teens through marriage, children, divorce, and adulthood. With The Adventures of Antoine Doinel, Criterion is proud to present Truffaut's celebrated saga in its entirety: the feature films The 400 Blows, Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, and Love on the Run, and the 1962 short subject, Antoine and Colette, in a special edition five-disc box set.

Customer Reviews:

Collector 'must have'.......2007-01-21

I was a bit concerned about paying the high price for films I've never seen before. But without a doubt I can only describe this series as "excellent." The caveat would be for those viewers expecting high drama.

I was surprised to learn Francois Truffaut was disappointed with Love on the Run as the finale to the adventures of Doinel. For the period in France, the series was befitting of family struggle post war reconstruction, and the new socialism of the 1970s. I also appreciate how French films seem to allow women to pursue the same sexual desires Hollywood likes to reserve for men.

Character Doinel is stuck, (which seems to have bothered Truffaut most,) but he gets away with what most men probably wish for -- being a silly prankster boy who ends up never having a shortage of women in his life as an adult.

As with many French 'people' films, this series is not for those who wouldn't appreciate the lifestyle and culture and storylines simply about 'average.' One could draw a comparison between what films were being produced in the USA during '59/'62 -- '79 to see the difference from being entertained (by John Wayne) to spying on a character's real life saga via story telling.

Antoine And The Art Of MovieMaking.......2006-10-02

For my money, "The Adventures of Antoine Doinel" might be my favorite Criterion release. Period. One of the reasons I respect Criterion (and not every choice is a slam dunk) is that it allows regular people to really learn about cinema. As someone who attended graduate school in film, I feel as if my education and appreciation has never waned due to the influx of great choices on DVD. The constant improvement of special features and supplemental material adds a new level to the movie going experience. This set alone has scores of pertinent interviews, commentaries, a short, promotional art and a 72 page book of contemporary essays and Truffault's own notes.

Now, I had seen "The 400 Blows" several times--but I had not been introduced to the other 4 films that represent the saga of Antoine Doinel. And like some other reviewers, I will not dissect each disc--but leave some overall impressions. "The 400 Blows" is considered one of Truffault's masterpieces--not only was it instrumental in initiating the French New Wave movement, it's just a great entertaining film!

And it doesn't stop there. Every film, to me, succeeded on the level of entertainment. Some people think that the later films are lesser works--and surely they are less significant on an individual basis than "The 400 Blows." But I loved them. Any one of them, taken out of context, is worth seeing--if for no other reason than entertainment value. There is much humor, sweetness, romance, and trouble to be had in the misadventures of Doinel.

Taken together, however, I think this set is a towering achievement! It's a real pleasure to spend 20 years with the same director, the same actor and the same character! You see how these components interact and evolve. How often do you get a chance to sit down and live a life with someone? By compiling the set together and watching it together--you are experience history. A good story and entertaining films, YES--but you are also growing and aging with a phenomenal director, his iconic antihero, and the film movement. The whole experience was magical and enthralling and I definitely recommend it to anyone who really loves film! KGHarris, 10/06.

A Unique serie in the history of Cinema.......2005-12-05

Antoine Doinel is filmed as a troubled child in 400 Blows, as an adolescent in Antoine & Colette, and as young man in love in Stolen Kisses, as married man an a father in Bead & Board and as a divorced, yet-trying-to-reconstruct-himself man in Love on the Run. The actor Jean-Pierre Leaud gets older during the films, still he is the same person, dealing with the same unresolved conflicts, defending the same values, entonating the same voice, 5, 10, 15, 20 years later ... as in real life. Each movie is a jewel on its own, however seeing the whole serie and getting the full, coherent picture is a unique exercise, as when you know a person from childhood from adulthood, you know what will happen, and it just happens.

François Truffaut -- Best director of all time........2005-03-29

In every way, shape, and form of moviemaking, Truffaut is the best. Best French director, best director, PERIOD! I wish Criterion would release all his films in bundled sets like this one.

This set includes what I feel is one of his best films, Stolen Kisses, which along with Jules and Jim (which is getting a Criterion release) and Day for Night (now out of print), round out my 3 best Truffaut.

Here is a breakdown of the Doinel movies in order of my preference:

Stolen Kisses: A truly original gem of a film, which can stand alone from the other 2 adult Doinel movies the best. Funny, intimate, beautifully filmed and acted. The scene in which he repeats his name "Antoine Doinel" over and over again is my favorite. Wooing women and muddling through a young man's life has never been captured better.

Bed and Board: Nice to see Doinel again, this time in a crisis over his marriage vs. a mistress. A nice view of this part of Doinel's life. Hard for Antoine to go through, but easy and fun for us to watch!

Antoine and Collette: A brilliant short film on the frustrations of teen love.

The 400 Blows: Original, daring, and brilliantly directed by Truffaut. It's just not as attention grabbing to me as his later stuff. A good start, but Truffaut was just warming up.

Love on the Run: The least of this bunch, but by no means a bad film. Very nice to see all the characters in Doinel's life return. A nice way to end the series.

This will be a must have for any Truffaut fan's collection, or any movie lover's for that matter!

Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel.......2005-01-01

I happily added this to my basket after reading the enthusiastic reviews here. I'm disappointed by the later films in the set, which seem only to regurgitate the shenanigans of the character we know so well.

400 Blows is a masterpiece, that happens also to be very truthful and touching. While watching, few people could help being reminded of the difficult times they had as children. The world is much different now, of course, so the movie to an extent reads as a historical document.

Bed and Board is very enjoyable, as we see Antoine as a victim of the world who will now take his special sort of revenge. In Love on the Run and Stolen Kisses, he is more painful to watch. He is clearly on the run from life itself, and buries his sadness and loneliness under sex and generally being mischevious.

Partway through Stolen Kisses, I realized that the films after 400 Blows were little more than series of gags. In a special feature on the Bed and Board disc, "Truffaut and co-writer Bernard Revon reveal their methods for generating scripts and developing ideas." We watch two men coming up with gags, and asking eachother, "Do you think that's funny?" and, "Which of these gags is funnier?" The gags are somewhat amusing, but soon become predictable. In each, Doinel gets in trouble and must find a way to dig out of the hole. As he does so, we suffer through Léaud's small repertoire of facial expressions, hair touches, and arm movements. And oh that Parisian French!

The repetitiveness becomes extreme in Stolen Kisses. Large segments of the first three films are simply shown again, between the episodes of "current" action. Truffaut, in an interview on the Love on the Run disc, stated that he was not satisfied with this film, since it was not really a whole film. He was concerned that the experimental nature of the film was too obvious. Hm. I suppose the goal of the experiment was to save as much film negative as possible. A silly film, only interesting to those who love Antoine Doinel.

As mentioned, the first two films are well worth watching, but don't buy the set unless you're sure you want to enter the inane world of Antoine Doinel.

Average customer rating:

Stolen Kisses
A charming comedy from Truffaut
Charming romantic comedy that really is funny
Stolen Kisses, Wasted Time
~Lovely and Delightful~

Stolen Kisses
Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud , Delphine Seyrig , Claude Jade , Michael Lonsdale , and Harry-Max
Director: François Truffaut
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00000JLTR
Release Date: 1999-08-24

Amazon.com

Eight years after the wry romantic sketch Antoine and Colette, François Truffaut and Jean-Pierre Léaud reunited to catch up with Truffaut's cinematic alter ego, Antoine Doinel, the troubled adolescent of The 400 Blows. Stolen Kisses opens with the now-grown Doinel sprung from military prison with a dishonorable discharge, drawn directly from Truffaut's own history of delinquency, but the parallels end there. Lovesick Doinel woos the perky but unresponsive object of his affections, Christine (Claude Jade) while he engages in a series of professions--hotel night watchman, private investigator, TV repairman--with mixed success and comic entanglements. But when he falls in love with the elegant wife of his client (Delphine Seyrig at her most beautiful and charming), Christine realizes she misses Antoine's persistence and clumsy passes, so she embarks on a seductive plan of her own. Truffaut's comic confection is full of deadpan gags and screwball chaos, a world away from the heavy seriousness of The 400 Blows, and Léaud is endearingly naive as the determined Doinel, forging ahead with more pluck and passion than aptitude. It may be Truffaut's most sweetly romantic film, a knowing man's embrace of eager innocence and storybook sentiment. Doinel returns two years later in Bed and Board. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Stolen Kisses.......2007-06-28

Filmed during the 1968 riots in Paris, François Truffaut's endearing, soufflé-light romantic comedy continues the saga of Antoine Doinel, played by a grown-up Jean-Pierre Leaud, who first appeared in the director's semi-autobiographical classic "The 400 Blows." As the boyishly inept Doinel, Leaud is effortlessly charming, while the radiant Seyrig is marvelous as a smoldering seductress married to a neurotic shoe salesman. Witty, touching, and studded with gorgeous views of the City of Lights, "Stolen Kisses" is one of Truffaut's sweeter confections.

A charming comedy from Truffaut.......2005-11-02

This is Truffaut's third movie in his ANTOINE ET COLLETTE series, which began brilliantly with THE 400 BLOWS. It begins with Antoine (Jean-Pierre Leaud) being dishonorably discharged from the army and eventually getting a job with a detective agency. He's not very good at it, though he tries hard, and on one case, while working as a stockboy in a shoe store, he has an affair with the owner's wife Fabienne, (played by Delphine Seyrig).

In addition to all this, Truffaut explores Antoine's relationship with long-time girlfriend Catherine (Catherine Lutz) - the ambiguities and confusions that go along with young love. The best scenes by far are those between Antoine and Fabienne - they are vibrant and compelling. Too much of the rest, though good, seems inconsistent. Antoine's character is maddening to watch and is perfectly played by Leaud: he can't quite grasp life around him, yet he can shrug it off as if lost in a fog he's unaware of. Truffaut has made better movies than this one, but it's not bad at all. Worth a watch.

Charming romantic comedy that really is funny.......2004-05-31

This is a delightful Truffaut movie starring Jean-Pierre Leaud who played Antoine Doinel, the running boy in Truffaut's famous Les Quatre cents coup (1959). He's a young man now just discharged from the army bouncing from one temporary job to another, from being a night watchman to being a TV repairman. He gets into scrapes and gets fired, but presses on (in-between impulsive liaisons with ladies of the evening).

He gets his big chance when he lucks into a job with a private detective agency. After some mishaps he is called upon to take a job (within a job, as it were) at a shoe store to find out why the owner is not liked. There he meets the owner's wife, Fabienne Tabard, played by Delphine Seyrig (Last Year at Marienbad 1961; The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie 1972, etc.). He is immediately smitten by her. In typical French cinematic fashion it is not clear whether she is a goddess or a maternal figure for the thoroughly bewitched Antoine.

Meanwhile there is Christine Darbon (Claude Jade) who plays Antoine's real love interest. What makes this film so thoroughly agreeable is Truffaut's light-hearted wit and his studious avoidance of cliche in a genre (the romantic comedy) in which cliches abound. The humor is often tongue-in-cheek, and as subtle as a diplomat's compliment. Leaud's charm and his oh so earnest style make him the perfect foil for life's little jokes. Along the way detective agencies are satirized as are its clientele, including a guy who wants his magician boyfriend tailed only to find that he is--horrors!--married, or the aforementioned shoe haberdasher who hires a private eye (not a shrink!) to find out why he is not beloved.

Bottom line: see this for Francois Truffaut, whose keen sense of humanity's foibles and unique style, sometimes playful and sometimes penetrating, have made him one of cinema's greatest directors.

Stolen Kisses, Wasted Time.......2003-12-28

The 400 Blows is deservedly one of the best movies of all time. Stolen Kisses, a continuation of the Antoine Doinel character, could possibly qualify as one of the worst (okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but it is bad). Truffaut obviously decided to go for a farcical Antoine, which proved to be a big, big mistake. Antoine is no longer that edgy, rebellious character struggling with the constraints imposed by authority. Remember how he reacted when he got slapped in the face? Very little reaction, which was perfect and believable. In Kisses, you have an Antoine who is more fawning than stoic, more mimicking than reserved. The result is this viewer's disappointment. In addition, the plot is haphazard, breezy, and meaningless. The ending is forgetful, in complete contrast to that of The 400 Blows. Do yourself a favor: instead of wasting your time watching this, watch The 400 Blows again.

~Lovely and Delightful~.......2003-04-30

"Stolen Kisses" is also one of those films that I can watch over and over again without getting bored. This film is charming and funny. Jean-Pierre Leaud's exaggerated expressions (his "declaration of love" for Madame Tabat scene and the "Chiquitita banana" scene) certainly contribute to the film's charm. I adore the characters Antoine and Christine very much. The film is very well made; like all Truffaut's films, the music, sceneries, casts, lighting, landscapes, angles etc all fit in like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. I feel that the best scene is the beginning of the movie where Truffaut shoot scenes of moving cars on the street and then slowly moves on to shoot the entrance of a cinema. It is also then the music fills in the background. I agree with one of the reviewers that this film makes good use of Charles Trenet's song "Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours". Simply delightful!

Baisers Voles (Original French Version with English Subtitles)

Average customer rating:

Baisers Voles (Original French Version with English Subtitles)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Description

Region 1 DVD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Antoine Doinel joined the army but has just been discharged. The film tells his reunion with Christine Darbon, the girl he was in love with before the beginning of the film, and his adventures in his jobs : first as a night watchman, then as a private investigator, especially during one investigation within Mr Tabard's shoes-shop... Mme Tabard is so fascinating...

Average customer rating:

Stolen Kisses
A charming comedy from Truffaut
Charming romantic comedy that really is funny
Stolen Kisses, Wasted Time
~Lovely and Delightful~

Stolen Kisses [Region 2]
Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud , Delphine Seyrig , Claude Jade , Michael Lonsdale , and Harry-Max
Director: François Truffaut
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Love on the Run
Bed & Board: Domicile Conjugal
Day for Night
Two Short Films By Francois Truffaut: Les Mistons/Antoine & Colette
Two English Girls

ASIN: B00005JDIT

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Stolen Kisses.......2007-06-28

A charming comedy from Truffaut.......2005-11-02

Charming romantic comedy that really is funny.......2004-05-31

Bottom line: see this for Francois Truffaut, whose keen sense of humanity's foibles and unique style, sometimes playful and sometimes penetrating, have made him one of cinema's greatest directors.

Stolen Kisses, Wasted Time.......2003-12-28

~Lovely and Delightful~.......2003-04-30

Stolen Kisses (Baisers volés) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

Average customer rating:

Stolen Kisses (Baisers volés) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
Director: François Truffaut
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: French (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Subtitles), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SYNOPSIS: Antoine Doinel joined the army but has just been discharged. The film tells his reunion with Christine Darbon, the girl he was in love with before the beginning of the film, and his adventures in his jobs : first as a night watchman, then as a private investigator, especially during one investigation within Mr Tabard's shoes-shop... Mme Tabard is so fascinating... SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu,

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